Where have all our garden birds gone?

[The Lurker]

I had a first this morning when I saw a squirrel leap suddenly into a neighbouring tree and what I think was a sparrowhawk land on the fence. Needless to say the local magpies weren't very pleased. My five year old, who I was helping get dressed at the time, said he had seen the magpies chase a bird away earlier.

 

I've heard birds of prey crying out last summer - I think they were nesting on the 17 floor building that dominates the station area of Sidcup - but that's the first time of I've seen something like that in the garden

[Mallard60022]

Swifts are here........yea.

P

[Ian Hargrave]

This morning...a pair of goldfinch in the garden....first time for many years.Much more bird life this year,i think.

[Mallard60022]

Whitethroat today and loads of Willow Warblers just down the road. 

Went to Goole/Hook (by the Ouse) today. Many reed Warblers by the Ouse. They were very noisy until a Sparrowhawk almost made a kill, then silence reigned for ages.

P

[melmerby]

Swifts are back!

 

Maybe it's the nice weather - Worcestershire was the warmest place in Britain today.

 

Keith

[Horsetan]

Hopefully the birds will come back now that I've disposed of the squirrel.....

[melmerby]

Hopefully the birds will come back now that I've disposed of the squirrel.....

How do squirrels affect the birds?

There are squirrels here but they don't seem to have a problem co-existing. (They would be much better if they had red coats on )

You just make sure they can't nick all the bird food!

 

Keith

[Horsetan]

No squirrel, no problem.

[Mallard60022]

Gamston Bank (not my back garden sadly): Union of South Africa looking beautiful going south at about 15.35 and a large number of Skylarks in the surrounding fields to entertain as well.....lovely.

P

[chaz]

How do squirrels affect the birds?

There are squirrels here but they don't seem to have a problem co-existing.

 

Keith

 

They are said to take eggs, but in this they are no more culpable than magpies, jays, great spotted woodies etc. But we are the birds nemesis.

[chaz]

Here's the wagtail I mentioned a few posts ago.

 

wagtail.jpg

 

I assume this comfirms it's a Grey Wagtail.

It now seems with another to be regular visitors to the garden coming several times a day for about 5 days on the trot, so far.

 

 

Keith

 

It certainly does Keith. Fine birds the grey waggies, although the male yellow is a stunner. If you get one of these in your garden you will be in no doubt!

[Horsetan]

Grey squirrels are pests, so if you trap one, you're obliged under the law to dispatch it, unless the trap is designed to do this for you.

[melmerby]

They are said to take eggs, but in this they are no more culpable than magpies, jays, great spotted woodies etc.

Add to that foxes as well. (also common around here, as they are in many places)

 

Keith

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Mornin' all,

 

Now that we are cat-less the first nesting (in our garden) birds have arrived...blue tits in one of the four boxes on the north wall of the house and blackbirds in one of the two varigated holly bushes. Various fledgling blackbirds scurrying around beneath the shrubs was a good indicator for the latter whilst continuous blue tit presence gathering mites from the shrubs and some food from the feeders was evidence for the former. Pigeon proofing the bird table by fastening nylon mesh around the sides (with dove sized holes on each side) works well but doesn't prevent the grey squirrel from taking anything left on the table, however, since greasing the poles on the post feeders he no longer attempts those.

 

Dave 

Edited May 18, 2014 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

How do squirrels affect the birds?...

 

They go after eggs of any small species less aggressive than a Nuthatch. Happily our grey squirrel and wood pigeon population has dived in the past three years since peregrines got properly established in the area. Saw a woodpigeon taken on Saturday morning just past, while watching where a bee swarm was headed.

 

The swarm has now taken up residence forty feet up a Sessile oak where a limb ripped out leaving a hole some years past. Local Apiarists all decided it was too high up for them to do anything while the swarm was flying: it stayed mostly in the crowns of very mature oaks.

 

Could be the year of wildlife I  think, there was a grass snake in the garden yesterday, only the second time I have seen one in our current garden.

[melmerby]

They go after eggs of any small species less aggressive than a Nuthatch. Happily our grey squirrel and wood pigeon population has dived in the past three years since peregrines got properly established in the area. Saw a woodpigeon taken on Saturday morning just past, while watching where a bee swarm was headed.

