Where have all our garden birds gone?

[Mallard60022]

In my 'back garden' in the last week I have seen several Iberian Warblers, loads of Greenfinches, gangs of Spanish Sparrows and some Azure Winged Magpies. Yes I know I'm cheating, but hey it wasn't really more sunny than over here!

P

[shortliner]

The sparrowhawk made a flying vist this morning, but missed out on a breakfast snack, and moved on

[The Lurker]

The magpies were collecting what looked like nesting material from the lawn in the morning. I mowed the lawn last weekend, and it looked like bits of dried mown grass

[alfsboy]

It's amazing how picky wild animals can be, we have a pair of rescued hedgehogs and they flatly refuse to eat whiskers chicken cat food but love Felix. We found this the opposite way round when we were feeding a wild one in our old garden in sheringham

Our wild  Norfolk hedgehogs like Whiskers too.Looks like our one has woken up .My wifes allergic to them so when one has to be rescued its Foxy Lodge Wildlife at Hemsby  as quick as possible .I took four little sproglets to  Tiggywinkles once,an expensive rescue .

[jonny777]

 

Where have all our garden birds gone?

 

Well one of them, namely Mr Starling of this Parish, has just seen fit to come down my log burner flue and take up residence in the top part of the fire, I wondered what the noise was. - A quick release of the chimey cleaning door and the little fellow flew out into the living room, and after a few failed attempts to fly through closed windows, managed to find the open one and flew away.

 

All I have to do now is clean up the soot smuts!

 

 

 

You are lucky it was only a starling.

 

I had a wood pigeon come down my chimney once.  That was not an event I wish to repeat.

[cnw6847]

not in the garden but I nearly crashed my van on the A47 in Norfolk this morning when I spotted a Red Kite, lovely to see.

[AndyID]

A couple from the Northwest (US) today.

 

This chickadee got a bit upset when I wandered into his territory. They look and behave just like coal tits, so I thought "maybe they'd like a coconut?". Evidently not, or at least they would rather throw everything out of the feeder to get at the sunflower seeds. That suits the turkey population just fine.

 

 

[shortliner]

Mr Sparrow hawk stopped by for lunch - and reduced the blackbird population by one - sat in the corner of the patio, making life awkward as we were cooking lunch and trying not to disturb him by moving in front of the window.  He is an efficient little plucker, removes EVERY feather (and leaves them in a neat pile for me to clear up!) and then - what amazes me - is that the entire carcase is eaten, leaving nothing else behind. I was under the impression that they liked to sit on a "plucking post" whilst sorting out the prey, but nobody has explained that to him, and he is quite happy to sit on the ground and do the deed

Edited March 30, 2015 by shortliner

[Mallard60022]

not in the garden but I nearly crashed my van on the A47 in Norfolk this morning when I spotted a Red Kite, lovely to see.

I wonder if the recent very strong NW winds have blown that one over to you? It would be very nice if both male and female had that expeience and thus a 'population' might establish in your area.

P 

[shortliner]

not in the garden but I nearly crashed my van on the A47 in Norfolk this morning when I spotted a Red Kite, lovely to see.

We are fortunate in that the Black Isle, and Evanton, are two places on the A9 north of inverness where they are being re-established, so we see breeding pairs frequently when going to, or from, the Highland City - lovely birds especially when the colours are bought alive by the sun. At Munlochy there used to be/may still be a place where they feed them each day in a field with woods around

Edited March 30, 2015 by shortliner

[melmerby]

Put a meal worm tray in the garden last week (fixed to a pole more than a metre high)

Robin had found it within 24 hours, Blackbirds a couple of days later!

 

Not all birds are wary of new food sources.

Tits and dunnocks started visiting it today.

(Looks like another drain on my cash the rate the mealworms are going!)

 

Keith

[geoffers]

I had heard reports from birding friends that Red Kites had been spotted around Norfolk over the last 2/3 years and then saw my first one last June near the Norfolk Showground. Not seen one since though. Buzzards are becoming more common though. 

[cnw6847]

I live on the Suffolk Norfolk border just outside Beccles and have seen Buzzards regularly over the last few years.

