Dunnock.

The Dunnock (Prunella modularis), also known as the 'Hedge Sparrow', is described as a small, plain looking brown and grey member of the Accentors family that tends to go unnoticed as it nervously forages beneath bushes and shrubs both in gardens and the wider countryside.

However its drab plumage and quiet, unobtrusive manner belies its actual social and sexual behaviours which you can read more about HERE. [An article written by Mike Toms].

This species is also commonly ‘brood parasitised’ by the Cuckoo and way back in 2004 I was fortunate to witness a Dunnock feeding a juvenile Cuckoo in the gardens at RHS Wisley.

The typical lifespan of a Dunnock is only two years and their breeding season runs from March to August. I have recently started to hear its even pitch, shuttling song which is often described as sounding like a 'squeaking gate'.

Linking to: Wild Bird Wednesday.

April Colours.

I've had another busy and varied week; continuing with the internal redecorating projects mixed with a couple of early dawn morning walks to check what migrants may have returned locally; so a few images stored for future posts. I have also been enjoying the changing colours in my small garden helped by the increased daily sunshine and warmer temperatures until a chilly ENE wind picked up over the weekend.

The Narcissus have put on a good show but are now beginning to drop their colourful blooms.

I am not a particular fan of the very tall large trumpet varieties so my small garden plays host to a few of the smaller 'Triandrus' and 'Cyclamineus' forms including Reggae, Thalia and Jetfire. Over the weekend I was delighted to see that the wild N. bulbocodium had opened its tiny trumpet (sorry no pics yet).

The feeders continue to attract the colorful Goldfinch.

Plenty of blue showing everywhere with clumps of Muscari popping up all over the place. In the last few days I have also noticed at several woodland sites that our native Bluebells are starting to come into flower.

The only other blue in the garden recently was a visit from a female Holly Blue.

I carried out the first of my weekly butterfly recording transect walks on Ashtead Common on Sunday but only logged one Peacock and one Speckled Wood. Although there was plenty of sunshine the gusty ENE wind obviously kept the temperature lower than the flutters prefer.

Since taking these images early last week the Erythronium 'Pagoda' in a side border has produced its distinctive flowers and now I'll have to wait another year for them to show again.

Inspection of two of the four nest boxes revealed that nests have been built but I think the prospective tenants, Blue Tits (usual box on the rear of the shed) and probably a Dunnock (in an open box), have been frightened away by regular visit from a local cat!

A single male Dunnock is still around, regularly singing, but I haven't seen evidence of any prospective partnerships whereas on my regular local patch walks I have seen numerous pairs of Dunnock displaying courtship behaviour. 

 

Some of the other colours around the garden include the fragrant Skimmia 'Rubella', Chaenomeles (flowering quince), an alpine Campanula, the Cowslips (Primula veris) while the Robin (below) continues to add a dash of red to the colour palette on a daily basis.

At best the temperature might reach 16 deg C tomorrow but still with a chilly easterly breeze and then a change in wind direction so more unsettled weather is forecast into next weekend with the chance of rain.FAB.

Linking to Nature Notes

Dawn at Bookham Common.

My day started early on Wednesday morning with my alarm clock ringing at 4.30 a.m. which enabled me to drive and arrive at Bookham Common well before sunrise to listen to the Dawn Chorus.

With a thin slice of the moon suspended just above the dark silhouette of the woodland boundary I was greeted by a cacophony of sounds. Whilst difficult to unravel all the component parts of this orchestral delight the main voices were typically the Blackbirds, Song and Mistle Thrushes, Dunnocks, Wrens and Robins. At this early hour my sound receptors failed to pick out a returning migrant Nightingale so I strode purposefully to the far side of the common. 

With the sun just beginning the shine through the tree tops a thin blanket of mist hovering at ground level obscured part of my view over the field at Banks Common and enabled two Roe Deer to quickly hide from the lens. Behind me a hidden Blackcap sang out and a Common Buzzard called from a nearby wood.

With the lightening sky the bird song diminished drastically so before retracing my steps I took a few shots of the boundary fences. Linking to Good Fences hosted by Theresa.

A male Pheasant stands guard over his partner hidden in the grass in one of the many horse paddocks erected around Chasemore Farm.

