Having just returned from a trip abroad, it never fails to amaze me the similarities that exist between the birds of the different countries that I have visited over my lifetime. Of course this doesn’t apply to our good old faithful Canada Goose, who pops up somewhat unwantedly, in many public parks in Britain and Europe! However, it is always a welcome sight to see them, when visiting away from our Canadian borders, adding that little bit of home familiarity to whatever surroundings I happen to be in. It can be said that the trip, just completed, brought me another bird similarity treat, but in a different way.
A couple of my relatives have a house adjacent to the beautiful English Cotswold Hills, which has trees very nearby to their backyard. This relatively postage stamp sized garden, compared to most of ours, has some feeders of different sorts for attracting the various English birds to it, hence being written the third verse of the song titled “English Country Garden” (version on YouTube by Jimmie Rodgers – https://youtu.be/xf9EsJXSMXg?si=z-44EzSFyLp9l24). Some of the birds mentioned I don’t think are English, but are North American, still a nice song anyway!!
He, my brother, being an avid photographer, makes the most out of those moments, when the birds do use the feeders. Recently, he got a surprise when they got a visit from not only a lone member of a Great Spotted Woodpecker family, but also the youngsters too! This particular type are very similar in coloration to our Downys and Hairys, so I was very keen to get some pictures for myself, to compare them. On a previous visit, he had shown me where a Green Woodpecker was located, in a place well away from where people were, so when he told me about the Great Spotted actually coming into his little enclosed garden patch, I was looking forward to seeing it (or them). We weren’t actually staying with them this time, so my chances of seeing their birds were a little bit slimmer, but did actually successfully come about, as you can see. I was able on two occasions just to sit on a stool and watch out of their kitchen window to spot any birds that I could.
On one of our days out, we were able to make a visit to the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge Gloucestershire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWT_Slimbridge) and see a great number of different types of water birds from all parts of the world. The location is very near to the River Severn, so it’s a very natural habitat for birds to be, and many of the residents fly in from Europe and Scandinavia on their own volition and are free to go whenever they please. On one occasion there, I was able to see Cranes that had come in from Europe, and another time I got to see, but not photograph, an English (Eurasian) Kingfisher, which is a brilliant blue color but very elusive! One of these I did not see this time round!
On our return to Canada this week, we were pleased to be told by our friends, who had been housesitting for us, that they had watched the Bluebirds and House Wrens fledge their brood of chicks, during our absence, which was very pleasing to hear and something that they had really enjoyed watching.
I hope too that you have been able to witness such happenings, in your own particular part of this world and have, or are still enjoying, what the birds have to offer you. My feeders are now restocked and a Hummingbird has visited us already, as well as an immature Rose Breasted Grosbeak that my wife spotted this morning.
Stay safe and look after yourselves,
Cheers,
John Baldwin
