The Regulars

Thursday, 4th March 2004, page 1 of 2
Wild West Yorkshire nature diary

First Frogs

They're here again: three frogs, the first of many, at the shallow end of the garden pond, which had been ice-covered for most of the last week. It's a thrill to me that a truly wild animal - something as extraordinary as a frog (well, it is extraordinary, when you think about it) - comes into our back garden and goes through it's rather dramatic mating routine: lots of croaking, threat and bluster, watchful jewel-like eyes just above the surface: a spring spectacular of sex and violence (threatened if not actual); the staple of sensationalist drama.

Regulars

But I mustn't forget the regular cast of characters in our long running back garden soap.

The Return of the King The cock pheasant strolls down the garden path from the meadow regularly, takes a leisurely drink from the pond and comes and pecks, aristocratically at the ground feeder on our patio.	Three's a Crowd I wish I had a nestbox, or an old teapot, in place on the shed for the robins. We've got three of them regularly coming to the ground feeder and peanut feeder, or, more often, just pecking around. When they've finished chasing each other I'm sure the remaining pair will settle down to nest.	Tit for Tat The coal tit (sometimes 2 or 3 coal tits) has been a regular at the bird table. Usually they get chased off by the resident blue tit which has taken a claim on the nestbox on next door's wall.

Irregulars

And the not so frequent visitors which have been turning up lately:

Simply Fabulous Long-tailed tits have been showing up at the peanut feeders in both the front and back gardens. They too get chased off by the blue tits.	The Green Party It always surprises me that greenfinches aren't in our garden more regularly as they're around and often perch on the willow next door. They've recently been coming to the peanut feeders.	Parallel Lines Considering what a common bird the chaffinch is nationwide it isn't regular at the bird table but those neat double white wings stripes have been a more frequent sight over the last few weeks.

Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk