Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Cheap resolution to getting a flock of garden birds, Poundworld "Wild Bird Special" 1.5kg bag of bird seed, never had to fill up the feeder so often! ...hmmm, worth studying how much is eaten and how much they throw on the floor...bird feed bulked out with cheaper grains to reduce the price sounds good but can lead to issues with unusual weeds growing in the garden and much uneaten grain lying on the ground. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 With all the talk over the reduction in the numbers of sparrows and starlings in the past 10 -20 years, I can report that I have never seen so many of either in our back garden as this year, Maybe it's because we have done some heavy pruning, maybe it's because it's been quite dry and part of the lawn is a dustbowl from the heavy football use (the sparrows particularly liked this) but there were a good 15 starlings and probably as many sparrows at one time the other day. And the goldfinches have been quite numerous this year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 This morning whilst waiting a minute for my youngest to get up I saw out of his bedroom window sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, goldfinches, blue tits, magpies (it's going to be a girl!), swifts flying over and one fat pigeon sat on the roof. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Pannier Tank Posted June 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2014 Whilst doing some tidying up in the garden, Mrs Blackbird landed to see if she could find any food. I kept still and did a "Trigger" (leant on my broom) and she came with 500mm of where I was standing 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butler Henderson Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) ...hmmm, worth studying how much is eaten and how much they throw on the floor...bird feed bulked out with cheaper grains to reduce the price sounds good but can lead to issues with unusual weeds growing in the garden and much uneaten grain lying on the ground. Dave True, that seemed to be more a problem however with branded bird seed from the diy centre, have not noticed much lying around of this pound shop stuff and if any is the blackbird etc seem to quickly pounce on it. Edited June 26, 2014 by Butler Henderson 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 26, 2014 OK so it is not quite my back garden, but Donny Station has resident birds. Pied Wagtail today, Starlings enjoy the bits of food left about and are always there. My mate told me there was a Magpie nest on the top of one of the OHL posts in the Leeds Bay Platforms and the pair raised young. Sadly by today they had all departed and I missed that unusual sight. There are also Sparrows and some lazy pigons (as my granddaughter calls them). There are also Crows, however they keep clear of the main lines. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 "can lead to issues with unusual weeds growing" Yes - a villager here had a small crop of maryjane (which was quickly destroyed when it was identified for him!). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 27, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 27, 2014 A few years ago some joker scattered cannabis seeds in some planters outside a police station in Bristol. It wasn't noticed until a passer by came into the station and complimented them on their 'crop'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 It's a doubly glorious day today. A pair of Goldfinches are working over the honeysuckles on our pergola, and there has been a major hatch of Comma butterfilies somewhere nearby as they are all over the buddleia, heliotrope and rock rose. ... how much they throw on the floor... Two years ago we had one barmy nuthatch that would throw out a dozen sunflower seeds before finding 'the right one' to fly away with and hammer open on the favoured perch. Industrious little blighter, with the other tits and finches that are regular visitors the seed feeder would be emptied in two hours, instead of lasting a whole day. To stop the pigeons and squirrels getting fat off this I hung a bucket (with a grid atop sized to admit small birds) underneath the feeder to catch the 'discards', and poured any seed left in the bucket into the feeder when refilling. Couldn't find an explanation of this behaviour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mow Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Seems to be plenty of goldfinches around at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I keep popping in and out of this thread but until I noticed it I never realised that at certain times the birds disappear for several weeks at a time, then return. Our neighbour's garden boarders a field and the hedge nuts be 6' wide and 8' + tall. Normally we have loads of both tree and hedge sparrows, Goldfinches, Blue and Great Tits. The odd Robin and Blackbirds a yellow bird. Magpies, Wood Pigeons ,occasionally a Wood , once or twice a year a Sparrow Hawk and now Red Kites are becoming more common. The bird feeders are thronging and seeds stocks are dwindling, no doubt in a few weeks they will be off again Where do they go, is it correct non migratory birds head north in the summer and south in the winter? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) Robins hide themselves away and moult - re-appearing a few weeks later looking all smart and tidy. At the moment most of our sparrows and a couple of blackbirds are still feeding chicks - It has been commented that Holly berries are ripening early this year, and Rowans are heading that way too Edited July 3, 2014 by shortliner 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 1, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 1, 2014 The tits often are busy on the feeders until the brood leaves the nest then the family tends to go off perhaps coming back now and then for a quick feed. The blackbirds normally stay in territory but when the young leave the nest the adults can find they have to follow them into other territories as the young do not feel tied to a territory. We always used to have a Starling creche in our garden the adults would go off leaving the young in our garden. Numbers dwindled some years ago due to people repairing old cottages and reducing the nest sites we have since moved away ourselves. In our 'new' abode we have had a pair of black caps visiting the birdtable. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Mornin' all, Colourful avian times in the garden this morning with bullfinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, blue tit and great tit feasting on sunflower hearts, crushed peanuts and niger seed. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Off topic: Any thoughts on what this bird might be? It was part of a travelling 'zoo'. Didn't seem to fly but perhaps the wings were clipped. A bit longer than a domestic hen but slimmer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted July 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2014 I think that be some sort of foreign thingy; nice head colours though. Not in the garden but about 200' above yesterday - two Buzzards enjoying the thermals and getting chased by Martins. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Definite foreign thingy. It will either be called a Cooqalooqa or Gravensteens goldenhead silverarsed curlew. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted July 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2014 It's "Squrrel Proof" but the squirrels obviously can't read!: They keep trying but don't seem to get anything! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 One of the biggest buzzards I've ever seen was lording it on one of my garden fence posts yesterday, for a while I thought it was an Eagle. Wish I'd had the camera handy, with a tinge of yellow on his chest, and massive tallons. Last night in our pub one of our local 'twitchers' told me it was a Honey Buzzard, lately their numbers have increased locally, and have pushed out the few Red Kites we had. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted July 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2014 Off topic: Any thoughts on what this bird might be? It was part of a travelling 'zoo'. Didn't seem to fly but perhaps the wings were clipped. A bit longer than a domestic hen but slimmer. ??Bird.jpg Glossy Ibis ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2014 Off topic: Any thoughts on what this bird might be? It was part of a travelling 'zoo'. Didn't seem to fly but perhaps the wings were clipped. A bit longer than a domestic hen but slimmer. ??Bird.jpg It looks like a Curlew Sandpiper. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Apparently there is a bird called a buff-knecked Ibis so perhaps this is it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted July 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) One of the biggest buzzards I've ever seen was lording it on one of my garden fence posts yesterday, for a while I thought it was an Eagle. Wish I'd had the camera handy, with a tinge of yellow on his chest, and massive tallons. Last night in our pub one of our local 'twitchers' told me it was a Honey Buzzard, lately their numbers have increased locally, and have pushed out the few Red Kites we had. Ah - that's why we have acquired red kites in Churchdown then! Had not visualised standing in my kitchen watching one as we did this morning And one flew over Abbotswood on Sunday... Phil Edited July 4, 2014 by Phil Bullock Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Seagulls have moved inland here over the past few years and nesting behind chimneys is routine, as it the accumulated white crap on cars, washing, pavements and of course roofs... Three chicks... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austrag Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 You can have all these noisy pigeons from here, no loss to me! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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