Where have all our garden birds gone?

[PhilJ W]

Are they finding food?

Should be able to as they are native to Australia.

[hayfield]

We are about to start a wraparound extension on the rear of the house, please forgive the state of the garden as it is still suffering from moving house, moving the garden shed, emptying a brick shed and various items temporally dumped at the rear. And it will get worse before it gets better.

 

We have a bird feeder which we sighted next to an apple tree for the birds protection. The tree has to go (we have planted 3 new ones in the front garden) so we have been slowly reducing its size not to frighten the  birds and get them used to using next doors shrubs as a safe haven.

 

 

The apple tree is too large and too near the new extensions foundations, plus as with moving the shed (from where the path goes to ) into the corner it will open up the garden a bit. We plan to landscape and replant the whole area not only for our leisure benefit but also with wildlife in mind, especially as next door has 3 cats

 

No fixed plans at the moment, but ideas which hopefully will develop as the impact of the extension is known. Shrubs for low maintain and climbers for a bit of height and colour, perhaps a pergola bottom right corner for shade as south facing 

 

 

The tree will come down over the next 3 weeks, and I guess the bird feeder will be moved closer to the rear of the garden, but still close to next doors shrubs.

 

Firstly any tips etc to maintain the birds welfare also when the feeder gets a permanent site, what other than grass should be under the feeder to maintain cleanliness (see the mess below !!)  

 

We are hoping the rear of the property will give us a good vantage point to view the birds as the room will be open plan with 10' wide french doors and side windows and 8' wide kitchen window, just need to learn how to keep things tidy in the garden 

[dhjgreen]

Lucky birds, that's quite a feeding station. A number of people on this topic, me included, use Catwatch to deter cats, RSPB endorsed.

 

We just accept the mess as ground feeding birds eat the spilt seed, although much of the mess is empty seed cases.

[Wolseley]

Are they finding food?

 

Yes, and making a mess at the same time by stripping off leaves and branches to get at the nuts (or whatever it is you call the things with the seeds in them).  Cockatoos are, as far as birds go, pretty intelligent, and have figured out what non-native plants are good for food and how to get it.  They have made a meal out of the sunflowers in my back garden, although they seem to prefer them after the petals wilt and lose their colour - the seeds must be tastier then....

[hayfield]

Lucky birds, that's quite a feeding station. A number of people on this topic, me included, use Catwatch to deter cats, RSPB endorsed.

 

We just accept the mess as ground feeding birds eat the spilt seed, although much of the mess is empty seed cases.

 

My daughter gave us the feeding station when we moved as I broke the old one trying to taking it apart

 

I will either put paving slabs or astro turf under it once we decide where it will finally reside. Hoping the garden will start to improve from May onwards once the roof goes on. Have a few books on both bird table/gardening and garden books and if you look at where the shed is we have been able to keep the Azalea, butterfly bush etc. 

 

As I said shrubs for low maintance and climbers to soften the hedges, have a holy tree in a pot along with others waiting for their new homes, also have a front garden that needs planting up along with a (modest) feeder as plenty of birds in the front garden as well

[hayfield]

Busy day on the feeder, blue tits, great tits and goldfinches being the most numerous. Starlings not seen for a few days and only a solitary chaffinch (never seen more than one at a time). 

[dhjgreen]

Mistle thrush tapped on the window, no meal worms!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

To supplement a Bullfinch pair this morning - first sighting of 2017 - I have just had a very non-garden bird, the scruffiest female Merlin I have ever seen. She perched six feet away on a pergola outside the window so identification was easy. Wondering if she has been roughed up by the local rooks from the woodland behind our garden, but none are in evidence, presumably away feeding out on the arable fields outside the town.

[chris p bacon]

I clicked 'like' as there's no 'jealous' button...

[Mallard60022]

I've never seen a Merlin other than flying at great speed. Lucky boy.

Anyway today, over the garden I saw a Crow trying to intimidate the local Buzzard. This happens quite frequently but today I was alerted by the Crow making a loud 'croak' every time it swooped in. Buzzard couldn't have given a ####

Not the same Crow I'm sure, but later, in my 'other garden' I witnessed for the first time two Crows attacking a Lapwing on the Lake's big Island and as the Lappy managed to fly off, the two Crows went after it in a serious way and managed to make it ditch in the lake. However, the rest of the flock of Lappys were then on the case and mobbed the Crows and chased them away. Not sure what happened to the victim as when I looked back to where it had ditched there was no sign. I do hope it survived. Nasty sight as the whole bunch of all sorts of birds around the Lake/Island seem to get on OK until they are nesting/incubating and then the Lesser Blackbacks predate other eggs/young. They really are quite ruthless bullies.

Phil

[dhjgreen]

Starling singing this morning, beautiful.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

There was a knock at the door about an hour past, and two chaps on the doorstep who asked if they could come in as they were pretty certain there was a firecrest at the rear of our garden. There was too, and it obliged by working its way through a group of evergreens..

 

Very smug, not a bird I ever expected to see (especially with no more effort than looking through the binos out of the dining room window) although I do see goldcrests reasonably regularly.

[Mallard60022]

I've never seen a Merlin other than flying at great speed. Lucky boy.