 

We saw a Red Kite over ours last summer for the first time.

[Downendian]

Just heard the first pair of Chiffchaffs whilst out surveying wind damaged fencing in the garden earlier. So they've arrived despite the chilly conditions. Earliest I can remember.

Neil

[John M Upton]

Anyone able to identify this little fellow seen on my local canal this afternoon?

 

[Mallard60022]

Little Grebe.

P

[AndyID]

Not totally off topic, but I see Gresley's grandsons won't allow the mallard to be included with his statue at Kings Cross. Bit of a shame as I understand Gresley was a keen orny hornyth thorni bird person.

[melmerby]

Not totally off topic, but I see Gresley's grandsons won't allow the mallard to be included with his statue at Kings Cross. Bit of a shame as I understand Gresley was a keen orny hornyth thorni bird person.

Apparantly (according to some reports) they didn't get the 'joke' and couldn't understand what it was doing there!

If it's true then shame on them! (don't they know there own family hyistory?)

 

Keith

Edited April 3, 2015 by melmerby

[Mallard60022]

Twites.

Phil

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Evenin' all,

 

Ensuring that all feathered visitors to the garden get a chance to dine means controlling the amount of food available to pigeons. This clip is typical of them reluctantly waiting for other birds to take their turn and to drop/spill food onto the ground for them to hoover up. They know that the bird table has crushed peanuts/mealworms to offer but are too big and insufficiently agile to be able to get to the food....there are regular attempts though

 

 

Dave

Edited April 4, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[davefrk]

I was out in the back garden today and it went very quiet, eerily quiet, no birds whistling and nothing flying about. SWMBO came to the door and said her birds had gone very quiet and the male cockatiel was just quietly chirping to his brood and staring up in the sky which meant only one thing--- Danger, keep yer head down..

Yes two big birds of prey circling around just a hundred foot up, looked like buzzards or some such.

Eventually they buxxer...  flew off and things got back to normal, amazing. We do see birds of prey from time to time as they roost in the woods around Bothwell Castle just across the Clyde from us.

 

Dave Franks.

Edited April 4, 2015 by davefrk

[AndyID]

I saw three eagles having a big fight yesterday. One was a mature bald eagle and the others were probably immature bald eagles. It's possible they were goldens, but that's unlikely. They were spiraling around and crossed the highway right in front of me, probably only 100 feet off the ground. It was too dangerous for me to stop suddenly, so I don't know how things concluded.

[melmerby]

Evenin' all,

 

Ensuring that all feathered visitors to the garden get a chance to dine means controlling the amount of food available to pigeons. This clip is typical of them reluctantly waiting for other birds to take their turn and to drop/spill food onto the ground for them to hoover up. They know that the bird table has crushed peanuts/mealworms to offer but are too big and insufficiently agile to be able to get to the food....there are regular attempts though

 

 

Dave

All our feeders have squirrel cages which also means Wood Pigeons are kept out as well.

 

I used to have a covered feeder on the ground and watching the dumb pigeon's antics as they endeavoured to find a way in was quite amusing.

They would go round and round this cage in one direction looking for a way in, then they would change and go round and round the other way etc. etc. for 10 mins at a time.

Eventually they would give up and walk away (seemingly in disgust?) but would suddenly turn around and return and carry on as before!

I assume their small brains don't have particularly good reasoning powers (unlike Corvids), so they keep trying without success.

 

Keith

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Mornin' all,

 

Good to see pairs of greenfinches making more regular visits to the garden again

 

The title of this thread is more suitable at this time of year as the foliage thickens/blossoms/comes into leaf and the birds vanish within to eat the peanuts etc/gain concealment & protection from circling/watching predators.

 

Dave

Edited April 5, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[jonny777]

I am visiting my father in rural Norfolk, and although I have been here 3 days and there are plenty of tits, dunnocks, collared doves, woodies and rooks about; (and I saw yet another barn owl over the Cambridgeshire Fens) I have not seen a single house sparrow or starling here.

 

Dad said they suddenly disappeared in January and he doesn't remember seeing any since.

 

Quite worrying, I think, but I cant come up with any obvious reason for their absence