Bluetits sleeping

Tonight has been the first night I've seen my bluetit sleeping in the bird box! I don't know why his is but my guess is that maybe its incubating?! I will have to wait to see tomorow! I filmed it in the bird box so I will upload the video soon...

Badgers and Foxes!

I've just retrieved my TrailCam from the wood and have got lots of amazing footage of badgers, foxes, pheasants and lots more! Look on my ProStalk Trail Camera page above for more!

Swallow, Swift of Martin?

As I got a closer look at my 'house martins' today, as i was up in the tree, i realised they had a distinctive red patch under their chin. This is common in Swallows so are my house martins not actually house martins?.....

Well... they are both in the same family. However, while researching I read:

'Where to see them

Swallows are found in areas where there is a ready and accessible supply of small insects. They are particularly fond of open pasture with access to water and quiet farm buildings. Large reedbeds in late summer and early autumn can be good places to look for pre-migration roosts.

When to see them

March to October.'

This information made up my mind. They are........Swallows!

I realised this by the quote 'are found in areas where there is a ready and accessible supply of small insects.' This was because while watching them I saw hundreds of thousands of little insects swarming around the sky. And this is why the swallows were here! Hiding in the tree did prove successful because they came very close to me so I could get a very good view! 

Update to my bird count!

Here are my new editions to my bird count!

1. Buzzard!

2. Magpie

3. Greenfinch

I love it when i see a new bird in my patch!

Wildlife garden donation!

I've started to build my stream today and its all coming together! Although, I have noticed that to fill up my garden with shrubs, flowers, plants, hedges, pebbles and rocks will cost a fortune! So.... if anyone has any unwanted plants/rocks etc. I will be very grateful! Anything will do..... from hedges to dead wood or fruit trees to pond plants! Please email me on wildlifeonfilm@gmail.com if you have anything to offer or know anyone with anything! I will be very very grateful! :)

New bird in my 'patch'!

Today, as I was in the garden i saw some tiny birds circling above me. They moved will extraordinary speed and I soon realised, when I got my binoculars out that they were house martins! I've never seen them around my house before so I'm excited to find out why they are here! I guess that they were coming back to their traditional nesting sites after their migration to Africa and i hope that they are nesting close!....

I also found today, while i was taking my dog for a walk, a badger sett under a hedge! I looked inside with my camera to find many berries and nuts lining the entrance. They seemed to be fresh, so I will continue to monitor it and maybe even get my trail camera down there!

While receiving the footage from my trail camera today i noticed LOTS of track leading into the woodland. They had prints in the mud and they were foxes! Also, i found lots of killed bird remains and some fox scat on the path. There is a much bigger forest nearby and my guess is that the foxes come to the smaller woodland to forage and hunt (as there are many pigeons nesting it in)! We will have to wait till the weekend to uncover what footage i have on my trail camera........

Bird Count!

I thought that I would start to concentrate more on my 'patch' now so i can really understand the types of wildlife in my area and how to attract it! I did a count of the birds i've seen in the garden/surrounding area.

GAME BIRDS:
1. Common Pheasant

BITTERNS, HERONS& EGRETS:
1. Grey Heron

PIGEONS& DOVES:
1. Wood Pigeon
2. Collared Dove

OWLS:
1.Barn Owl

WOODPECKERS:
1.Great Spotted Woodpecker

PERCHING BIRDS:
1. Wren
2. Robin
3. Blackbird
4. Mistle Thrush
5. Long-tailed Tit
6. Blue Tit
7. Great Tit
8. Coal Tit
9. Jay
10. Crow
11. House Sparrow
12. Chaffinch
13. Goldfinch
14. Bullfinch

A grand total of 20 different species! I think this is a brilliant variety of species and I hope more species will thrive in my patch in the future. I will also do my best to attract many mammal species such as field mice, wood mice, hedgehogs and even badgers! I tried to maintain the rats living under my shed but it got a little out of hand, hence why i have a humane rat trap out at the moment!

Another exciting piece of kit I got was a HandyKam wildlife trail camera which i have got up in the nearby woodland as we speak! It will be out there for 4 days and 3 nights and i will be retrieving it tomorrow. So.....keep a look out on my TrailCam page. I have been told there have been barn owls and foxes in the woodland, so who knows where this will lead......

Nest box In use!

Both of my nest boxes are in use by blue tits! They are building their nests at the moments using twigs from a nearby tree! I've been filming them today and will continue until the chicks fledge! Also, using my live birdbox camera I can get some great footage of inside the birdbox (in the day AND at night!)

Today I have also bought a trail camera so hopefully I can get some get footage with that too! It's going to be quite exciting in the next few weeks!