I’ve never seen a Dunnock on a feeder before, but after several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to catch a picture of this one on the floor and in a willow arch I was lucky to catch it on the feeder. It took several beakfuls of peanut, hiding behind the feeder all the time, before striking this pose and then flying off.
One chance. One shot. Sorry it isn’t more interesting but it’s all I could get.
I’m sure it’s not the only Dunnock to use a feeder, just the only one I’ve seen. Has anyone else seen them on feeders?
Last week, whilst walking to work, Eddie spotted a group of four parakeets near Wollaton Park. They seem to be growing in numbers, having been reported in ones and twos over the years. We saw a single bird on the farm on two occasions a few years back. (If the Hall in the link looks familiar you may know it better as “Wayne Manor” from the latest Batman film.)
These photos are some I took in the Mencap Gardens yesterday. The snowdrops aren’t showing and there don’t seem to be any crocuses, but the daffodils are coming on nicely. This calls for a planting binge at some point in the year.
Finally, a few skies, with some assistance from a camera that is considerably cleverer than I am.
I am surprised parakeets can overwinter there, but I think I have heard of at least one colony in southern New England.
There do seem to be pockets of them about – I think the urban landscape probably protects them from the worst of the weather.
I have never seen one of our dunnocks on my feeder so your was unusual. Was that some moss in your garden?
Yes, the moss was in the Mencap Garden. I didn’t think I’d seen a Dunnock on your feeder, though you have so many other things on them there may not be room.
Dunnocks on our garden in Sherwood started to use the feeders in 2017 but I think only as a last resort. They seem very much to prefer the ground.
This one seemed atypical because it spent a lot of time high up in a willow arch – I’m only used to them at ground level. 🙂
Haven’t seen, I meant.
🙂 I’ll edit.
I haven’t seen a Dunnock on a feeder, I don’t think. I noticed that Finches and shy birds like Marsh Tits seem to have adapted to using feeders. On the other hand, we never get Blue Tits stealing our milk like we did in the seventies though. I guess they don’t appreciate homogenised milk. But that’s progress for you – shaking the bottle was such hard work after all.
I wonder, if we all went back to doorstep deliveries, whether the tits would have to relearn the art of pecking bottle tops open. 🙂
Excellent Dunnock pic; and congratulations on your clever camera’s skies
Sometimes it’s handy to have a camera that is more intelligent than I am. It works with wives too…
I had never heard of a dunnock, so your picture was of great interest to me. I can’t help but feel sorry for creatures who are brought into a country and then considered invasive. On a happier note… those pansies and that sky! Beautiful photos.
Thank you. I quite like the parakeets despite their faults. I feel if you can’t like a parrot you probably don’t warm to kittens and babies either. 🙂
Right! What the heck!
🙂
Birds seem to be adapting quite quickly to new ways of getting food. I haven’t fed birds in my garden for over two years now (squirrels and rooks between them were costing me a fortune in new feeders) but I had noticed many changes in feeding habits from when I first started putting out food in the early 80’s. Chaffinches only ever fed from the ground in the 80’s but now they join all the other birds on the feeders. Robins had started to use feeders and so had blackbirds before I gave up.
Ours must be a bit backwards up here – robins, chaffinches and blackbirds are still feeding from the ground.
Give them time! They’ll get there eventually, especially if they’re hungry.
🙂 I’m sure they will.
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