RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted December 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 26, 2014 Mornin' all, Excellent bird day here with a dozen or so species dining in the garden....wren, chaffinch, sparrow, pigeon, jackdaw, goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, blackbird, magpie, blackcap, robin... Dave Is that the lesser spotted Dave?..... Plenty of action in the garden with the same list as above although we would add collared dove to it, we had 6 but now 5............something has to feed the Sparrowhawk....... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 (edited) ....with the food & beer consumed so far Chris, it has to be the greater spotted. A commotion amongst the garden shrubs a few moments ago turned out to be a gathering of blue tits seeing off a reed bunting....only the second one that I've sighted in the garden. The snowy conditions have since added lesser redpoll to the December list....collared dove and starling coincided with them. Dave Edited December 27, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted December 27, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 27, 2014 Nice spots TG. We have 4 Reed Bunting feeding around twice a day now. Looks like Juveniles and I think 2 male and 2 female. Also a couple of Starlings around but the daft Blackbirds (back to ten this morning) tend to scare them off I think. Our Sparrows are back up to about 20+; maybe some new ones but I don't think so. The Goldfinch have been put off as there isn't really room at the one Niger feeder....my fault. Do you get Dunnocks? We have a resident pair (about five generations now). P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi P, Yes....Dunnocks are regular but not current. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Triang Paul Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 The lack of winter down here has so far made for a very boring time. Even the number of Mallard at our boating lake is less than previous years. Waiting in anticipation ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Hi P, Yes....Dunnocks are regular but not current. Dave Up here in the land of the midnight haggis, we have somewhere between half a dozen and 10 - they are rarely in pairs, being promiscuous little blighters - also this morning the resident wren and a couple of "big malkies" (robins for the uninitiated - from the Gregor Fisher program) chasing each other and doing aerobatic dog-fights whilst trying to come to a disagreement as to whose territory it is - the Goldfinches only stayed about an hour before moving on, so we were very lucky to spot them Edited December 28, 2014 by shortliner 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) ....the snow and low temperatures have encouraged roving flocks of sea gulls to visit the gardens looking for food....we don't leave food on the open ground though to dissuade rats, so they are doing plenty of circling and not much eating. A colourful male bullfinch and at least one dunnock have just added to this months garden list. Dave Edited December 28, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Saw my first blackcap of the season yesterday, and probably the same bird again this morning - so I know winter is here. Another sign is the appearance of pied wagtails in the garden one of which arrived this morning. No redwings or fieldfares yet, which is surprising. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 ....redwings and fieldfares arrive in our garden once prolonged snow and low temps take a hold....I've filmed both in the garden but not this year. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Well, knock me down with a feather. I make that comment about no redwings in the garden so far, and 15 minutes later one has appeared in the holly consuming berries at a rate of knots. Maybe I have psychic powers? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 ....I did the same with our seasonal lesser redpolls....I'd just remarked that they were overdue, when the first ones arrived. Dave 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted December 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 28, 2014 Almost in my garden this p.m.........Kingfisher. Lovely. (River Idle just down the road from us) P 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I have given up with tempting birds in via feeders as 2 neighbours have got the monopoly on feeders and mine remain unvisited. My stunted growth yucca in the front garden had a splendid array of white berries on the flower stem last week In the intervening 7 or 8 days visits by robins, blue tits, blackcaps, sparrows and a pigeon have reduced it to a berryless stem. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Mornin' all, There are a few scenes from my footage of our garden birds here https://www.flickr.com/photos/43564631@N08/sets/72157623144255597/ ....the file size limit on Flickr was fairly tight, hence the short clips....I'll load one or two longer ones onto Utube. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Minus 4 overnight, so everything is frozen solid. These are the times when birds need our help. To lightengine; have you tried putting a variety of bird food in your feeders that the neighbours do not? You might attract a few birds that can't get a look in next door. Or maybe try fatballs? They are quite weather hardy and do not go 'off' quite as rapidly as uneaten seeds and nuts. It is all starlings here at the moment, which is often the case early in the morning - but they throw so much food on the ground that it will not be long before the chaffinches, blackbirds and wagtails arrive to clean up the mess. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 ....birds aren't daft....they'll disregard the cheap low calorific value seed mixes and head for pure niger seed etc. Worth trying a range of offerings esp. fruit etc to see just what you can attract. Dave 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Right, firstly, please accept my apologies for the rather gruesome photo but my knowledge of birds is scanty to say the least. I found this unfortunate fellow at the side of a minor road near my house. Having looked in my available bird books I'm guessing at Fieldfare or redwing. It's bigger than a robin but smaller than a thrush. I've seen groups of them in the local fields but never close enough to identify. Any thoughts? Cheers Jon F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 ....redwing Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 ....birds aren't daft....they'll disregard the cheap low calorific value seed mixes and head for pure niger seed etc. Worth trying a range of offerings esp. fruit etc to see just what you can attract. Dave I sort of know what you mean, in the past we have had a couple of feeders in our back garden, one of value mixed food which got ignored, and one of sunflower hearts which was very popular. Strangely though we had a feeder of niger seed which was treated with complete contempt by all the birds despite there being regular goldfinch visitors to our garden, and they never touched it preferring sunflower hearts, my mother lived 10 minutes walk away and her niger seed was consumed. cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 (edited) Hi Kev, ....when our niger seed is ignored I empty the dry seed out and dismantle/disinfect the feeder....once any rainwater gets in, some seed becomes mildewy and they won't eat any of it. All fine once it is cleaned. Dave Edited December 29, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Aft'noon all, A Christmas card from a Staffs Moorlands garden Dave Edited December 30, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Mornin' all, Continually excellent bird days at the moment with the harsh weather conditions encouraging more frequent visits by less common visitors. This mornings highlight so far has been a lovely young song thrush with the most attractive markings....this has just been followed by a similarly attractive young male bullfinch, his bright pink chest contrasting strongly with the surrounding snow. Dave Edited December 31, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Mornin' all, A pair of our blue tits aren't mucking about....they've already settled on a nest box....both flying regularly backwards and forwards between box and shrubs/food sources. Good to see a greenfinch in the garden again...the reed bunting is still knocking about too. Dave 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Greenfinches have declined massively in this area, presumably from disease. I do see one occasionally, but compared to ten years ago our numbers must have declined by almost 90%, which is very sad. A visitor which we always had from Christmas until late Feb in the 1990s was the Siskin. Now we don't see any at all in the garden . This will be my 20th year of completing weekly records for the BTO Garden Birdwatch, and a quick glance back through the history suggests the last time I saw Siskins here with any regularity was 2001. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Although we still see greenfinches, they are definitely not in the same numbers as previous years. Siskins are regulars in season. Most amusing currently are batches of long tailed tits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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