I anticipate the sound every year without actually realising until I hear it that I've been waiting (if that makes sense?). So what is this Spring announcing sound that I wait for every year? Well it's the birdsong of the Curlew
RSPB |
I haven't seen the Curlew yet but I hear them daily now in the pasture field at the back of us. Every year they arrive and make their nests on the ground in the field and this year I will endeavour to capture the birds on camera.
Blue Tits and Coal Tits are pretty much an all year round sight for us here in Caithness and so I try to accommodate them as much as I can with food and nest boxes.
Blue Tits have got to be my favourite garden bird of all time, they're energetic, tenacious tiny little birds and have got to be one of the most tolerant species of humans that I've come across.
They regularly make nests in my home made nest boxes and never seem to mind me perched on a chair outside quietly snapping away with my camera.
Today, I noticed a pair of Blue Tits eyeing up a nest box and while I'm unsure as to whether they were checking out a potential new home or have actually got it up and running with eggs inside, I think it's safe to say they've moved in:-
First she scouts the outside and checks out da hood.
Next she checks out the interior
Yup, this will do nicely, thank you.
Time for a cleanup though (maybe there's even chicks in there?)
See what I mean about these Blue Tits being very tolerant. A couple of years ago I got to watch her flying in and out feeding the chicks, it was so cute to hear them cheeping away.
A couple of our boxes have web cams in but it looks as though the birds are avoiding those. The web cams don't upset them as one year they did nest in one of the boxes. They didn't start building that year until the last couple of days in March
ReplyDeleteThey're such fun to watch aren't they Sue. I never thought to put webcams in, maybe I will have to look into it.
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Linda
What sweet bird shots! Our songbirds are heading back now, too. I'm hearing mourning doves almost nonstop, and the robins are going crazy. Must be spring!
ReplyDeleteI love watching the Robins here too, they're chirpy little fellows aren't they :) I've never heard of mourning Doves so I'm going to google them.
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Linda
What a pretty little bird! Love the yellow breast. That last shot is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteThank you :) The Blue Tits are definitely cute birds, I could watch them all day.
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Linda
What lovely pics of your little blue tits, they are adorable. How lucky you are to have curlews. We had one last year at the rescue, it had a broken leg but recovered and was released. They are such beautiful birds!xxxxx
ReplyDeleteThank you Snowbird :) Curlews are lovely birds but I especially like their song. We also get alot of Lapwings here and they're just crazy to watch.
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Linda
What an adorable bird. We don't have them here. Reminds me a bit of chickadees, except chickadees are not as colorful. Love the pictures, especially where he is poking his head out of the bird house.
ReplyDeleteWhat great photos! They are wonderful birds, always busy, and, like you say, not really worried to be around humans. We don't have curlews in West London, but they look very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI just love your sweet birds....I know spring has arrived here when our robins begin their song and the peeper frogs sign me to sleep at night.
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