Thrush in residence

This year we have a pair of song thrushes living around the garden. These birds are a welcome addition to the avian residents as they have made a significant difference to the vegetable patch in our garden.
At the side of the pond is a slab which the thrushes have been using as an anvil. There are a large number of broken garden snail shells in this area. Other parts of the garden have similar accumulations of snail shells. In fact it is very difficult to find garden snails anymore. The frogs from the pond also seem to be reducing the garden slug population, so I am expecting a good crop of vegetables this year.
There was a bit of an event this morning. One of our cats was very excited, chasing a thrush chick along the garden wall. The cat was play chasing rather than in kill mode, so the chick was in good health. I picked it up and examined it, then put it into a box with a few meal worms. I popped the box up into a plum tree near to their nest site. I wish I had photographed it now....
It was not long before one of the parent birds had found the box containing its stray chick. Hopefully, if the chick is fed for a few more days its primary feathers will have grown sufficiently to allow it to fly. OK, the box was a cat food box, but the birds did not seem to mind!
Afterwards we went for a stroll around Trentham Lake and gardens. We occasionally sit on a bench beyond the main garden cafe and the local robins visit us for scraps. I was quite pleased with this photo.
I will check on the thrush chick tomorrow. I don't want the fuss that we had with a starling chick in a previous Spring.

The Robin's Patch

Today was another mild bout of winter, with the temperature hovering around freezing and a dusting of fine powdery snow. The car stayed in its garrage and we walked to the park and back for some exercise.
In the garden, our very own robin was protecting his territory with a rather skewed passion. He regards our garden bird feeder as his very own lunch box and is very choosy as to who he allows to use it. The blue tits, coal tits and great tits are fine - sparrows he will tolerate - but if a dunnock comes anywhere near the feeder, it will be chased off with a vengeance.
Even if the dunnock is feeding on the ground spill. That robin hates dunnocks, or perhaps just one, as I have only seen one at a time chased off. He will chase the bird away, then return to the feeder for a meal worm treat.
Of course, when the starlings arrive, all of the other birds move aside. These raucous and gregarious flocking birds are just to fast and furious for our usually calm garden residents. During the long and icy winter this year, the birds have been more dependent on the garden feeders and more individuals are seen around the locality. The usual dozen or so starlings are now well over 100 flocking birds and the 3-5 local pigeons are more like 20 in number.

The photos are a bit hazy as they are taken from indoors. It seems daft going out in the cold when it is not necessary.

Walking in the Sunshine

Today the Sun was shining for the first time in a week. There was no frost, very little cloud and no wind or rain. It was almost like a Spring morning.

I picked Rosie up from work at 11am and we drove over to the Trentham Lake cafe for a light lunch. It was such good weather that we decided to do the lakeside walk and then go on to climb the monument hill. We had not had a serious walk for ages.
The walk started with a chorus of bird song. This little robin was one of the main contributors, with an accompaniment from magpies, crows, dunnocks, long tailed tits and various others.

Rosie asked how long we should walk for and I said untill we see some deer. There were quite a lot of fresh deer slots (tracks) around so I was hopeful of catching a glimps of the local Fallow Deer. We watched the local rowing club boats practicing on the lakeside then strode out up the hill for the view.
At the top of the hill there was a good view of the new "Potters Wheel". This is a large ride installed at Trentham Gardens with the crest of Stoke-City Football Club (The Potters) on the hub. It gives a clear view of the potteries for miles around. Of course, from the top of the monument hill we are looking down onto the wheel. The passenger pods are quite large, but this image does not give a good impression of the size of this wheel.
We found the deer in the oak wood at the bottom of the monument hill. This was a scattered group of about 15 hinds and juvenile stags.
They were browsing amongs the leaf litter for new shoots and anything that they can get at this time of year.
As we left the park there was a group of 10 stags in full antler in the lower field, but I had put my camers away by then and I missed the photo opportunity. Its good to be out walking instead of in working.