BIRCH PERCHING

Fantastic Terra! Thank you :))))))

Hi Severnside ...
... Thanks ... glad you enjoyed it :o)))

What a beautiful tree, lovely to see all those birds, especially like the frost pictures.

Excellent Terra - that was so cool - love birds:)))))) Wouldn't life be horrid without them singing and everything

Thanks Sticki and Paul ...
The birch looks very pretty in the frosts ..

yes... life without garden birds would be empty.

What a good blog, TT. The tree is lovely in all the pics and makes a great place for birds to gather. And that robin is just splendid.
Yes, Birdwatch at weekend. Me and my grandson are going to do it together this year, now that he has learned to count.

Your pictures are just great, loved the "story"..must learn how to get some pics on this recently aquired computer!!!

Thanks Oji and Linda ...
Glad you enjoyed the story. :o)

Love your picture story blogs terra, more please.

Brilliant Terra, wonderful photo's

Some lovely photos TT we have a beautiful Silver Birch and yes the birds do love it, smashing blog.

Thanks everyone ... the birch is inspiring :o)

Super pictures, you could just sit & watch them all day could'nt you. So much bird song at the moment everywhere you go, great.

Hi Willinilli .. Thank you...
You're right about the bird song ..
they think it's springtime !

Thanks for that reminder TT..I really wanted to do the birdwatch this year, but since all my birds have left the area perhaps it would be too sad....or maybe they will return just in time! Gorgeous trees aren't they the birches? :))

Thanks Terra - really lovely, and beautiful pics. Yes, our gardens would be much too quiet without the birds. Will do the Birdwatch this weekend - glad you reminded me!

Thanks Sheila ... Very kind comments.

Let's hope we have good weather for the bird-count.
Lots of sparrows in my neighbourhood, despite the general decline in numbers. Do you have sparrows in your garden ?

Lovely. I have planted about 20 birch saplings around my neighbourhood, mainly in a long strip than is to the front of my house (we have a long drive way). I have also put 6 in an avenue at the bottom of my garden, to attract wildlife and to act as an attractive screen. I love the pics of the frost - just makes the tree looks so good.

Thanks Kildermorie ...
Good luck with your saplings ...
The trees and birds posed nicely for my camera ...
and the frost came for free too ;o)

Lovely blog TT and great pictures, I hope to do the bird watch on Saturday hopeing the weathers fine.....

Thanks, Stripes... I hope you have good weather for your bird count... Saturday looks to be the best day ...

Lovely blog TT

We have dunnocks, Terra (a type of sparrow?); also green woodpecker, and the usual magpies, blackbirds, robins, lots of chaffinches, greenfinches, doves and a pheasant! Haven't seen the wren for a while though . .

Smashing blog Terra with lovely photo`s, I love the silver birch, we have one that grows on the island just down the road from us, its been there for as long as I can remember and must admit it always looks at its best when covered with frost or snow.
I am amazed at the amount of sparrows that have returned to our neighbourhood now, we had a few years whereby they seemed to have disappeared completely but have definitely returned in droves.
Off to Boston for the weekend so I`ll be birdwatching at my son`s this year..

Thanks Sheilar :o)

Wow, Sheilabub, you have a great variety of feathered friends ... will make an interesting list for RSPB !

Hi Sue ..Good luck with your bird-watching.
I wonder which ones you'll see in Boston ... I guess that's UK and not USA ... LOL...

lovely silver birch Terra and nice watching our feathered friends coming and going,
lovely pics to :o)))

Thank you Sandra.
Very popular tree with the birdies :o)))

One of my favourite trees,Terra..and a lovely perching place for the birds..We have two behind our fence,planted by the building company ,in the wildlife area..not as big as yours yet,but something to look forward to in the future.:o)

Hi Sandra ...
I hope the birch trees near you grow well ...
... birds will love them ... :o)

gREAT TREE AND GREAT PICS :)))))))))))

Our silver birches get use by the birds like that TT , it's their favourite place to watch me as I put their food out and then they swoop down , i have my bird count form ready :o))

Brilliant blog and fantastic shots:)

very nice Terra, these birches are my favourite trees, the frost is fab on them..

A lovely blog Terra, your Silver Birch is beautiful and very popular with all your feathered friends, stunning pictures that gorgeous blue sky makes a perfect backdrop for it ;0)

Hi Terratoonie,lovely pictures love the Robin, we love bird watching to they never cease to amaze me.they havent got a supermarket to go to for there food have they, but they all look so helthy :)

Fabulous pics and blog as ever TT, a lovely backdrop for JR and a popular stopping off point for the local birdlife obviously, love the blue tit hanging about!!
I hope you get plenty of those visitors there for the birdwatch hour :o)

I wish I could join in with the bird count, but I think my count would be invalid from this far??! Lovely tree!

