What's buzzing or flying near you 2024 ?

Thanks @cactus_girl - I wasn't getting far with my research! Nothing seemed to fit terribly well.
I don't know if we get those here, so I'll have to check.

 

I found a couple of sites that had pix, and it certainly looks like a lesser whitethroat. They seem to migrate for winter too though- maybe he missed his bus....
I've been watching him/her quite a lot, and my garden does have the sort of habitat they'd like, and we have plenty of similar habitat all around here.

I listen to our outdoor programme on Radio Scotland up here [Saturday mornings] and that's where I heard them mentioning the migration habits and how they were changing, although it was chiff chaffs that were being discussed, and it was happening mainly in the south of England.

 

Looking at it again and with @cactus_girl suggestion it could well be a Lesser Whitethroat which I hadn't thought of as they would normally have migrated by October. The dark patch behind the eye is a good pointer for a Lesser. There is an outside possibility that it could be a rarer Siberian Lesser. Whatever it is it is nice to have in your garden .

 

I had a song thrush in the garden a few days ago, first one I've seen all year. I'm also getting regular visits from a Great Spotted Woodpecker, who doesn't bother visiting the feeders but hammers away up high in the silver birch.

 

Thanks @cactus_girl and @strongylodon - I knew I could rely on the great knowledge here!
I did some more searching, and found an interesting site https:paisleynaturalhistorysociety.org.uk/wildlife/lesser-whitethroat/
and I'm working my way through all the items listed. Paisley is about 20 minutes drive from me, and it's a big, busy town, but it borders the nearby 'braes' which are scrub/woodland and low hills, and we have similar surroundings here, with all the shrubs/hedging/trees listed, so it makes sense. I might contact the chap mentioned and see what he thinks, or if he can offer any more insight.
In the meantime, I'm hoping this wee chap will be ok. It would seem he's missed the chance to migrate though.
It's been unbelievably mild here through autumn, so I wonder if more birds will stay rather than heading off for winter. Unfortunately, the new year traditionally brings cold weather, which could be difficult for them.

 

A little update - I contacted the Paisley Natural History Soc. and they confirmed it. There had been a sighting at the Balgray reservoir, which is about ten minutes drive away from here, and is a popular route/short cut through to Paisley, although the road's being upgraded [another waste of money] and work has been going on for some time, so perhaps that's disturbed this wee chap. All of that area there borders the usual habitats/areas that they've been seen in - Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, so it makes sense if they're spreading a little further inland.
I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be ok over winter.

 

Cardinals always look like they are dressed for Christmas, I give them bark butter to help them survive the cold temperatures.

 

What is bark butter?

 

It is a mixture of peanut butter, lard, and oats in equal parts. Flour can be substituted for the oats and chopped peanuts can be mixed in. The birds love it and will fight over it. It gives them energy to withstand the bitter cold we get here.
I drill holes in a dry log and pack it into the holes for them to feed on, it is a natural way to feed them.

 

Sounds good, might be worth a try if we get a cold snap, thanks.
Never tried peanut butter.

 

Great Egret in Poole Town Park on the same pond as the Mandarin Ducks.

 

You can buy ready made jars of peanut butter specifically for birds @pete. I got some a few years ago [to bump up my order and get free delivery] and the robins in particular loved it.
There's a holder for the jar you can also buy, but I just tied mine up in against the fence/climbers etc, and that worked fine.
I thnk it was Garden Wildlife Direct that sold them, as that's where I usually get my bird food. There's several different types of mix too.

 

My local garden centre sells this, it's a brand called Flutter Butter and has a range of holders.
If you're using ordinary peanut butter for birds, you need to check the ingredients - you don't want added salt and sugar etc.

 

That's the one @Escarpment - GWD also have their own range.
The salt content is the problem with the stuff for humans. It's the same with cheese - I often put little bits out for the birds, especially when it's frosty or the ground's frozen long term, but I try and buy lower salt cheeses because of that.

 

I buy a box of flutter butter from ebay to refill the jars.