Garden nature diary: The natural world on my doorstep
October 1: Stock dove on the lawn. Very young juvenile wood pigeon feeding on berries from the cotoneaster outside the kitchen. Pair of greenfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder. Goldfinches and chaffinches in the garden.
October 2: Great spotted woodpecker on the fat ball feeder. Greenfinches (at least 3), chaffinches (at least 3). Juvenile wood pigeon on neighbour’s fence. Two calling ravens flew low over our home.
October 3: Lots of greenfinches on the feeding station, saw 8 at one time. Likewise, chaffinches, with 5 seen at one time. Stock dove on the lawn. Two regular magpies attacking the feeders and mopping up the contents on the floor.
October 4: Female house sparrow on the seed feeder. Occasionally joined by others but we’ve had this bird for some time now. Lots of chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder. Male sparrowhawk in the garden but it left empty-handed. Stock dove on the lawn. Five magpies in the garden together, attacking the feeders.
October 5: Stock dove and juvenile wood pigeon on the lawn. Male great spotted woodpecker drinking at the bird bath. Chaffinches and goldfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder.
October 6: Stock dove beneath the feeding station. Chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder.
October 7: Stock dove on the lawn. Great spotted woodpecker on the nuts feeder. Five magpies around the feeding station.
October 8: A pair of stock doves below the feeding station, taking advantage of all the food dropping to the ground due to the feeders being attacked by two magpies. Single stock dove later. Lots of chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches visiting the sunflower hearts feeder. Three juvenile wood pigeons in the garden. Numerous tawny owls in the lane/woodland area calling during the night.
October 9: Long-tailed tit on the suet pellets feeder. Two separate sightings of a single raven, calling in flight. Probably the same bird.
October 10: Lots of greenfinches on the feeding station, most seen at one time was three. Three magpies around the feeding station.
October 11: Lots of chaffinches, greenfinches and goldfinches. Finches have replaced the tits as the commonest group of birds in the garden in recent months. Roe deer calling from the western slope golf course after dark, heard when I let the dog in the garden.
October 12: Large flocks of wood pigeons appearing in the valley, c.300 seen from the living room. Lots of chaffinches, greenfinches and goldfinches on the feeding station. Four magpies in the garden.
October 14: Four magpies in the garden. At least five long-tailed tits in a neighbour’s garden. Greenfinches (at least 3), goldfinches and greenfinches, all regular visitors. Stock dove on the lawn. Female house sparrow on the feeding station. Female great spotted woodpecker in a neighbour’s garden.
October 15: Lots of chaffinches (most at one time: 4), greenfinches (most at one time: 6) and goldfinches continue to visit the feeding station throughout the day. Stock dove on neighbour’s roof.
October 16: Stock dove on a neighbour’s roof. Female house sparrow on the seed feeder. Numerous chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches visiting the sunflower hearts feeder. Three magpies in the garden.
October 17: Pied wagtail on bungalow roof in Wordsworth, seen from our drive. Lots of chaffinches (most seen at one time: 6), goldfinches and greenfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder. Green woodpecker in flight, seen from our home. Wren on the patio. Coal tit on the feeding station.
October 18: Coal tit on the feeding station. Usual constant stream of chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches on the sunflower hearts feeder. Seven ravens in silent flight, south to north over the western slope.
October 19: Six magpies on and beneath the feeding station at the same time. Large numbers of chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches continue to visit, so much so that I’ve installed a second sunflower hearts feeder on the station. They were squabbling over the feeding points. Pair of stock doves on the lawn. Coal tit visited the feeding station.
October 20: Single stock dove on the lawn. Later in the day, a single bird was joined by another. The usual large numbers of chaffinches (most at one tine: 5), goldfinches and greenfinches (most at one time: 6) visiting the sunflower hearts feeders. Juvenile wood pigeon in the garden.
October 21: Silent raven in flight, seen from the drive. Juvenile wood pigeon on the lawn. Stock dove on the lawn.
October 22: Juvenile wood pigeon in the garden. Greenfinches again in numbers, most seen at one time, all on the feeders: 5.
October 23: Stock dove on the lawn, with a pair appearing later in the day. Coal tit on the feeding station. Pair of common buzzards mobbed by four jackdaws over the woodland and two ravens soaring, all seen from the back room upstairs.
October 24: Stock dove beneath the feeding station. Four house sparrows in the garden. Usual numerous chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches, all on the sunflower hearts feeder.
October 25: Two stock doves in the garden (they arrived and departed separately). Female house sparrow on seed feeder. Eight calling ravens seen from the upstairs back room, as they circled low over the woodland.
October 26: Five house sparrows visiting the seed feeder. Stock dove below the feeding station. Mistle thrush flew over our home at dusk.
October 27: Four magpies in the garden, around the feeding station. Two female house sparrows on the feeders. Stock dove on the lawn.
October 28: Coal tit visiting the feeding station. Stock dove on the lawn. Four magpies around the feeding station. One hour birding from the upper room: Magpie, wood pigeon, great tit, greenfinch, lesser black-backed gull, blue tit, chaffinch, dunnock, stock dove, coal tit, robin, house sparrow, carrion crow, common buzzard, jackdaw, raven (16).
October 29: Four magpies in the garden. Two stock doves beneath the feeding station.
October 30: Ring-necked parakeets heard (but not seen)in flight over our home. Mistle thrush in neighbouring tree. Male blackbird on neighbour’s aerial. Stock dove in the garden. Chaffinches, greenfinches and goldfinches (including one extremely young bird). Coal tit on the feeding station. Seven magpies in the garden.
October 31: Three magpies around the feeding station. Numerous chaffinches and goldfinches. Coal tit visiting regularly.
Garden nature diary here