After crossing one of the many bridges that span the various streams I finally heard the briefest of songs of a Nightingale while photographing a very obliging Dunnock in full voice. 

I was also pleased to find three Willow Warblers and captured a few images of other songsters which I'll share in a forthcoming post. FAB.

S.B.C. Fieldtrip to Pulborough Brooks.

Anita and I spent a very enjoyable and sunny day at Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve today in the company of members of the Surrey Bird Club (SBC). I personally logged 48 species and added a few to my year list including Avocet (4), Garganey, Nightingale (5), Swallow and Marsh Harrier (2).

Chiffchaff

Chaffinch

Dunnock

After our lunch break we headed over the heath to the watch point overlooking the South Brooks where we managed scoped views of a male Garganey, a single Redshank and a few more Lapwing plus soaring Common Buzzards and a pair of hunting Marsh Harriers. 

Common Buzzard

On the return journey to the car park a Red Kite drifted overhead but I only managed a quick shot taken through a gap in the branches. After cropping I noticed that it was looking down at us as it flew over!

Red Kite

 Peacock butterflies were fairly numerous plus Brimstone and Orange Tip were also seen.

Peacock Butterfly

Peacock Butterfly

Tomorrow we are driving into Kent to meet up with friends for a walk somewhere so who knows what wildlife sightings hold in store for us.  FAB.

Brood Parasitis.

Cuckoo

Avian interspecific brood parasitism is a reproductive strategy whereby the parasitic bird lays all its eggs in the nests of other species, sparing themselves the expense of rearing their own offspring. (Intraspecific is where they are laid in other nests of the parasite's own species).

For the parasite the benefits are greater allocation of their resources towards mating and egg production without the need to defend nests, incubation and subsequent feeding of their young. For the host species the issues range from diminished nestling growth rate due to competition by the parasitic offspring (e.g. Cowbirds) to total loss of their own eggs and nestlings through eviction by the early-hatching parasites (Cuckoos). As far as I am aware the most commonly studied avian brood parasites are Cowbirds and Cuckoos but I only have limited experience of witnessing the outcome of the latter species' breeding success and subsequent rearing by a host species.

Females of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) generally lay their eggs in the nest of the species which raised them and Dunnock, Reed Warbler and Meadow Pipit are their current favoured 'hosts'. The males will fertilize females of all lines thereby ensuring adequate gene flow among the different maternal lines. A single female may visit up to 50 nests each breeding year and in order to prevent rejection she is able to mimic the colouration of the host species own eggs, albeit they are often larger in size.

The hosts: Reed Warbler, Meadow Pipit and Dunnock.

Some years ago I was alerted to the fact that a juvenile (Common) Cuckoo had taken up residence in a specific area of a garden where I was working. It didn't take me long to locate the begging 'sree, sree, sree' calls, much like other small birds but very penetrating, and there it was perched for a photo call. So here are the results taken with my trusty old Olympus OM1, a little rough, as they were scanned from the original photos.

What I didn't expect to see was the juvenile Cuckoo being fed by its host parent, a Dunnock (Prunella modularis) which made constant forays into the undergrowth to locate suitable titbits to satisfy the constant begging and voracious appetite of its fast growing charge. 

Although I didn't get an image I also watched a Robin join the Dunnock and it also presented food to the Cuckoo but was that just a case of mistaken identity or the result of another inter-relationship!

After an extensive feeding session it quietly hunkered down to presumably await the next feeding session. It remained in this location for several days and then disappeared so I always wondered if it ever made the long, hazardous journey to its wintering grounds in Africa and did it ever return as an adult to add to the gene pool of this parasitic species.    FAB.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday where you can view all manner of species from around the globe.

Warnham LNR Revisited.

After a gap of around 20 years and prompted by images posted on Mike's blog I recently decided it was time I made a return visit to Warnham Local Nature Reserve  situated on the outskirts of Horsham in West Sussex. (You can click these links for more information and of course view Mike's superb wildlife images.)

Dunnock  (Prunella modularis)

By way of background this 92 acre site, comprises a 17 acre millpond (which was originally created as part of the Sussex iron working industry), marshland, reedbeds, grassland and mixed woodland so an abundance of flora and fauna can be seen throughout the seasons. There are 3 hides, plus boardwalks through the wetland areas leading to the woodland walks with various 'birdie' signs to indicate good photo or wildlife watching points around the site.