Anyway today, over the garden I saw a Crow trying to intimidate the local Buzzard. This happens quite frequently but today I was alerted by the Crow making a loud 'croak' every time it swooped in. Buzzard couldn't have given a ####

Not the same Crow I'm sure, but later, in my 'other garden' I witnessed for the first time two Crows attacking a Lapwing on the Lake's big Island and as the Lappy managed to fly off, the two Crows went after it in a serious way and managed to make it ditch in the lake. However, the rest of the flock of Lappys were then on the case and mobbed the Crows and chased them away. Not sure what happened to the victim as when I looked back to where it had ditched there was no sign. I do hope it survived. Nasty sight as the whole bunch of all sorts of birds around the Lake/Island seem to get on OK until they are nesting/incubating and then the Lesser Blackbacks predate other eggs/young. They really are quite ruthless bullies.

Phil

Today a rather battered looking crow appeared in the garden; damaged wing by the look of it. I wonder if it was the one having a go at that Buzzard ?

Phil

Edited February 14, 2017 by Mallard60022

[lightengine]

A firecrest is visiting our Christmas tree daily at present.

[dhjgreen]

Anybody else seeing firecrest, I feel quite left out as well as looking for the jealous button!

 

I don't recall ever seeing one in the (very small amount of) flesh.

[Downendian]

Barn own screeching in the field opposite the cottage last night, and I was pleased to see Greenfinches on the feeders this morning.

Firecrest wow they're in Devon must keep my eyes peeled.

Neil

[Bernard Lamb]

Starlings are now up to 12.

They particularly like the meal worms.

A Buzzard seems to have taken up residence near Junction 8 of the M1.

Yesterday morning he was sitting on the bridge railing when I went south and was still there around an hour later when I came back.

Red Kite swoops down to check us out when we go in the garden and his whistle seems to be both louder and of a higher pitch.

Its upsetting the neighbour.

Bernard

[Downendian]

Hmm need to take a closer look at our " Goldcrests". Firecrests have been seen in the Yealm valley (the Yealm is about half a mile away). I hadn't realised how similar they are to Goldcrests (both species can have reddish tinges to their gold caps). Apparently Firecrests have a lighter buff brown body. I had thought that they had predominantly red caps.

Neil

Edited February 15, 2017 by Downendian

[Mallard60022]

Starlings are now up to 12.

They particularly like the meal worms.

A Buzzard seems to have taken up residence near Junction 8 of the M1.

Yesterday morning he was sitting on the bridge railing when I went south and was still there around an hour later when I came back.

Red Kite swoops down to check us out when we go in the garden and his whistle seems to be both louder and of a higher pitch.

Its upsetting the neighbour.

Bernard

Are they dried or live Meal Worms Brian? Our Blackbirds just love the dried variety. 'Our' starlings scavenge almost everything I put out but just love fat balls. The pair of Starlings that used to nest in our Soffit space fed their young on some sort of beetle larvae and in the summer we would often get beetle invasions coming out of the loft hole. I say used to as we have had plastic roof lining stuff fitted to replace our old wood roof fittings and there is no access to those voids now (I hope). 

When the first beetles appeared some years back I panicked, thinking they were some sort of wood munching variety, but the WWW was my friend for IDing the species!

Phil

[Mallard60022]

Hmm need to take a closer look at our " Goldcrests". Firecrests have been seen in the Yealm valley (the Yealm is about half a mile away). I hadn't realised how similar they are to Goldcrests (both species can have reddish tinges to their gold caps). Apparently Firecrests have a lighter buff brown body. I had thought that they had predominantly red caps.

Neil

Never knowingly seen a Firecrest so I can't comment with certainty, however I also assumed that the Firecrest had a red flash on the head and the Goldcrest a bright yellow flash.

Beautiful little birds when seen (rarely) and more often heard I'm told. 

Phil 

[Geoff Endacott]

I have been pondering where the birds in my garden go for some considerable time. After months of extensive observations I think I have worked out what has been happening. It seems that most of the birds were able to leave my garden because they were able to fly. (The one which could not fly was eaten by a cat.)

 

I hope that people will find this observation useful.

 

Geoff Endacott

[dhjgreen]

Are they dried or live Meal Worms Brian? Our Blackbirds just love the dried variety. 'Our' starlings scavenge almost everything I put out but just love fat balls. The pair of Starlings that used to nest in our Soffit space fed their young on some sort of beetle larvae and in the summer we would often get beetle invasions coming out of the loft hole. I say used to as we have had plastic roof lining stuff fitted to replace our old wood roof fittings and there is no access to those voids now (I hope). 

When the first beetles appeared some years back I panicked, thinking they were some sort of wood munching variety, but the WWW was my friend for IDing the species!

Phil

Fact for the day. Dried mealworms contain practically the same nutrients as live mealworms, but they do not try to escape

[Bernard Lamb]

Are they dried or live Meal Worms Brian? Our Blackbirds just love the dried variety.

Phil

They are the dried sort.

I get them in the local pound shop.

They go under the brand name of Dawn Chorus.

Bernard

[47137]

I am so happy, the pair of blue tits have been back this week, nosing around the nesting box and sampling the seed feeder.

 

I get few birds in my garden, the regular robins and occasional others, I suspect most of the birds prefer the fields a few hundred yards away.

 

- Richard.

[hayfield]

With the change of the weather, the make up of the birds visiting has changes, though some of this is due to an apple tree slowly being cut down.