Two Robins Fighting

I heard these two robins before I saw them. I was walking with Ellie around the estate and stopped briefly to rest on a patch of grass by a small wooded area.

We heard panicked sounds, somewhere between a sharp screech and a chirp and then saw two robins in hot pursuit suddenly burst from the tree cover and straight across the footpath. The sounds didn't stop and twice more we saw them emerge and disappear again.

I assume it was a fight between individuals establishing their territories after the breeding season. According to the RSPB, robins are "aggressively territorial and quick to drive away intruders."

This kind of behaviour is especially noticeable at this time of year because so many species are quiet and unobtrusive, now that breeding has finished.

Wildlife at Work

I'm lucky that my office is based in stunning grounds that are well looked after with the wellbeing of both us workers and the local wildlife in mind.

RBS Gogarburn was opened in 2005. It sits on an impressive 78 acre site. The development was "designed to minimise impact on the natural environment. In parallel with this landscape, water management and habitat strategies have been developed."

There are several walking routes through the grounds. If I have time available over lunch (not as often as I'd like!) I try to get out for a walk.

There is woodland (old and new), reedbeds, open grassland, and a stream that cuts through the site. Songbirds are a common sight but I also occasionally spot something more unusual.

A few months ago I saw a roe deer standing silently at the window of the office restaurant.

Earlier this week I came across a fox. It was a magical encounter. It was quietly grooming itself, sitting in the middle of the footpath in a secluded part of the grounds. It didn't notice me. I must have been downwind. I stood still for about a minute watching it. It was wonderful to see an animal that is usually so wary and alert looking completely relaxed.

Wildlife encounters are always to be treasured. But there's something about these unexpected moments in the middle of a busy working day that is extra special.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Another life tick to report. We had a great spotted woodpecker in the garden. Never seen one before but it was instantly recognisable.

It had a red mark on the back of it's neck meaning it's a male. It perched on a branch for a few seconds, had one attempt on the bird feeder, and then flew off.

Totally unexpected and wonderful. A real delight as the garden bird life has been a bit dull in recent weeks.

Sparrow Family

Last year we had a house sparrow nest in our guttering on the roof (I remember a very loud and persistent fledging calling from there repeatedly!) and this year the nest appeared there again. I assume it was the work of the same pair of house sparrows.

Yesterday I was outside with my daughter and we watched as the female house sparrow collected seeds from our bird feeder and took them back to the nest. When she arrived there we could hear the calls of the young above our heads.

So this morning I was rather shocked and delighted to see the young out of the nest, fledged! At least I assume they were the ones from our nest.

There were a male and female house sparrow on our feeder. Sitting on perches on a branch nearby were three juveniles. The female kept bringing them seeds. She focused on two of them as the third seemed to able to make trips to the feeder itself.

All the juveniles looked similar to the female in terms of their plumage, but I don't know if that's how all juvenile house sparrows look or whether they were three females.

Later that same day I saw them again at the feeder, but this time they were feeding from it themselves. They had clearly been watching their mother closely!

They were a bit unsteady and there was one comedy moment when all three went for the same feeder perch at exactly the same time, prompting some panicked flapping of wings to get away.

The whole thing was lovely to watch. I don't know anything about house sparrow development but I find it hard to believe the young could go from being in the nest to fledged and getting their own food within a day, so perhaps these were different birds from those in our nest, although I find that hard to believe too. Who knows.

Frogs aren't early risers!

Another interesting sight during my stay at my mum's was this frog:

Frog
[May 2013]

We saw it in the garden pond, floating lifelessly. This was early on a crisp morning so the frog must have been freezing and had no energy, but we were worried and (probably unnecessarily) fished it out and placed it out of the shade.

It soon warmed up and sluggishly came back to life, taking a few tentative hops. I'm assuming it's a common frog but to be honest I don't really know!

Goldcrest

Another life tick! (Yes, I'm on a roll). I was visiting my mum's in Cheshire at the weekend and she had a goldcrest visiting her bird feeder every 15 minutes or so. It must have been taking food back to a nest.

I was outside at about 8 in the morning and saw it. My mum didn't believe me, but eventually I got her to see it from inside with the binoculars and agree it had a gold patch on the top of its head!

This one wasn't as chubby looking as the pictures in bird guides make out, but it was still unmistakable as there isn't another bird (apart from the firecrest, which isn't common this far north) with the bright gold patch!

The goldcrest was a really exciting spot. I don't know how common they are in gardens but I was really surprised to see it. No picture though I'm afraid.

Another Life Tick!

On Bank Holiday Monday we decided to take the kids to Whitmuir, the local organic farm shop and cafe.

On the drive there, over the hills, I saw birds several times that I was sure looked unusual to me, but they were too far away for me to see them closely, and anyway the car kept scaring them off.  They looked grey wagtail-like in overall shape and flew in an up and down bobbing motion. They flashed a white rump as they flew which is what made me think I might be looking at something new.

It was only on the drive home that I finally got a closer look at one of these birds, which remained perched on the wall by the road as we drove past. It had a grey head and back, with a very clear thick black "stripe" across its wings and lower back.

I made a mental note of the plumage and looked it up that evening. It was a wheatear!  A bird that I wasn't even sure I'd ever heard of before, let alone seen!

Apparently it is best seen in "upland" environments, which is exactly where we saw it. Fantastic! Life tick.