Back Garden Visitors

My back garden has been reasonably busy with birds over the past couple of weeks so thought it about time to point the lens back in that direction. I had a a blackbird nesting in a bush near the kitchen window. She was perfectly happy and sitting on 4 eggs. Her is the female taking a short break from her incubating duties.

Then last week a magpie started visiting the garden. Two days later the blackbird's nest had been ransacked and the eggs gone. House sparrows are nesting in the roof and the first brood has recently fledged. This is one of the new youngsters.

and the male bird.

and some communal bathing.

The occasional starling is also visiting which acts a good splash of colour in the right light.

The goldfinches have been visiting in numbers and the first young are also putting in appearance.

The only other regular visitor of note at the moment is a stunning male greenfinch which are rarely seen in the garden. To date I have not got a decent photograph of this bird has it is playing hard to get.

Temporary Feeding Station

I decided I would take a feeder, some sun flower hearts and fatballs on my trip to Cornwall just in case there was some possibilities to set-up a mini feeding station in the garden. On arrival I noticed an existing nut feeder located outside the kitchen window by the front door. So I added a couple of fallen branches out of the garden to attach my offerings next to it, as the birds were already coming into this area. This allowed me to then take photos through the front door while sitting in the house which was probably just as well as we experienced all four seasons of weather during the week's stay. In hindsight my only regret was that I did not spend more time wandering around the garden or setting up another feeder elsewhere and on the last day realised I had missed out on a chance of getting some Marsh tit and Siskin photos. I did not spend a great deal of time photographing the birds, as that was not really the purpose of the holiday, and it was usually either a short session in the morning or after a day out exploring North Cornwall. I have posted a small selection of shots from the temporary feeding station.

Blue tits

and in some April snowFemale and Male Greenfinch

Female House sparrowMale Chaffinch

Goldfinchand Nuthatch

Wandering around the garden I also just about managed a photo of this willow warbler which refused to allow me a completely clear shot as it moved through some low branches.

and one of the resident wrens

They always amaze me that such a small bird can produce such a loud song.

Out Back

Just a few shots from out the back door of the house for this post. There are still plenty of goldfinch coming into the feeders and they are starting to look a lot tidier now after nearly finishing their moult.

Still plenty of young birds arriving in the flock.

No wonder the seed is disappearing so fast. Its not really that fat just fluffed up on a cool morning.

and of course the ever present sparrow flock.

A recent garden arrival that looks like it has set up territory for the winter is this robin.

Unusally for my urban location is the arrival of this grey squirrel that only appear very rarel in the garden.

Support Testing

I decided it was about time to get a tripod. It still probably will not get used a great deal, as afterall I have managed up until now without one but sure it will have its occasional uses especially when in the hide.

Thought I would give the new camera support a test out with some birds in the garden. These were taken sitting in the kitchen through the open back door. Possibly the ultimate in hide comfort. First with some blue tits

Some junior greenfinch which are new garden visitors.

and a young house sparrow and goldfinch for good measure.

Small Birds in Flight

I have been trying to see if I can photograph small birds in flight in the back garden. It has quickly become obvious and doing a bit of reading that using a single flash set up is not likely to be the ideal approach. I think may be some more experimentation is required or more likely my knowledge of flash photography!!!! Here are a couple of shots

House sparrow

and another goldfinch with some movement blur.

Still Waiting

I am still waiting for the return of the 500mm lens and combined with the continued inclement weather (currently lightning and steady downpour as I type this!!), I have not been out that much. I am really noticing the difference in reach and bird size in the frame between 400mm and 500mm. Anyway A couple of shots from the last couple of days with the 100-400mm lens.

Male sparrow taking his parental responsibilities seriously in the back garden.
and a couple of shots of local male stonechat. The first shot was on a very windy day and this fence post offered the only chance of a static perch to get a shot.
Another shot from about an hour ago on a more typical perch and just before the thunder storm let loose.

Couple from out the back door

I was just playing around doing some experimenting with the camera settings over the weekend in the back garden. A couple of birds came into view during my testing so obviously could not resist taking the shots.

This male blackbird seems to be enjoying his bath.

A house sparrow enjoying a brief moment of sun between the showers to try and dry off. Before you adjust your vision that post really is purple, as the back garden has some quite technicolour paint work.

Meet the Sparrows

The first batch of this years young have descended into the garden from the nest in the roof. They were still been fed by the female so thought I would take a few shots.

Forming an orderly queue to be fed.She's a busy bird, keeping all those hungry mouths and fluttering wings satisified.

Out the back door

As the weather has not been good this week, as well as being very busy, my opportunities to get out have been a bit bit sparse this week. However, the back garden is staying busy with plenty of birds coming in including the first broods of this year's young. For some birds I can just shoot from the back door off the kitchen

Young blackbird

A new House sparrow from the nest in the roof to the growing flock.The goldfinches are also increasing in numbers.

The extra birds arriving means that there is not enough room on the feeder which increases the chances of me getting some shooting opportunities.

Another recent arrival this week, that have been absent for a while, is the collared dove. There are a lot of colourful shrubs growing well in the garden at the moment, with all the rain, which is providing some unusual coloured backgrounds.

More from the Back Garden

As the weather has not been very good here this week, I have spent most of my spare time after work taking some more shots of birds in the back garden. Here is a collection of some of the residents.

Male house sparrow, a very underrated bird.

The male blackbird which is a good test for getting photograph exposure right.

Goldfinch
and one of the four birds currently visiting checking out the new bird bath

and one of the blue tit pair nesting nearby that definately likes the new bathing facilities.