Sunday 29 January 2012

Sunday safari

My ears ache.    The wind feels as though it may just slice me in half.    Lying water has turned to ice.
And yet, that does not take away the magic and wonderment of it all.     Winter is bird time.
Whilst bees and butterflies sleep, birds come to the fore.
For each one I see, I am reminded this is not my garden.   It is communal, shared with any creature that chooses to live here
.

Sweet robin amongst the honeysuckle twigs.   He has been singing to his sweetheart.   Spring is but a heartbeat away.

However high a bird may soar, it seeks its food on earth...........
Danish proverb.

Happy Sunday safari.

15 comments:

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Lovely photos :)

I have far fewer species around at the moment, and recently read on the BBC that the RSPB has had many people writing with the same thing and apparently it's due to the generally mild winter; the birds still have natural food around.
I'd begun to get a bit concerned about my lack of Finches around, namely the Goldfinches which in winter come in charms of around 10... I haven't seen any in weeks!

Hopefully they're just enjoying seeds in the countryside instead :D

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz,

I must have all your goldfinches here :) My garden is full of birds and that is fairly unusual. They are feeding on the haws and ivy berries.
I have not seen a Greenfinch though for many months....I fear they are in decline due to that terrible virus (the name I cannot remember) Have you seen any in your garden??

I am doing the RSPB bird count today......are you??

Cheryl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ShySongbird said...

Lovely photos of your garden friends Cheryl, the Blue Tit looks so pretty in the Winter sunshine. I feel the same, that I am just the caretaker of all that lives in my garden and that they are the owners.

I know where all your Greenfinches are...they have dominated my RSPB count!!

Cheryl said...

Hi Jan,

I am so pleased to hear that you have Greenfinches in your area. Everyone I speak to says that they have seen a decline....I do so hope this is not a bad sign.

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

I usually have groups of greenfinches too, but again I haven't seen any either.
My visitors usually hold steady and hopefully they will arrive again in the spring ready for breeding; either that or if it gets really cold again. Trichomoniasis I assume is the disease you're referring to?

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful birds and great photos.

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz,

That is the disease, tku.
I saw it in the garden around 18 months ago. Although I keep bird feeding areas very clean, you can never be sure what neighbours are doing.

I am hoping that maybe a few will eventually come back to the garden.

Dan said...

What lovely pictures of your garden birds. We used to have a lot of greenfinches in our garden, but I haven't seen them around much for several years. That said we had no starlings back then, but over the past couple of years we have had lots. I wonder if bird populations move slightly over time?
Dan
-x-

Cheryl said...

Quite possibly Dan,
I used to have hundreds of startlings, and I do mean hundreds but three years ago numbers dropped. They are slowly climbing again.
I try to encourage them in the garden, even though they are noisy, squabbling bully boys :)

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You do have some pretty birds in your garden Cheryl. It is warm and sunny here today. Happy Sunday Safari.

Carole Barkett said...

You have such beautiful birds. I love seeing them.

Wendy said...

What lovely bird shots! I'm surprised by the ice on the water, thinking your warm weather was here to stay.

I like your view on winter and need to remember that winter is bird time. I've heard the chickadee mating call in evergreen trees as I take my walks.
Spring is on the way.
Happy Sunday Safari

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
Seeing your birds is wonderful. Winter is my bird time too. I have not had the numbers or as many different species this year. We have had a warm winter so far. I do see lots of birds using the bird baths. It has been very dry here. Do hope your gardens are ok. The ice and cold can take their toll. Keeping plants wrapped is lots of work.
Do stay warm while you tend the gardens.
Happy Sunday Safari!
Sherry

Rose said...

Such lovely photos, Cheryl. I agree winter is the time for birds, though I don't seem to have my usual visitors this winter. Yesterday I saw a flock of geese flying in a V flying...north! Could it be that spring is really not far away?