I started by spending a while in the Tern Hide watching the distant Grey Herons and a small variety of ducks, Greylag and Canada Geese while an obliging Dunnock perched outside.

Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis cabaret)

As many of my readers will know most of my birding is carried out in locations that do not have bird hides so it was a different experience for me to sit and wait to see what might come in range of my small lens.


The Woodpecker Hide overlooks an area littered with various feeding stations and perches so I waited in anticipation and it wasn't long before a Lesser Redpoll perched briefly on a distant feeder but it was to get much better ......

A closer view of a male Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).

 Then two for the price of one ... a Goldfinch and the Lesser Redpoll.

Chaffinch  (Fringilla coelebs)

This next shot of a male Chaffinch revealed that this individual had warty growths on both legs and feet.


These growths may vary in size from small nodules to larger warts that engulf the whole leg. The warty growths  (Fringilla papillomavirus) aparently develop slowly over a long period and affected individuals, like this one, may otherwise appear quite healthy. Some individuals, of course, may become lame or lose the affected digits.

Finally, two common garden species that I don't often get the opportunity to get such close up views ...............

Great Tit  (Parus major)

Blue Tit  (Cyanites caeruleus)

I'm not sure who this tiny fellow had its eyes on .... could it be me?

Of course these weren't the only species seen so I have saved a few more images for a follow up post.   FAB.

For more images from around the globe ... check out WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY. 

Window Watching.

Misty days plus snow and ice around my local patch has meant that very little wildlife has shown itself for any photos. Despite the cold weather I was delighted to catch brief views of two Goldcrests busily feeding within the woodland, so hopefully they will survive. The Corvids (Crows, Jackdaws, Magpies and Jays tend to dominate the landscape at the moment. Blackbird, Song Thrush, Wren, Robin and Dunnock scour under the hedgerows for food. Flitting through the treetops were Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinch, plus Nuthatch and Great-spotted Woodpeckers calling as they move from bough to bough.

Over recent days most of my wildlife watching has been through the windows (which need cleaning!) so here are a few images of the regular visitors to the feeders.

 Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Woodpigeon, Starling and a female Chaffinch which is very rarely seen in the garden.

 Collared Doves waiting patiently.

 House Sparrows and Blue Tit.

 Dunnock.

 Ring-necked Parakeets - the ultimate acrobats.

Grey Squirrel - The opportunistic seed scrounger.    FAB.

Territorial Dunnock.

During the past few days one male Dunnock (Prunella modularis) has been announcing his territorial ownership by singing from the highest perch he could find in a conifer situated in a neighbours garden.

Similar in size to our Robin with a warbler-like bill he loudly projected his even pitch, shuttling song, (sometimes said to be like a squeaking gate or trolley wheels) and was constantly answered by another male calling from a much taller conifer 100 yards away.

A flutter of his wings as he repositioned himself.

He then took up a stationery pose once his opponent stopped singing. Generally a quiet, unobtrusive bird that is often overlooked as it skulks through the undergrowth and belies its spicy sex life which I won't recount here but you can check out a piece I posted a year ago for more detail, if you are interested.  FAB.

Garden visitors etc.

Most of our garden visitors make full use of the cover still being provided by the hawthorn before venturing onto one of the various feeders which were initially placed to provide the birds with some sense of security but not I fear in sight of the camera. Blue Tits and a single Coal Tit are making very quick forays to the fat feeders whilst keeping wary eyes open for a pair of Magpies that have been around for the past few days. Greenfinches and House Sparrows are also greedily emptying the feeders and the Robin still regularly appears for a tit-bit.

With dark mornings and earlier darkening evenings there has been little opportunity to capture this activity in the garden over the last week or so but here are a few recent images.

House Sparrow

Dunnock

There is still some colour in the garden ... the Euonymous elatus leaves are now showing their autumn tints....

and this Fuscia in the shaded border is still in full flower.
Elsewhere the signs of autumn colours are very obvious.

The weather forecast suggests we are in for more wet weather and high winds so our visitors will need to find a place to shelter and there may be less opportunities to watch their daily lives.

Stay dry and warm everyone. FAB.