Heron at sunset

Just as it was getting dark, I spotted a heron flying past the window. It came to rest on the roof of a house opposite, so I rushed downstairs for the camera, praying the bird would still be there when I got back. It was, and I fired off a few shots, all pretty blurry as it was so far away. Here is one of them. It really looks king of of the castle!

Limping fox

For the last few days, we've seen a lame fox in the garden. He/she also has mange quite badly on the tail and hindquarters. I still have some of the homeopathic mange treatment left, though it's a bit old now. Still worth giving it a go, though, even if it means having to make Mr/Ms Reynard a nightly sandwich. Peanut butter, probably. We've got two jars of that.

Woodpeckers

When I lived in Highgate, North London, February was a terrible time and all because of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. From around five in the morning, it would start drumming in a tree not far from my bedroom window and my, what a row! It woke me every day and the rapid drilling noise would assault my ears and set me issuing all kinds of curses.

I can hear one now in Hillingdon, drumming away in the distance, announcing its presence in the hope of attracting a mate, and establishing a territory. Fortunately it has chosen the trees in the field at the bottom of our long garden and not, thank goodness, the one directly outside my bedroom window!

Squirrel pests!

Much as I love wildlife, I wish there weren't so many squirrels. As fast as I fill the peanut feeder, the flippin' furry tree rats are performing acrobatics on it and within a couple of hours, it's empty again and the poor birds haven't got a look in. And what's more, they've been burying their loot in the lawn. Wonder if we'll end up with a peanut plantation?

Robin's nest

Since the snow melted, the birds have stopped coming close to the house and all the unusual specimens such as the fieldfare (thanks, Jacula!) have vanished. But today, a movement outside the side patio doors caught my eye and I spotted the robin, a distinctive bird thanks to the white streak that bisects his red breast, with a twig in his beak. It was so long that he did a hop and tripped over his twig, whereupon he dropped it and went for a shorter one. It's a hopeful sign, though. If the birds are nest-building, the Spring can't be far behind!

Green Woodpecker

Today was the first time I had seen the green woodpecker for a couple of months. He was stabbing away at the grass that had been newly revealed by the thaw. I hope he found something to eat.

My partner was just coming in with some heavy shopping bags when I noticed a visitor in the garden. "Don't move! Stay there!" I commanded and turned on the camera just in time before he moved forward and frightened this particularly red fox away. It was one I had never seen before. It certainly looked hungry. In fact, one of them ran off with the metal tray containing the birds' crumbs the other day. It didn't get far as I found the large tray under the bushes. Empty, of course.

Gull on lawn

I think this is a young herring gull but any help with identification would be gratefully received. Although gulls frequently fly over the garden, I have never seen one land before due to the amount of space they need to take off again. This one made it though - yet left without taking a piece of bread. Perhaps it preferred wholemeal!