Thanks Pixi, Amy, Debbie, Slad, Carole, Sue, Neena, Nariz ...

The birch is full of sunshine again this morning, and feathered visitors already arriving.

Nariz .. which birds would numerically make up the top 5 in your part of the world ?

As usual, great blog, TT. I enjoy seeing the birds in the trees beyond my back garden too, some of them too shy to come into the garden unfortunately (thrush) but I live in hopes :)

Thank you Gee. A few years ago I had thrushes nesting in my garden... much to my surprise...

... but not seen them around since... too many neighbourhood cats on the prowl, and blackbirds rule okay ...Lol.

Thanks for reminding me Terra I usually get an email from the RSPB but havn,t for some reason, the birds here are very hungry as its so cold, long tailed tits todays special visitors and I was fascinated to watch a blackbird perched on the gate near to the bird feeders, one is a tray I put bits of seed and cake on for the robin, the blackbird watched for a bit and then quickly darted up, took some cake, then under the bush to eat it, I,ve not seen one take food from a high tray before...usually ground feeders

Hi Pam...
That's fascinating about the blackbird. This morning in my garden, there were two of those ... male and female .. prancing about. They seemed to be courting ...

I think a lot of birds have been fooled by the mild winter. Lucky you having long-tailed tits visiting :o)

We had blackbirds and thrushes in the garden last year for the first time. Usually they keep to the wood lower down the lane. They seem to like beds that have lots of dead leaves on them and they spend aged throwing them around looking for what they can find underneath.

Yes, Steragram ...
And they also collect nesting material from the flower beds and flower pots !
They cram their beaks full of damp compost and wet twigs.

Lovely crisp photos TT. on such a frosty morning. Keep warm. x

Thank you Grandmage ...
Keep warm and safe. x

The photo's are lovely Terra, I was listening today to a robin in the top boughs singing his heart out, maybe they are nesting....

Hi again Pam...
Well, my budgie thinks it's springtime....
Chatting up all the reflections in his mirrors. Lol.

I love your pictures, always think there is something magical about a birch tree shining white in the sun and glistening so beautifully when full of frost! Only wish I had room in my garden for one. :-)

Thank you Red aly ...
This tree is just past my garden.
Can you plant a silver birch next door...? Lol.

does he talk Terra my Auntys ' Billy' used to say a few words

Pam.... Crocus is the first budgie I've owned who does not talk words ... but he talks lots of lovely budgie chat .... such a happy budgie... an absolute delight to have around :o)

To answer your bird question TT - Top five : Black Redstarts, Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Buzzards and Jays. Not necessarily in that order! Plenty of Sparrows and Dunnocks, Great Tits - fewer Bluetits, resident Robin and Wren, occasional Vultures - then we get the summer visitors who outnumber everything else while they're here - Martins, Swallows, Swifts, Cuckoos, Short-Toed Eagles and Red-Backed Shrikes. As you can imagine - plenty of 'Bird-Watching Holidays' are taken around here!

Wow, Nariz ! That's interesting !
Would be a lot to enter on a chart for Garden Bird Watch. Lol.

Great blog, as we have all come to expect from you Terra. I will certainly give the bird watch a go. We had a spotted woodpecker a few days ago on the feeders. I wonder if he will make another appearance? I wish I was more handy with the camera like other Goyers, so I could share with you all!

Hi Poppylover. Thank you.
It isn't easy to photograph the smaller birds in my gardens. Lots of cats in the neighbourhood so the birds are understandably shy of even the slightest unexpected movement.

Good luck with your bird count. Fingers crossed you spot the woodpecker again.

I've just counted 8 sparrows on my peanut feeder.
That must be good news :o)

We dont see sparrows at all anymore. I can remember them being the most common bird in the garden. Now its much more likely to be a bluetit or a finch. So strange - no starlings either. Good luck with your bird count too Terra.

That's a nice tree to see from your garden TT. Silver Birches are elegant I think. The birds obviously enjoy it aswell :o)

Hello Hywel..
Thanks. I feel lucky that I see the tree from the sunny side ... which means I also see the side which has the birds basking in the winter sunshine ... :o)))

So it doesn't cast a shade over your garden then ... that's good :o) You can enjoy it

Except the huge roots, which push up my pavings and suck all the moisture out of that end of my garden ! A good thing there are compensations in that it is a pretty tree :o)

I suppose there's a plus and a minus side to everything ...

