GARDEN BIRD CAFÉ

WINTER - PART 1

The GBS Garden Bird café is situated within the grounds of a private estate so is relatively safe from vandals; up to thirteen feeders are kept fully stocked with a variety of seed, peanuts and fat balls.

As autumn left us and the last leaves fell from the trees as if by magic the number of birds using the GBS Garden Bird Café began to increase.

Every year the autumn is the quietest time at the Café; with so much natural food available in the surrounding woodlands and fields that the birds only gather when they feel like a change.

Fieldfare: This Fieldfare wasn’t in the Café, but did feed in the berry tree next door!

A Rowan tree near the Café is always popular with species such as Blackbird and Mistle Thrush, but this year a Fieldfare put in a welcome appearance.

At the time of writing there is yet to be a Waxwing seen here, even though there are thousands in the country; fingers are still crossed.

But with the first cold snap the bird numbers increased; Goldfinch from two to about five birds, while the Greenfinch flock went to double figures by the end of November.

All the regulars were still coming to feed, including two Nuthatch, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and three or four Robins that seemed to spend more time chasing each other than building up their fat reserves!

Robin: Pausing from its combat with three or four other Robins this one decided to look for food in the snow.

Then came December…and the Café had its heaviest fall of snow in the ten years it has been open. Feeders and bird tables had almost a foot of snow covering everything; the ground snow was so deep that it was impossible to throw apples out as they disappeared.

Patches were cleared and seed scattered on the ground and tables, while feeders were kept stocked up daily.

Birds flocked down to the food with the first Brambling of the year joining the small group of twelve Chaffinches that were enjoying Ultiva Feeder Mix that had been scattered on the ground as well as put in the feeders.

Brambling: A rare visitor to the Café, this single Brambling joined in with the Chaffinch flock to come down to the seed.

But with the increase in activity came the hunter…a Sparrowhawk visited on a daily basis, but everyone has to survive this weather….

Sparrowhawk: It has to eat no matter how much we dislike seeing the small birds taken, but perching on the frame of the feeder pole was a bit cheeky of this Sparrowhawk.