Saturday 17 March 2018

Tapping Long-tailed Tits, and other birds

For the last few weeks, Andy M has had a pair of Long-tailed Tits in his garden, displaying together and looking for likely nest sites.  Most recently, they have taken to flitting onto the window-sill, tapping the window pane twice, then flitting along to the next window and doing the same, then back again.  They can keep this up for 10 minutes or more, and never really seem to tire of it. I wonder if they are investigating their own reflections, but they could just be doing it for fun!







Andy has also had a partially-albino Blackbird in the garden. Often the white feathers are on the wings, but this male is somewhat unusual in having white feathers on the back and around the eye.



Finally, on Granta Park this week, there was a Little Egret paddling around in the flooded field behind Great Abington church, as well as a Treecreeper near the sluice, and a pair of Nuthatch feeding in the larger trees adjacent to Abington Hall.  It was quite quiet and Andy could hear the Nuthatch chipping away at the bark whilst feeding.  A single Great Crested Grebe has been back on the lake for a few weeks now too - first seen on 19th Feb.  No sign of its mate yet though.



 Little Egret in flooded field between Great Abington church and the river

Treecreeper, on the mature trees near the Sluice

Nuthatch feeding in the mature trees near Abington Hall ...

 and on the ground nearby




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The Aims of Abington Naturewatch

At their meeting on 9 April 2005 the members approved this revised version of the aims of Abington Naturewatch:

  • To monitor and record the wildlife (fauna & flora) within the borders of the Abingtons;
  • To encourage protection of our wildlife, maintain its quality and foster its diversity;
  • To promote awareness of the richness, potential and problems of the natural environment of the Abingtons;
  • To cooperate in improving access to the local natural environment for the benefit of all Abington villagers.

Pat Daunt, Founder

The organisation is informal and communication is by email if possible; members are notified of events from time to time. Contact details are maintained by a small "project team". There is currently no membership fee as costs are covered by voluntary contributions at events.

Members are encouraged to report notable sightings of flora and fauna within the Abingtons to the appropriate sector coordinator and an illustrated record is published annually.

A map of the area covered, with some features noted, is available here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=213774935674882866424.00000111dca2be9f06ab8&z=13>

For more information or to join, please contact David Farrant on (01223) 892871.

Contributions to our records should be sent to sector contacts or either of the above. Photographs may also be submitted to Andy Merryweather (amerryweather61@gmail.com)