 

The swarm has now taken up residence forty feet up a Sessile oak where a limb ripped out leaving a hole some years past. Local Apiarists all decided it was too high up for them to do anything while the swarm was flying: it stayed mostly in the crowns of very mature oaks.

 

Could be the year of wildlife I  think, there was a grass snake in the garden yesterday, only the second time I have seen one in our current garden.

We have plenty of squirrels around (I have seen 5 at one time) plenty of Wood Pigeons and plenty of small birds.

We currently have several species of Tit, Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens and other small birds nesting in the hedges in the garden or nearby. Their abundant numbers and plenty of young ones do not seem to be affected by the Squirrels or Woodies.

We also get Sparrowhawks but they will take any size of bird, not just what some people class as pests, as do Peregrines.

 

Keith

[Mallard60022]

We have a trio of Starling Fledglings and one has a disability. It isn't too impaired by a leg that looks completely wonky. We also have the new House Sparrow young at various stages. Some I thought were 1st year females but are actually this year's fledge and yesterday there was another family with two young uns just about losing their 'gapes'.

The other day SWMBO and myself witnessed Dunnock behaviour that we have never seen before. What we think was the female was standing (well not still really) with her vent exposed and the male was jumping around in a very excited way and pecking around her backside! They didn't mate that we could see but I've never seen that before! Must be some sort of courting? 

Our Cuckoo is still trying his best locally, however I don't think there is a female and yet he seems to return in hope every year! Who knows if there is actually a pair? There are certainly loads of Willow Warblers around locally and I believe Cuckoos really like using them as the hosts for their offspring.

P

Edited May 21, 2014 by Mallard60022

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Hi P,

 

We had our first definite local cuckoo experience for some time a couple of nights ago, ironically at Cuckoostones (twixt Morridge & Longnor). We had frequented our favourite fish & chip eating vantage point...try the Longnor fish & chips, they're the best...on a gorgeous sunny evening and the bird was approx 50yds away....calling loudly. 

 

Dave 

[Mallard60022]

It fancied your bit of cod then Dave........?

P

[Mallard60022]

Just out of interest, are there any 'birders' on here that live near Seaton (Devon) as I am planning a visit in mid October and it would be good to get some local low down.

Thanks.

Phil

[melmerby]

Our Cuckoo is still trying his best locally, however I don't think there is a female and yet he seems to return in hope every year! Who knows if there is actually a pair? There are certainly loads of Willow Warblers around locally and I believe Cuckoos really like using them as the hosts for their offspring.

P

We hear Cuckoos around here but no warblers (AFAIK) so I wonder who gets parasitised?

 

Keith

[10800]

Heard cuckoo near Beddgelert this afternoon, also saw red squirrel on Anglesey yesterday.

[steve1]

There seems to have been a significant increase in the goldfinch population in our garden. Not that I'm complaining, they're very pretty.

 

steve

[DaveF]

Still plenty of goldfinches, blue tits and sparrows visiting my feeders as well as two pigeons which spend hours underneath the feeders waiting for bits to fall down for them.  I sometimes think the small birds deliberately throw food down for them.

 

The birds have some competition for the feeders though:

 

This was eating for at least ten minutes while I got my camera and didn't go away until I was within about six feet.  Then he just jumped off the feeder and fell into the plants beneath it.

 

David

[Downendian]

Spending a very pleasant bank holiday evening post BBQ with the family sat drinking a few beers on the patio.

Just taking in the huge variety of bird life around my South Devon garden in the past couple of hours.

Chaffinches, coal, great and blue tits, robins, dunnocks, greenfinches, house sparrows flitting around the peanuts before going home to roost. In the hedgerows close by I can hear goldcrests, a lone pheasant, numerous blackbirds, goldfinches and a song thrush. Flying overhead are swallows, swifts, house martins, and a pair of Canada geese passed directly over around 30 minutes ago, mixed with the dulcet tones of a distant skylark. The raucous calls of a nearby Jackdaws nest a couple of gardens away, and the soothing call of a few wood pigeons. The rat-a-Tat-tat of a distant woodpecker whilst the light fades.

It's a beautiful place here the South Hams, may just wait till the stars and bats come out and see if the barn owl makes an appearance later. Do I have enough cold beer?

Edit : a Heron just flew over too!

Neil

Edited May 26, 2014 by Downendian