Today I was working at my computer in my upstairs office. I had the window wide open despite the pouring rain and relatively cool temperatures, in order to be ready to take photos of the fledglings who are frequenting our feeders. It has been like Piccadilly circus before Covid. Whatever is in the feeder seems like Crack cocaine to the birds, they simply can’t get enough of it. Suddenly there was a huge scrabble of feet and a flapping of fluffy little wings as a coal tit fledgling arrived inside the room! I don’t know which of us was more surprised. He flew up to the ceiling from the window ledge and then with my encouragement flew back out into the garden. That’s never happened to me before and it felt like a really precious moment.
Last year we experienced the Blue Tit family using the feeders as an extension of the nest once their babies had fledged. This year we have Bluetits, Great tits, Greenfinches and Nuthatches as well as the incredible spotted woodpeckers. With their tufted red heads these fledglings are the big kids on the block, but probably not the most courageous. They do bicker and fight amongst themsleves but aren’t very keen to stick around when the magpies arrive. Mum keeps and eye on them too.
It’s entertaining to watch the fledglings learning how to fly and most importantly how and where to land. There’s no shortage of bumpy landings, and when the feeders are fully occupied this can make for some hair-raising moments, or should I say feather raising? See what you think about the images that follow. I think there might be a case for a caption competition!
We’ve ended up having two feeders full of fat balls as these are the most popular, and we’ve seen up to seven fledglings at once on a feeder. It’s a heaving mass of tiny bodies! So fun to watch – much more fun than the daily Government announcements!
This last one shows a blue tit absolutely in mid flap, I couldn’t photoshop and effect like this if I tried for decades, it was just what happened while I watched, and the magic of a fast shutter worked for this one.
I sort of wonder if he’s being asked for his booking reference or a landing fee!
What fascinations do you have from your windows?