It's not that often that I see small birds that I don't recognise, so, when I do, it comes as a surprise.
I was sitting under the now leafless Quince tree when a gang of tiny birds turned-up and started rushing around amongst the branches just above my head. They looked rather like Robins, but without the colour.
They had small pointed beaks, and their movements were somewhat like Wrens. I had to consult several books before I was certain of what they were; they're not easy to identify.
Chiffchaffs apparently are Autumnal visitors, but coming from where I know not.
Not a spectacular bird in any sense, but an amusing one. Their frenetic scavenging behaviour reminded my of the Long Tailed Tits who also turn-up in gangs and flit from tree to tree in search of bugs. Those I haven't seen this year, but then one can't witness everything.
Later that day, I spotted 'our' Pheasant just in front of the house. I'm very pleased to see that he's still alive and well.
I have a Jay here who comes every morning to eat from the cat's food and making cat's voices to annoy them.( a troll??)
ReplyDeleteI've seen very few Jays here this year, they seem to have been replaced by huge flocks of Magpies.
DeleteA troll jay! You should call it Mia! Haha.
DeleteYael your troll problem starts to be an obsession.Not good.
DeleteYael your troll problem starts to be an obsession.Not good.
DeleteBecause of peple like you mia more, full of hatred the world becomes such a sad place.
DeleteHaha you give me big power. I love you mum
DeleteI think you dont have power at all, that why you change identity all the time, when ever i write about trolls without mentioning your name, you comment with anger, so what does it says about you?
DeleteI think you dont have power at all, that why you change identity all the time, when ever i write about trolls without mentioning your name, you comment with anger, so what does it says about you?
DeleteYou studied psychology.Bravo.
DeleteYou studied psychology.Bravo.
DeleteAs a child I used to collect the cards found in the Typhoo Tea packets. The chiffchaff was my favourite in the bird series and I can still visualise it now. I like the name chiffchaff. The ones in your garden have moved from my garden to yours en route for summer in the Med or North Africa.
ReplyDeleteThey're funny little birds; almost comical. I hope they come again next year.
DeleteChiffchaff suits them perfectly.
DeleteWe sometimes have as many as thirty pheasants feeding under our bird table, where the farmer puts down corn for them. They are almost as tame as hens. Sadly many fall to the guns of the shoot - but I can't blame the farmer as although he walks with the shooters he does not actually shoot, As for your chiff chaffs - they probably come from the UK and are on their way further south - they have certainly left here for pastures new.
ReplyDeleteBok chased a few female Pheasants into the air this morning. I do hope they're not all shot, it'd be lovely to have them breeding nearby. I'm not overconfident.
DeleteLovely Chiffchaff pic...
DeleteWeaver is spot on when she says it is probably a UK one... but they may stay around... more and more are doing so.
Scots ringed birds have been recorded as overwintering in the South of England... that is, not moving very far south at all.
If the Winter does its worst... they will fly further south... but the nearer they can stay to their breeding grounds, the less energy they use.
Therefore, they are "at it" stronger and quicker the next season.
Here, in Indre-et-Loire, there is a five year moratorium on shooting pheasant, both partridge and hares....
to try and build up their populations...
we have one, sometimes two, males in the meadow... each with a hareem of squabbling hens.
Any male is called Jeremy... after a former BBC motoring journalist... florid of face and very loud... gets in a flap quite often.
Oh how I wish they'd have that same moratorium here; I've even considered writing to the Chasse officials. Five years would make such a difference.
DeleteSweet little birds you have there, Cro and I love the name! My garden is visited by many types of birds. I feed the seed-eaters seed, the meat-eaters mince and the scavengers, anything from the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThe colours of many (particularly the parrots) are dazzling, the bird-song of most is enchanting. Over the years, I've kept a list of the different types of birds that visit my small yard - I'm up to 24. They give me a lot of pleasure.
Without our birds the sky would be very dull.
DeleteI think I've seen these little birds hopping around the vines. I wondered what they were, thinking that they might be slightly too big for wrens. Sweet name.
ReplyDeleteThey're not easy to identify because they have no really distinctive markings
DeleteCro...
Delete"because they have no really distinctive markings...
that is the Garden Warbler! A dull brown and beige bird "with no really distinctive markings!"
It hasn't even got an eyestripe...
and less yellow.
Your Chiffchaff has a nice, clearly defined eyestripe!! And the yellow....
Yes, but when moving around at the pace that they do, you really need something more 'in yer face' to be able to identify. Saying that, I find no problem identifying a Sparrow.
DeleteWhat a sweet little bird.
ReplyDeleteEven nicer en masse.
DeleteVery pretty. Birds are fun to watch because they have their own little society and distinct behaviors.
ReplyDeleteAnd mostly they get on with one another; with a few exceptions.
DeleteNever heard of it. One of my joys in life is birdwatching and feeding.
ReplyDeleteThat little bird looks very much like the Carolina Wren that we see here occasionally. They're beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteWe have something very similar here but they have a bit of color around the eye.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty little bird. We'll look out for them here if we have a mild winter, though they may go much further south of course.
ReplyDeleteWe fed the birds regularly each morning for years and were always delighted with the numbers that came to feed, as we were having our early morning cup of coffee in the garden - they were so tame. Unfortunately we had to stop putting food out when we found several rather large, well fed rats sitting on the garden table - obviously waiting for breakfast !
I shall start feeding our small birds when it becomes a bit colder; next month maybe. I only have hanging seed feeders and grease balls, so luckily no rats; nasty.
DeleteBefore I headed out to work this moring (yes, I do often work on Sunday,) I saw this beautiful photo of the tiny yellow green chiffchaff, and thought that this busy little bird is one I would like to see. Just thinking about that possibility helped me to change a bit of my mind's fixation of the Parisian horrors.
ReplyDeleteLast night I went to my very first opera, Lulu, at the Metropolitan Opera. I passed by policemen holding machine guns on the Lincoln Center plaza on my way to show my ticket and reveal the contents of my very large black shoulderbag.
I loved seeing the opera. I enjoyed many moments of today's workday...and get home to see news that France has sent bombers out while I was out.
Tomorrow is another scheduled day off for me. What will happen next on our world stage? I do not mean that question to be flippant.
Best wishes to you and to those chiffchaffs and pheasants.
Goodness knows what the next few years will bring, all we can do is hope that a solution is found; although when dealing with fanatics it certainly won't be easy.
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