Woodpecker rescue...
I quickly carried him across to the safety of the bird table and even put the suet ball in reach in case he was hungry.Several birds attempted to land on the table but were quite amazed to find it occupied by a rather unusual species.
He was really stunned and we were quite worried although we did see his head move now and again. He sat for a good hour before a big fat blackbird landed and caused him to come to his senses. We were very pleased to see him actually move up the strut of the bird table even though he did attempt to peck at the wooden structure.
After a few minutes he flew across to the trees nearby and we breathed a sigh of relief...Woody Woodpecker lives to fight another day.
Labels: birds, great spotted woodpecker
I have given up trying to defrost the bird bath and it is now used as a feeding station after noticing that the birds have been eating/drinking the snow. In this weather you realise that the birds really rely on you for food and we have counted 17 different species at the various feeding stations dotted around the garden. Most are present all year round, some are winter visitors and a few rare ones were spotted.
The species ranged from Britain's tiniest bird, the goldcrest weighing in at just 5g and measuring 8.5cms from beak to tail, to the predatory sparrowhawk which can weigh up to 400g and can be 35cms in length.
Between these two extremes we have seen coal tits, 

Birds have been well fed and the deer and red squirrels have turned up now and again.


They strolled up the driveway yesterday and rummaged in the vegetation under the bird feeders. Mother stayed at the top of the driveway keeping an eye out for any possible danger. After a long while she gave a high pitched call and they all ran towards her, although there was one stubborn male lagging behind.
Our guests staying in Aspenwood said they looked forward to the pheasants daily circular tour of the cottage each morning. The males are still a bit scruffy but in the next few months they will hopefully smarten their appearance if they want to attract the local girls.

In winter the coat is thick and red and it has a very bushy tail and long ear tufts. Now in Summer their coat is turning lighter in colour ready for the warmer weather and the ear tufts are smaller and pale. We can identify the different squirrels by their ear tufts as some have got a few whispy hairs remaining on their ears.
The squirrels are very impatient and will try the nut feeders as well as the bird table for anything else to eat until the catering service is open for business.
He was soon joined by a female and was very protective of his partner, even fiercely chasing off another admirer before returning to her side and watching over her.
We watched fascinated as they collected feathers from the dandelions for their nest.




I did spot an unusual male 


Check out more information on the 
A colourful
The goldfinch had a good feed and totally ignored the numerous playful red squirrels chasing each other along the fence and feeding on the adjacent feeder. The collective noun for goldfinches is a charm...what else could it be ?
Another cheeky squirrel really enjoyed the peanuts that were scattered on the ground by the side of the bird bath. The deer didn't say much !



They are present all year round in Scotland and thrive here mainly because of the abundance of their favourite habitat of coniferous woodland.The female of the species is less brightly coloured and rather drab.The siskin is a member of the finch family and is closely related to the goldfinch.




I do wonder if we feed the birds too much? What do you think?