Lol... yes ... ;o)))

Smashing pictures TT. I forgot all about birdwatch until late in the afternoon :( I had been making a mental note over the last few weeks. I am most annoyed with myself!!
I had a woodpecker fly into the garden on Thursday, he stayed on the feeder for about 10 minutes but he was so obscured by the leg of the bird table I could not get a shot. First time in my life I have ever saw one. I was so excited :)) I sat all Friday afternoon with camera in hand waiting...no luck though.
Thanks again for a super blog :)

Hi Scottish...
Thanks so much. Glad you like the pics.
That's very exciting seeing the woodpecker !
Keep your camera handy and you'll hopefully get another chance to take photos :o)

Love the blog..the robin is definately my fave!! :-)

Hello Jeanette .. Thank you ...
Yes, the robin in my garden seems to really like posing for photos ! :o)

Another brilliant blog much enjoyed., apart from all the birds it brings for you to admire it makes a wonderful backdrop to your already great garden.

there lovley trees i think . i realy love the robin picture . talking of the rspb the headquarters just happens to be in my little town of thetford .

Thanks Stroller and NP ...
There is an RSPB at Sandy, Bedfordshire as well.

Lovely blog, Tt ... I didn't do the RSPB count this year ... no reminder from them and only just catching up on blogs! . . . . .

Leigh ... my maternal grandparents originated from Thetford ... I bet it's changed a lot since they lived there about 80 years ago! . . . . .

Thanks Shirley...
Someone else said they didn't get an RSPB reminder.
Do you usually receive that by email ?

Yes, Tt ... same as the Big Butterfly Count always send a reminder e-mail well in advance ...

i got a reminder terra . i think the thetford one is the mane ofice to so there lol x .
thetfords changed a lot in the last ten years let alone 80 shirly lol x .

Lovely and cheering!! (-: Snow, snow go away...

Thanks Robert ..
Yes, let's hope the snow steers clear of our gardens !

i got a wee bit of snow this morning but not much in east anglia .

Hi NP... don't eat the yellow snow ;o)

Lovely blog Terra. I have (well not strictly mine) but the neighbour's Birch overlaps my garden and I get the Sunny side :o) Lots of lovely activity in there. It is the one that is most splendid in my pic of the Hoar frost. A truly lovely tree. It was planted by her father 72 years ago!!! Did the bird watch and loved being part. The elusive Gold Finches were in there but flew off before I could get my camera :o)

Hi N3 tyy...
Thank you. Glad you like the blog.
Lots more birch-perching going on today.

What a pity you didn't get a chance to photograph the goldfinches. I counted 8 sparrows for the RSPB bird count, but I knew there were more around, and today, I saw about 20 sparrows !

Birches are like willows - something for every season ... beautiful and useful trees, from pea sticks to nesting material. They both look stunning in winter, spring, summer or autumn. You cannot beat a frosted weeping birch or willow!

Yes ... today I watched a crow taking sticks from the birch....
making an early start on a nest I reckon !

Wow that's early Terra! We have a big rookery nearby but no signs of nesting yet. I didn't do the bird count on Sunday because it was raining all day so did it on Monday instead. And both Mum and Dad speckled woodpecker turned up during the hour - they usually come separately.
There was only one sparrow though, but 13 chaffinches!
Didn't you put on a photo of that birch before? Its so beautiful and I'm sure it looked familiar.

Hi Steragram ..
On GoY, I recently put a pic of the frosty silver birch, and have included one or two others of the birch in the past, possibly in blogs.

Your seeing 13 chaffinches and 2 speckled woodpeckers is great !
There seem to be more sparrows in my garden every day ...
about 14 this morning !

ive got 7 dogs terra TRUST ME THE BROWN SNOW TASTE EVEN WORSE LOL X .
ive planted a willow over the local river on some common land to be usefull to nature and put something back and somewear to put my ashes as i dont want a funeral .im not religious so my ashes are going there lol .

Good idea NP :o) Willow sounds lovely.

Birches, like willow, are so versatile in every season, and the birds love both - a hugely underestimated tree for all year round interest, for both gardens and wildlife! I loved your poetry of the situation, terratoonie ...

Thanks Avk :o)

thanx lol x .

brilliant blog, I am lucky having seven silver birch in our close and I can see six from my front window, I like you find myself drawn to the activity and I take lots of pics of the visitors too.

Hi Lemondog. Thanks.
Yes, bird activity in Silver Birches is fascinating, isn't it.

I'm lucky to be able to watch from my kitchen door :o)

2 parrots land on a perch . one turns to the other and asks "can you smell fish ?"

Lol... NP... :o)))

:) x

awesome blog, ive only looked at your resent blogs since joining GoY and as i was wading through your blogs to find this one i noticed many a title that intrigued me, now i will have to read these when i have more time :-) its to put on my list of things i MUST do.

Thanks Jane ...
I'm glad you enjoyed this one ...
I've written lots over the past 5 years or so .. :o)

and they all look to be a very interesting history!
a wealth of fun and joy full of gardening happiness.