Killybegs Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Rare visitor to the garden. This woodcock spent a couple of hours in the garden today. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted March 19, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2018 In my 'other garden'...... at lunchtime today, circa 50 Meadow Pipet. On Saturday I saw for the first time a Redpoll in the garden. One fleeting Niger Seed feeder visit; I was lucky. Phil 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted March 20, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 20, 2018 Redpol again this morning. Really good view this time. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 The woodcock is back again and I managed a better shot. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted March 22, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2018 one of our local cat killed a pigeon in our garden the other night i cleaned it up but left all the feathers today i have been watching two long tailed tits collecting them for nest building 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Should I still be stocking the fat ball feeder? steve 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Yes you should; but maybe not quite as much as in winter. Early spring is a difficult time for many birds because they are distracted by territorial battles and attracting a mate. In addition there are not too many insects around at this time of year, especially if the temperatures are below average. Virtually all the berries (apart from Ivy) have gone from the bushes and there are still the prospect of cold twelve hour nights to get through. Personally, I keep my fatball feeders stocked all year round because I hope that, if I do the hungry birds will realise they can rely on my garden in an emergency if all else has failed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Mention of berries reminded me, there are loads of holly berries in my front garden but none of the birds seem to eat them. Are they poisonous? steve 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The berries are poisonous to humans (although not deadly in adults unless swallowed in quantity), but not to birds. I have a large holly in my garden and it rarely manages to survive until Christmas before all the berries have been eaten, and so I am not sure why the birds ignore yours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 It appears we'll be having blue tits in our nestbox again this year. But just watching them now, they appear to be taking materials OUT of the nestbox. I don't know if they're modifying an existing nest, has anyone else seen anything similar? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Home improvements maybe? The avian equivalent of that Kirsty woman??? steve 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted March 24, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 24, 2018 Many birds do a 'spring clean' of the nest sight even when they use the same one every year. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Yes, birds seem to know that old material will probably be infested with all manner of tiny bugs and parasites; and they are keen to avoid rearing a family in a dirty nest. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 (edited) ...left all the feathers today i have been watching two long tailed tits collecting them for nest building In same vein, a whole lot of down in our garden this morning. The funniest thing later, a long tail tit had a lovely large piece of down, but needed repeat attempts to hold it in a position that allowed fully controllable flight. Even though the white down made it very visible in flight, I lost it in the woodland behind our garden, but am sure they must be nesting very nearby as we are seeing a pair almost non-stop these last two weeks. ...But just watching them now, they appear to be taking materials OUT of the nestbox. I don't know if they're modifying an existing nest, has anyone else seen anything similar? I once put a newspaper picture of Chris Evans in a nest box to aid assessment of camera focus, thinking he would get justly crapped on as a happy side effect. However it transpires that the blue tits in occupation had taste. They ripped it to shreds to get it out of the box... (I empty our nest boxes in the autumn, and pour in boiling water to clean them up.) Edited March 26, 2018 by 34theletterbetweenB&D 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Bernard Lamb Posted March 26, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 26, 2018 one of our local cat killed a pigeon in our garden the other night i cleaned it up but left all the feathers today i have been watching two long tailed tits collecting them for nest building That's interesting. There was a pigeon in the garden on Saturday presumably killed and part eaten by one of the local foxes. I was out most of the last two days and tonight most of the feathers have gone. We do have two pairs of ltts so it was probably them who tidied up. Bernard 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted March 26, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 26, 2018 Anyone else hearing the wonderful Dawn Chorus the last few days? mainly Blackbirds here but very loud indeed. Also heard several Chif Chaff today. Phil 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 The finches around My house often fly up and remove any stray feathers that My Cockatiel moults and get caught in the bars of her cage. Just the smaller downy ones mind you. I have even seen them pulling stuffing out of a small hole in a cushion on My neighbours patio furniture. They are quite resourceful. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Anyone else hearing the wonderful Dawn Chorus the last few days? mainly Blackbirds here but very loud indeed. Also heard several Chif Chaff today. Phil Not so much a chorus here Phil, but the screeching of probably close to a Thousand Corellas just after sunup. They turn up en masse late March every year, strip all the leaves off the trees and bu##er off again after a few months, the noise is immense. This little fella and his mate however just chitter chatter away, they are utterly fearless and come right up on the back veranda and shout at the cat through the window. Which is what was going on here. They may not be full of bright colours but Willie Wagtails make up for it with their Character. Sorry about the flyscreen in the way. One of the drawbacks of living in Oz I'm afraid. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapford34102 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Hi, Not birdlife though we now have chaffinches and long tailed tits regularly visiting but one evening last week we realised there was a hedgehog in the garden. So we got a cheap plastic underbed storage box and using some info we found on the web set it up as a feeder. First night nothing but on Fri had a check and this A hastily taken pic with a phone to minimise disturbance. He/she has been back every night since. Stu 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 While on convalesence and watching the birds I had the Buzzards come back, this time at least 5 of them and a possible 6. Got some crappy pics of one of them that looks like it's been in a fight at sometime with one of its wing feathers missing, not sure if it's a primary or secondary 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted March 28, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2018 Do I get the first swallow of the year prize? Spotted one here in South Devon when we arrived for the week on Monday morning. Neil 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 There's pressure on housing. Our incumbent blue tit pair are currently defending 'their' box against a pair of offcomers. I renewed the felt roof late in the winter, it's clearly a des res. My wife watching from indoors at the time told me that a blue tit flew to it, as I walked away having rescured the box on its bracket 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tim Hall Posted March 28, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2018 Though not garden birds, I had a pleasant couple of hours on Sunday morning watching 20+ hawfinches and a similar number of bramblings visiting a feeding station on the ground on the outskirts on Cardiff. They're about 35 yards from the road, so you watch from your car. Had at least one of each singing (never heard a brambling sing before). A while later, heard a bullfinch singing in a hedge next to the seawall east of Cardiff to complete an unusual hat trick. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted March 29, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29, 2018 (edited) Interesting Tim re the Hawfinches, local Bristol news had run a piece on a relatively large influx of visitors this year due to the harsh recent weather. The only British finch I've not seen, I hope to change that. Meanwhile whilst walking the dog here earlier in South Devon, a small finch hurtled down the middle of the lane we were walking with a sparrow hawk in hot pursuit. I'm glad to say the finch got away with it that time. However, I've seen the sparrow hawk several times this week in the garden hanging around the feeders. Neil Edited March 29, 2018 by Downendian 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted March 29, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 29, 2018 OK so it isn't a bird, but at 02.00 today I saw a Hedgehog whizzing around under our bird feeders. Yup, whizzing.....well OK scuttling! In other news I believe we have 2 or 3 Blackbird nests on the go. I think it is the same pair that have been building all three! Up the road I am told there are Sand Martins arriving already. Me no see yet. All the best for the Easter break and may your garden be a busy and interesting place. Phil 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now