Pair of Nuthatches

The Nuthatch has to be one of my favourite birds! Full of character and with plenty of attitude, it will see off much larger birds and doesn't seem overly bothered by my presence.

It was on our feeder when I was out in the garden the other day and just looked at me as if to say 'I don't care about you, but thanks for the food'.

We have been getting a pair of Nuthatches for a while and it is always a pleasure to watch them. One will come into feed, closely followed by the other. They usually take as many sunflower hearts as they can and then fly off towards West Wood, Greenham - where we think they live. Hopefully we have helped them in the cold months of winter. A warm 15C here today, so Spring looks as if it has arrived early!

Bullfinches in our Greenham Garden

The reason fruit farmers sadly used to persecute Bullfinches was their taste for Spring buds, including those on budding apple trees. This practice is now thankfully outlawed.

This week I witnessed our almost resident male and female Bullfinch adding a tasty salad mix to their sunflower heart diet! Here is the male Bullfinch (looking particularly well fed I have to say!):

Siskins on Greenham Common?

This winter has been rather disappointing for birding. The warm weather both here and on the continent has kept some of the winter migrants away from UK shores.

This week saw the first Siskin sightings in our Greenham garden, which leads me to believe that there are small numbers up on nearby Greenham Common.

A male and female have been regular visitors for the last few days.