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Just put a heap of mixed seeds out for the sparrows and Robins, the jackdaws are fighting over the fat balls .
Total feeding frenzy in our garden past couple of weeks. A few newbies too.
Regular visitors: Blackbirds, jackdaws, wood pigeons, collared doves, magpies, jays, greenfinches, robins, dunnocks, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, nuthatches, greater spotted woodpeckers
Newbies in the past couple of weeks: chaffinches, a single bullfinch (but seen a few days running now).
Heard a few times, glimpsed once: Tawny Owl
Always circling overhead: Red Kites, Buzzards
Regulars for us
Sparrows, tits , black bird , compulsory pigeons and a pair of doves .
We did have a family of long tail tits last winter.
We recently started to have Red Kites over the village,loads of Buzzereds around.
We did have a Regular pair of Woodpeckers but they've disappeared 😕
Usually sparrows, coal tits, great tits, starlings, blackbirds and fat pigeons here.
Occasional robins and blue tits, never anything more exciting.
We have buzzards in the trees around the village, red kites were reportedly sighted a couple of times this year for the first time, but not by me.
Took an interest in birds during lockdown, having never really been into them before. Visitors over the last 18mths include Robin, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, collared dove, goldfinch, blackbird, long tailed tit, dunnock, Jay, Magpie, Coal tit, nuthatch, tawny owl, sparrow, starling, Jackdaw, wren, song-thrush, greenfinch, greater spotted woodpecker and the odd grey wagtail. Today the pheasants have come down off the moors into the garden because the weather is bad. I think we’re pretty lucky diversity wise in that we live rurally next to huge wooded area, but on the edge of open moorland too, so get quite a mix. Even had a pair of buzzards wheeling above this year, I keep telling my 4 y/o to get inside quickly when they are calling for fear of being snatched… there will be some expensive therapy for this when he’s older I’m sure…
The neighbours have a quite elaborate multifeeder out, and I tell you it's carnage out there in the early mornings 😯
Quite a lot of I think are finches, going to and fro, some magpies with about a dozen pigeons mulling about the bottom of it all occasionally attacking each other. The pigeons have worn away a large patch of grass around the feeder as the try to out do each other to get the bits the other birds drop from the feeders and fat balls.
This is at the back of the house, and I've a seed feeder hung at the front in my own garden but it doesnt get as much attention.
Went on my arse servicing the feeders this afternoon - stay safe out there, folks... 🙁
Regulars are sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, robins, blackbirds and ****in pigeons, magpies less so now there's a cage over the blackbird food - occasional glimpses of starlings, goldfinches, jays, rare glimpses of bullfinches, great spotted woodpecker (snaffling the grubs out of our bee boxes, damn him!) and sparrowhawks. Happy with that, within six miles of Birmingham city centre! 🙂
Even the rats in on the action in our garden
Just moved house so I hope my flock of chavvy starlings, fat pigeons, and shy sparrows will be OK without the northwind foodbank... Not the best time of year to suddenly stop a feeder 🙁 But then half the street has bird feeders.
Only seen magpies so far at the new place, and one very brave little robin that I hope is a regular but we'll see once I've got some feeders up.
We use sunflower hearts as they chuck the mixed seed everywhere and you’ll be pulling all sorts of weeds out the ground come spring. We’re lucky enough to be living next to a nature reserve, so we get a huge number of birds coming to the feeders. As I was walking back from filling the feeders yesterday morning and all the small birds come flocking down I turned to head back into the house and noticed a brown bird approaching at high speed, it was a sparrowhawk - it flew under my arm as it made a beeline for the bird table.
What we also didn’t reckon on was needing deer-proof feeders - they’ve broken a couple already getting at the contents. We have another feeder quite high in a tree - they get up on their back legs to knock it with their head and spill the contents out.
First winter in our first house with a garden. Coal, blue, long tailed and great tits, Robin, magpie, jackdaws, starlings, grey squirrel, mouse, collared dove, wood pigeons, house sparrows, magpie, buzzards overhead. Nature reserve at back of ours with another row of houses between us and it. Seen red kite, deer, goldfinch and Jay's nearby so hopefully get a few of them in when it's been cold for a while
The birds know when its going to be cold, they're a great weather indicator.
Unfortunately we've had to remove the squirrel proof fat ball feeder, as a rat managed to get in. It can't get into the seed feeders though.
Remember to clean the feeders out frequently with warm water and a drop or two of disinfectant, as there is the chance of the trichomonosis virus spreading, leading to death of mainly green finches and other small birds infecting nearby feeders.
Oh and they need clean water.
