Still here

Yes I've been so quiet some friends have rung up to check I'm still kicking. Guess I must be old then. Swallows are here and got a mega on Sunday of two Red legged Partridge in next doors garden.

That brings the lockdown total to 64 as I managed to get Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff near the White Swan. Keeping a sharp eye out for Whitethroat and still missing Grey Partridge. Also hoping the Big Waters Osprey strays this way but doubt it will. No Swifts yet.

This young buck was seeing off a contender on Sunday. Watched for five minutes as it was quite a high speed chase till eventually they disappeared into the wood.

Was that a weekend?

All just a blur at the moment. Watched the female Blackbird build her nest in my killer Berberis nest to the living room window. Fifth year in a row the pair have nested year generally successfully. Not got the mud lining yet which may be a challenge now its turned dry.

The bay window Jackdaw pair have stopped bringing sticks and now concentrating on horse hair and dry horse dung. They also bring a variety of string, plastic and metal junk which can litter the drive and my car.

House Sparrows are generally on the nest so mainly males in the garden but they still can't resist a feather if it drifts past. 

Turning 60

Wednesday was the day with Willow Warbler singing as I opened the front door, Stock Dove in the rear paddock then Swallow just before lunch and more surprisingly House Martin immediately after. Normally at least a week between first Swallow and first House Martin.

Then yesterday finally the Canada Geese flew past and I'm pretty sure this morning a Gropper was reeling although a little windy but that would be the 60 for the lockdown list. So Swift to come with Snipe and Whitethroat a possibility but Grey Partridge is a huge miss to date.

No 52 on the lockdown list thanks to GB for the quite literal 'heads up' as it drifted west over Dinnington later to be seen elsewhere in the city but having chased many it was my first Prestwick Carr sighting although many others have seen them. Also yesterday out of my visual range Green Sandpiper which if lucky I might get on passage to Banks Pond and 2 Yellow Wagtails near Mayfair House.

In the paddock to the rear Mistle Thrush put on a show.

as did my regular Robin but no migrants as yet. Swallows get later every year locally.

LI

Yes 51 the lockdown total with close up Great Spotted Woodpecker and distant Grey Heron on Thursday and a pair of Mute Swans yesterday, The melanistic Pheasant even came close enough for a record shot. Still no migrants although Chiffchaff in the village on my daily 'exercise' to the Post Office.

Getting tougher

The lockdown list stuck at 48 or 49 if I'm allowed to tick melanistic (P.c.tenebrosus) Pheasant. Working in the garden got Willow Tit and an overflying Linnet in song but yesterday was wall to wall Woodpigeon. Four that should be bankers are missing. Been scouring the field edges for Grey Partridge but if the weather gets warmer should get the males calling.

 The Banks Pond Canada haven't been moving

 nor any Mute Swans

Wouldn't normally get Woodpecker in the garden till after breeding and I really don't want to be stuck here that long but scanning the birch copse two fields away hasn't been beneficial. Still got the migrants to come and maybe a calling owl but one can only hope.

The lock down list went up to 44 species this week with Barn Owl, Yellowhammer, Shelduck and today Little Egret being excellent additions. Still some bankers and the migrants to get so should crash fifty.

                                     

Goldfinches very active in the garden at the moment as are the nesters. Blackbird, Blue Tit, House Sparrows, Collared Dove all on eggs with Jackdaw and Starling due to follow shortly.

With few people about the deer are getting a bit casual. 

more on the netty

This is my Mum in front of the netty circa 1949. the netty 3ft wide 5ft deep is the door on the right with the hole over the latch having a string through attached to the lock inside so you could release anybody stuck inside. The entrance to the yard was to the right and the door on the left is the coalhouse. The brick on left of picture is the wall to the scullery.

The house on the right is where the netty was. 1 Strawberry Terrace, Burradon. The house is still there but the netty is gone.

Lockdown

Day four of lockdown and the from the garden list is 35 including the nine Greenland White fronted Geese that feed on the Carr every night returning to Big Waters for a wash and brush up around 8am. Nice to see them demonstrating social distancing.

Looking at the stocks I can survive 28 days without going out. Will run out of toilet roll and washing powder after the weekend but if nobody sees me I can stink as much as I like. There's still good old soap, water and the left hand!

I know the water authority don't want you to do it but I am of an age that when I visited the grandparents at Burradon there was still newspaper on the hook in the outside netty (toilet for those not of these parts). If you wanted soft you had to take the roll out with you from the house because if left in the loo it went damp. There's a hint to make newspaper comfortable....dampen it.

When every day is a bad hair day

 The Dinnington Bald Ibis is that bird

Escapee from Kirkley Hall gardens favoured the area east of Sycamore Avenue but has recently traveled to my patch at Prestwick.

Seen in flight over Dinnington First School has been described by a colleague as a vulture

Dinnington History

An excellent book published by local historian Miles Watson and includes an eight page chapter on Prestwick Carr

a bargain at £7.50 for 151 pages on sale at Rehans Store in the village.

 Nice to get Treecreeper off the list early doors even if it was a bit camera shy.

 Of course the over enthusiastic clean up at the Golf course has destroyed its favoured nest site

Last for the 2019 list was No110 Kingfisher. Distant but watched for over half an hour. Missing from the list though were Tawny Owl and Tufted Duck. Normally sitters in every sense of the word.