Where have all our garden birds gone?

[Mallard60022]

11 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Readers might be interested in a few sightings from South Western France.   We have blue and great tits in the garden, swallows nest around us and there are starlings and sparrows.  Robins have nested and we see chaffinches and greenfinches as well.   As we drive in and out of the village we usually see buzzards and sometimes Hen Harriers.  

 

Last year the electricity pole on the western edge of the garden was renewed and this year the various cross arms have been well colonised by the sparrows.

At the last count there were at least 4 nests in the ends of the short channel girders that clamp the cross arms onto the pole.  Once can be seen on the lower one here.

 

Yesterday my other half thought that she has seen black redstarts going into the ends of the upper cross arm to deed young. This seems to be happening at both ends.   

You may also notice that I was photobombed by a Hoopoe that perched on the upper wire.  These are lovely looking birds and we think that we have  a pair nesting in a neighbours garden.   I managed to get a better shot of one of them the next day.

 

 

Jamie

They obviously all enjoy playing with DCC then or is it DC in France, I can't remember? 

[Mallard60022]

RSPB have a Swift survey running on line. Could I encourage folk to have a look at it and maybe complete it?

Phil

[Joseph_Pestell]

9 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

RSPB have a Swift survey running on line. Could I encourage folk to have a look at it and maybe complete it?

Phil

 

Swifts are clever little critters. They have pecked out three of the ventilation grilles in our roof and made themselves some very comfortable and well-protected nests.

[rodshaw]

Some learner sparrows fighting over the food yesterday...and a young blue tit performing acrobatics on the tree.

 

 

[Porkscratching]

Still no swifts here, but the swallows are doing well ( I'm still ducking to avoid them!) Saw a couple feeding 'flight able' youngsters up on the telegraph wires..

[jbqfc]

two more greenfinch Fledglings today been feed by mum and dad

also my first  siskin fledglings 

 

John

[melmerby]

Something very obviously missing from our garden are the Starlings, haven't seen a one yet this year.

They usually make a nuisance of themselves by mobbing the feeders and scaring the smaller birds away.

[Sprintex]

No starlings you say? Adults and juveniles everywhere round here, the conifer tree across the road regularly houses over a hundred at night!

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Sprintex

[Sprintex]

Also I saw at least two dozen swifts swooping over the houses on my way to work earlier this week. 

 

 

Paul

[The Lurker]

Swifts made their return to Sidcup in the middle of may. Numbers were down initially but have risen since. This year I have noticed them flying into a nest in the walls of a house I walk past on my way to the station. In previous years, the parakeets have used that hole. I wonder if the recent cold and wet spell has hindered the swifts - I should be able to tell this evening as I like to sit out with a glass of something chilled!

[jonny777]

19 hours ago, melmerby said:

Something very obviously missing from our garden are the Starlings, haven't seen a one yet this year.

They usually make a nuisance of themselves by mobbing the feeders and scaring the smaller birds away.

 

Yes, it would seem that they have good breeding and disasters all in the same year, but in different parts of the country. Like most birds it will depend on the weather over the two or three weeks when the chicks/fledglings are being fed. We had 5 inches of rain during the last week of May and first two weeks of June, which must have meant a lot of newly born chicks died of starvation and hypothermia. 

 

I have noticed that a few pairs of starlings must have tried again because now we are getting the occasional parent(s) with their relentlessly squawking juveniles coming to the garden looking for food. The end of June is late for starlings in this part of cider country.  However, this has happened before in indifferent springs. If the birds are lucky - they miss the worst of the cold/wet weather and more babies survive. 

 

I was thrilled to see two house martins circling around above the garden this morning. I checked my records and I saw a couple in 2017, but nothing else back until 2014 - so quite a promising sight. 

[PhilJ W]

There are usually murmations of starlings over a nearby golf course but this years are smaller than usual.

[jbqfc]

i now have one sparrow less thanks to a sparrow hawk 

first time i have seen one up close 

 

John 

[melmerby]

7 minutes ago, jbqfc said:

i now have one sparrow less thanks to a sparrow hawk 

first time i have seen one up close 

 

John 

Usually go for something a bit larger with more meat on.

Pigeons seem favourite around here, even though they are twice the size of the hawk.

[jbqfc]

11 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Usually go for something a bit larger with more meat on.

Pigeons seem favourite around here, even though they are twice the size of the hawk.

 

i hope he has a go at some of our pigeons as we have loads 

 

John

[PhilJ W]

Its usually the larger female sparrowhawks that take pigeons.

[AndyID]

 

These woodpeckers were having a great time. The lower one is the adult which is furiously searching for grubs to feed the chick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[88D]

23 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Its usually the larger female sparrowhawks that take pigeons.

Yes, I have seen a male down a pigeon in our garden but the pigeon ( wood pigeon, admittedly larger than your normal effort) escaped quite easily.

[Porkscratching]

3 hours ago, jbqfc said:

 

i hope he has a go at some of our pigeons as we have loads 

 

John

At work they were everywhere & we had to resort to an air rifle.. Funny the rather 'non standard' jobs I've ended up being lumped with !

[jonny777]

Not the best of photos of a moving animal in fading light; but as 'my' hedgehog has returned for a second visit, I thought I had better get some kind of photo due to its rarity value. 

 

 

[Liam]

Funny that you should post that, as Herbert (our resident hedgehog) has just popped out at the back of the garden as if to say hello.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

New bird for me and  our garden, there's a tawny pipit returning regularly to one of the birdbaths. I have had the binos on it and books to hand, so very confident I have it right.

[Tim Dubya]

I am honoured with a visiting pair of Bullfinches, of course every time I attempt a photo they fly off once my back is turned.

Although, I did come to the conclusion the other day that they use an advanced form of teleportation, as they don't fly in to or out of view they simply appear and disappear.

[Mallard60022]

16 hours ago, jonny777 said:

Not the best of photos of a moving animal in fading light; but as 'my' hedgehog has returned for a second visit, I thought I had better get some kind of photo due to its rarity value. 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, SVRlad said:

Funny that you should post that, as Herbert (our resident hedgehog) has just popped out at the back of the garden as if to say hello.

Not being an arse but I am sure you know that if Hogs appear in daylight they are usually seeking water and or food, but most of all water.

Phil

[Liam]

3 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

 

Not being an arse but I am sure you know that if Hogs appear in daylight they are usually seeking water and or food, but most of all water.

Phil

 

Actually it was pretty dark when Herbert popped out last night, but just light enough to see him. We have left some water on a saucer for him to drink from though.