Happy bird watching.
Il. Spent a fortune on top quality food and feeders as something to enjoy in the first lockdown.
We're on the south coast (lots of trees around) but nothing came to our feeders. Every house roof is packed with teenage herring gulls and the sight of a songbird on a feeder is just too much for them to resist.
We've managed to get the robins to feed and nest via mealworms hidden right by the back door.
I'm envious, enjoy your garden visitors.
The feeders have remained busier this year. Normally they peak during breeding season and then drop off sharpish but having to continue refilling at the moment.
Have a mob of starlings, robins, great tits, coal tits, blue tits, robins, occasional greater spotted woodpeckers, pigeons, parakeets, crows, jackdaws and rooks, goldfinchers and a few long tailed tits. House sparrows only seem to turn up during breeding season.
Red kites are often overhead and I have debated putting stuff out for them but have concluded against it. Occasional buzzards and do have a sparrowhawk turning up for lunch for time to time.
Annoyingly have had to move the feeder further from cover than I would like due to the squirrels although the cone to stop them getting up the pole works nicely if it is too close they jump in.
To add to my list - this week we had our first feeding goldfinch and a rook.
I got out the big camera to try and take some bird pictures. There were some old photos from a year ago, I have no recollection of taking them but one revealed this (when zoomed in).
So last year we had a Sparrowhawk too!
Il. Spent a fortune on top quality food and feeders as something to enjoy in the first lockdown
I've gone for cheap, my birds get chicken food as you can get 20kg bags for less than a tenner. They seem tk like it
When we had a lot of snow last winter I was topping up at least twice a day!
Payback!
https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/15/squirrel-eats-so-many-nuts-he-gets-stuck-in-bird-feeder-15602495/
There's a squad of goldfinches more or less permanently on station at our feeders, steadily porking their way through the sunflower and nyjer seeds. There's usually a dunnock, a robin and couple of big, dopey wood pigeons picking up anything dropped from above. Blue tits, coal tits and great tits dart in and out. Lesser-spotted visitors in the last year have included tree creepers and a single siskin. My favourites are the flock of long-tailed tits that storm in about once a week like a miniature heist crew: they're always in and out within 2 minutes. They look amazing up close: like little flying ewoks.
Northwind's comment about his chavvy starlings has reminded me about how much I like them. I know they get a bad press but I love it when they sit in a big gang along the ridgeline and do all the wheezes and pops and whistles. Such a lovely sound on a calm evening. I actually think they may be my favourite bird
If you watch birds long enough they always amaze me with their strange little behaviours.
And see that squirrel in cage up there ^^^ hasn't he basically committed suicide? He's trapped himself and the law says he can't be released again doesn't it?!
Pigeons still busy picking at the lawn, seem happy enough.
Red kite circling over the village, I suspect a neighbour is feeding it as it's often over their garden but there's enough road kill and field rodents to keep them fed anyway. Marvellous birds.
On a related note, please read this. I had no idea but have now removed our feeder to be cleaned.
https://twitter.com/martinhgames/status/1467077672341749763?s=21
Bet the cats are doing well!
Such a lovely sound on a calm evening.
They are also amazing mimics when they want. The colours are great when you see them close up aka through a decent zoom lens/binoculars.
Todays slightly odd visitor was a jay which hung around for a while.
MrSparkle thanks for bringing this up, but if you read the whole post I mentioned it earlier in the thread :0)
kormoran
Free MemberNorthwind’s comment about his chavvy starlings has reminded me about how much I like them. I know they get a bad press but I love it when they sit in a big gang along the ridgeline and do all the wheezes and pops and whistles. Such a lovely sound on a calm evening. I actually think they may be my favourite bird
I love the wee scrotes that hang around camden market, they'll happily fly up and take food from a container while it's in your hand. And they look proper dirty too, like victorian urchins.
Mine were more upper-middle class starlings and absolutely lovely to look at, plus they always went around in gigantic gangs and rattled the roof of the conservatory when they were coming to feed.
The other one that gets a bad rep are magpies but again, they're absolutely gorgeous birds up close and I loved watching their antics trying to eat the fatballs from the feeder- hanging on with one leg, flapping one wing, flailing away...
It's all about the suet for our birds; they ignore the seeds. So far it's been blue tits, blackbirds, starlings, pigeons, crows and occasionally the mob of long tailed tits.
Through adversity comes resilience.
MrSparkle thanks for bringing this up, but if you read the whole post I mentioned it earlier in the thread :0)
So you did. ah well, it was worth reiterating!
In other news - mealworms are currently going down a treat with the local avians.