Puzzle of a rabbit up a tree

While out walking this morning we spotted a dead rabbit about 2 metres up a tree.

There were no obvious signs of damage other than a cut on it's ear.
It hadn't been shot.
It didn't have myxomatosis and it looked quite healthy.

It could have been put there by a person, it might have climbed or been chased up the tree or a bird of prey might have put it there.

The hazel catkins are out

RSPB Big garden bird watch 2014

Between 9.30am and 10.30am we took part in the RSPB big garden bird watch 2014.

The idea was to watch the birds in our garden for one hour and register what we saw. You had to only count the number of birds you saw at one time, so birds that came more than once weren't counted.

During the hour we saw

4 x Great Tits
4 x Blue tits
1 x Robin
1 x Chaffinch
3 x Dunnock
2 x long tailed tit
6 x Green finch
2 x coal tits
2 x blackbirds
1 x Goldfinch

Long tailed tits

Coal tit

This is the first time we have seen a coal tit in our garden

A Raven and two new birds on the feeder

One of the local Ravens was sat on top of the pylon making a lot of noise today. It was calling 4 times then stopping for a while, then calling again. It did this for about 20 minutes before flying away

I have seen a collared dove and a woodpecker in the garden before but this is the first time I have seen them feed from the feeders.

They came back

The long tailed tits came back this afternoon at around the same time - 4pm.

This time there were 8 of them.

Saturday afternoon walk

Male Greater spotted woodpecker

Jelly ear fungus

Badger fur on barbed wire

Long-tailed tit

This is the first time I have seen long-tailed tits on the feeders in our garden

Behind the garden shed

I left my trailer camera behind the garden shed for a few hours last night.

These two wood mice came from behind the bottom of the lilac tree.

BTO Early bird survey

This morning we took part in the early bird survey for the BTO (British Trust for ornithology.

It was to see which birds are on feeder around day break and how much artifical light affects feeding.

We have no artifical light in  or around our garden.

As well as doing what they asked for their survey I also wrote down what we saw in the garden even if it wasn't on the feeders, what flew over the garden and what we could hear.

7.15am    We could hear Blackbirds, Tawny owls, Robins, Blue tits, but it was too dark to see the feeders.
7.29am    Robin on feeder
7.33am    Robin on fence
7.38am    Dunnock feeding on the ground
7.40am    Heard and saw 2 Ravens fly over
7.43am    Blue tits appear in the garden
7.46am    Fieldfares fly over
7.49am    Rooks start gathering on the wires
7.51am    Pigeon lands on tree
7.56am    Three pigeons eat bread on the grass
7.56am    Robin sitting on the fence
7.57am    First blue tit on the feeder
7.58am    Robin on the bird table
8.01am    Jackdaw landed in the tree
8.04am    Blue tits on and off of peanuts
8.05am    Great tit on feeding station
8.06am    six blue tits fighting over the feeder
8.07am    Great tit back
8.09am    Gulls fly over
8.12am    One female blackbird on fence, two male blackbirds on garage roof
8.15am    One blue tit on feeder
8.17am    Blue tits fighting over feeder
8.25am    Blue tits on coconut feeder
8.30am    Two magpies on silver birch
8.35am    Three Robins in the garden chasing each other
8.38am    One great tit on feeder
8.38am    Geese flying over
8.41am     Magpies fly passed
8.42am    Large group of field fares fly over
8.43am    8 Goldfinches on silver birch
8.44am    Group of around 50 finches fly over into the field, not sure whether Goldfinches or Greenfinches
8.46am    More gulls fly over
8.47am    Male blackbird on feeding dish
8.48am    Blue tits on the feeder
8.49am   Great tits on feeder
8.50am    Robin on bird table
8.52am    Great tit on feeder
8.53am    Dunnock around under feeders
8.56am    Robin on bird table
8.57am   Heard Collard Dove

Dead pigeon

There are always patches of feathers in the fields or wood around us.

These two have been probably killed by a bird of prey because the feathers have been plucked.

River Thames burst its banks

Looking down stream you can't see where the bank is 

The field above the river

Not far off the flood mark

The lock

The lock looking down stream

The weir is fully open on the Paddle and rymer weir

Two fields up from the river