The Thieving Magpie

There was Flad, tucking into some chicken that had been thrown out for the fox. The magpie decided it wanted to share the feast and was sizing up the distance, wondering if it could snatch some from under Flad's nose - or rather, claw.

Now, Flad is an elderly cat. He's 16 and is very stiff and arthritic, poor old beast, but that doesn't stop him making a show of being a big, bad, bird-eating beast! The magpie rapidly changed its mind and flapped off.

Birthday girl

I wasn't the only person who enjoyed my chocolate mousse birthday cake. As it had fresh cream in it, I had to consume it within three days, and even my belly couldn't manage that amount of chocolate, so I put it on the lawn and someone else shared its delicious, gooey taste. Just look at her licking her lips!

Adult goldfinches

The adult goldfinches have much brighter, more distinct markings than the juveniles. I'm quite pleased with this photo I took a few days ago.

Goldfinches did well last year. We have had as many as eight juveniles visiting the feeder, queueing up and trying to barge one another off the perches. It's quite funny to watch them as they get ever so cross when forced to wait their turn. Their markings are paler and more blurry. I reckon it's time I got a second niger seed feeder, don't you?

She's back!

I hadn't seen 'our' vixen for so long that I thought she might be dead. She must be at least four, as she has produced three sets of cubs that we know of, and foxes in the wild often die before they reach the age of four. In fact, in the London area only 3% make it to five years old, although in captivity they can reach fourteen. So I was absolutely delighted when, three days ago, she suddenly appeared in the garden again. Not only that, she must have recently given birth again, as you can see from her teats.

She had two cubs last year, and four the two previous years. I wonder how many she's had this year? With any luck, by the end of April we will have seen them emerging from the den in next door's garden - the very house that I am currently trying to buy. Once I get it, I plan to set up a camera and capture a lot more detail of the foxes' lives.

Here is her mate. He looks really feral, doesn't he? He has a bigger mask than her and the tip of his brush is darker.

Dunnock in the hedge

I had never been sure of the difference between a sparrow and a dunnock, but now I know. At first glance, I thought this little bird was a wren, but it lacked the sticky-up tail. It was smaller, rounder and altogether more compact than a sparrow and the plumage was in regular patterns, with a spotted chest and zigzag, chestnut-brown stripes on the back. I had never seen one in our garden before, so this little fellow rooting for bugs in the hedge was a real first for me!

Goldcrest

I have never been lucky enough to spot a goldcrest, but my partner saw this one searching for insects on the privet by the side doors and grabbed his camera just in time. Goldcrests are about the size of  a wren, which is what he thought it was until he saw the distinctive gold flash on its head.

Fieldfare

I am guilty of putting too many of my wildlife photos on my Facebook page and ignoring my blog. Time I rectified this. I put out some pieces of apple two days ago, in the hope of luring a fieldfare into the garden. Yesterday, we saw one sitting in a tree casing the joint and today - oh joy! - it actually came down and stayed long enough for me to take several pictures. I had never seen one so close-up before. Close-up through a telephoto lens, that is. It was actually a good thirty feet away, which is why the photos aren't as crisp as I'd like.

It was interesting to see the fieldfare next to the blackbird, to get an idea of their relative shapes and sizes. The blackbird is longer and slimmer, while the fieldfare is rounder and more like a song thrush and is in fact a member of the thrush family, which goes by the unfortunate Latin name of Turdus. Thefieldfare is Turdus pilaris. They are natives of Scandinavia but visit the milder climate of Britain in winter.