Where have all our garden birds gone?

[PGC]

On Saturday, we visited some relatives of the Domestic Goddess who live in Norfolk, not far from Norwich. They have a lovely garden lounge which looks out on to their garden and then beyond to open arable fields, a very beautiful situation.

 

While sitting enjoying the sun and some wine, Janet, the relative, jumped up, opened the door and clapped her hands, at which point a sparrow hawk flew away from the hedge to the left of the garden. Apparently, the same sparrow hawk has been around for a couple of years and in that time, the population of blue tits has suffered very badly.

 

Later, we went for a walk to the paddock where Janet keeps her geese, including George. The future for George is very bleak - he literally is a killer goose. When George was introduced to the flock, Helen, a female goose, showed him who was boss. About three weeks later, George got fed up with this and killed Helen, so Janet's is that George will cover some of the female geese, then one they're incubating eggs he will be sent to the abattoir. As a typical farmer's wife, Janet believes that she should at least get something from George other than just meat!

 

Phil

[shortliner]

The first of this years Siskins arrived , here in the Far Northern Haggis Marches, at the bird table yesterday - a male

Edited April 6, 2015 by shortliner

[jonny777]

On my way home from Norfolk I saw a Kestrel hovering over the A10 near Ely, and a Red Kite just west of Huntingdon.

 

It is not advisable to get too keen on bird identification while driving on the A14, so I probably missed other specialities.

 

I see an Osprey is back at Rutland Water - http://www.ospreys.org.uk/webcam/

[Mallard60022]

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

That's strange as 'our' Sparrows 'disappeared' in January, just before the Great Garden Birdwatch (North Notts). I thought it might have related to a cat attack but there was no evidence.

None reappeared for about a month but some have returned/appeared during March and we are up to about 8 having had around 20 in January.

Phil

[PGC]

On my way home from Norfolk I saw a Kestrel hovering over the A10 near Ely, and a Red Kite just west of Huntingdon.

 

It is not advisable to get too keen on bird identification while driving on the A14, so I probably missed other specialities.

 

I see an Osprey is back at Rutland Water - http://www.ospreys.org.uk/webcam/

 

In a way, it's nice to know the red kite's are heading eastward, but aren't they now becoming a pest?

 

Phil

[lapford34102]

Chiffchaff in the garden this morning.

 

Stu

[Downendian]

Walked around the cottage Yesterday and up to Stoke point a day earlier. Chiffchaffs everywhere - must be an arrival point from their summer migration across the channel. Spotted a couple of Yellowhammers and plenty of Skylarks setting up nests in the local fields amongst the young crops.

Neil

[Pixie]

Goldcrests have reappeared here in Bracknell after a winter absence and we've also had a male Blackcap appear which is a first. Still a worrying lack of Starlings though.

 

Pix

[Budgie]

Goldcrests have reappeared here in Bracknell after a winter absence and we've also had a male Blackcap appear which is a first. Still a worrying lack of Starlings though.

 

Pix

If you want starlings you should go to my local Sainsburys' car park. It is overflowing with crows and starlings.

[teaky]

In a way, it's nice to know the red kite's are heading eastward, but aren't they now becoming a pest?

 

Phil

What qualifies a bird as a "pest" Phil?

[PGC]

What qualifies a bird as a "pest" Phil?

 

As I understand it, red kites were once virtually on the point of extinction, but since their re-introduction / protection they have multiplied so heavily, especially in the High Wycombe area, that the local land owners and farmers consider them a pest. If this is correct, why don't you ask them how they define a pest?

 

Phil

[teaky]

As I understand it, red kites were once virtually on the point of extinction, but since their re-introduction / protection they have multiplied so heavily, especially in the High Wycombe area, that the local land owners and farmers consider them a pest. If this is correct, why don't you ask them how they define a pest?

 

Phil

Your response seems a little curt.  I am sorry if you feel offended by my wishing to clarify your earlier statement.

 

I would be suspicious of a definition of pest attributed to "land owners and farmers".  Such groups do not have a great track record when it comes to birds of prey but also, in their defence perhaps, are a convenient, faceless label for lazy journalists who are simply quoting a couple of people who do not actually represent the majority.

 

According to the RSPB red kites feed on mainly carrion and worms, but are opportunistic and will occasionally take small mammals.  That doesn't sound like a pest to me and I am more inclined to believe the RSPB on this one.

[coachmann]

I had a tree cut down yesterday and it wasn't long before the birds were chunnering away on the hedgerow ....."Flippin' marvelous innit mate..... We had an appartment in that tree for years.......We go away for a few months hols and wham........ It's gone without yer bye not leave...."  

[chris p bacon]

 

I would be suspicious of a definition of pest attributed to "land owners and farmers".  Such groups do not have a great track record when it comes to birds of prey but also, in their defence perhaps, are a convenient, faceless label for lazy journalists who are simply quoting a couple of people who do not actually represent the majority.

 

According to the RSPB red kites feed on mainly carrion and worms, but are opportunistic and will occasionally take small mammals.  That doesn't sound like a pest to me and I am more inclined to believe the RSPB on this one.

Spot on. Many landowners do not like any Bird of Prey as it interferes with shooting etc, sadly there are still estates in the North where poisoning of raptors is still going on and there have been prosecutions.

 

As for the red Kite there were stories of them swooping down and trying to take small dogs and cats in various rag tops, but in reality it cannot actually lift much more than a small rat.

[chris p bacon]

So the prize for the most useless parents so far goes to .......the Collared dove in our garden....(well one of them)

 

Here are some Hornbeams in the middle of the garden

Hanging from these are various seed/nut/fat ball feeders used by all and sundry in the garden including a magpie and up to 20 Jackdaws.

 

So bearing in mind that a parent would want to keep away from opportunistic birds such as these where do she lay her egg.....

Right on top of the feeders so she spends hours each day flapping herself stupid keeping the others away.

 

How come with this stupidity they manage to increase their numbers.....

 

[jonny777]

Some of the farmers that I have met in the past would describe anything that moves within a mile of their land as a pest.

 

"If it moves, shoot it".

[coachmann]

The Terns are still nesting on the roof across from us. She had been impregnated by a proper seagull and so the two chicks are speckled and very big and not white & grey like the mom. If you remember, the supposed father felt someone had had it in for him and he buggered off when his wife had a funny Tern..... 

Edited April 9, 2015 by coachmann

[Bernard Lamb]

It is people who are the pests rather than the Red Kites. If they leave food stuff lying about then the birds will be attracted by it. Near Benson yesterday a farmer was crop spraying and there were at least 30 Red Kites either flying low over the field or standing with just their heads showing above the young cereal plants. A magnificent sight. While cycling you can get very close to the birds. In fact one will often come to check you out and will fly alongside you for a while. There were a couple of birds near Tring who last year invented a game of catching young Swallows in mid air. This it seems in the only sightings of Red Kites in the Chilterns taking any live prey larger than a beetle.

A pair of Crows are nesting in the garden and they bring sticks to the nest almost as long as their bodies. Early morning when they have a sing song it does get rather loud. The resident Wren appears on the bird table quite often as it seems to have moved from the wall on the north to the wall on the south and this has much better access to the bird table.

 

Bernard

[melmerby]

 

 

As for the red Kite there were stories of them swooping down and trying to take small dogs and cats in various rag tops, but in reality it cannot actually lift much more than a small rat.

Rather like the scare stories from the CA about foxes carrying off babies from prams or others reporting household moggies being ripped to pieces!

All the foxes I have seen steer well clear of cats, especially the local "top tom" who will readily challenge them!

 

Keith

[Bernard Lamb]

 

All the foxes I have seen steer well clear of cats,

They do when the beast in my avatar is about.

Cats and foxes seem to ignore each other and neither perceives the other as a threat or as food.

Both cats will play in the garden while the foxes are about at times coming within a few feet of each other.

Unfortunately neither species shows any inclination to chase and kill tree rats.

Bernard

[melmerby]

They do when the beast in my avatar is about.

Cats and foxes seem to ignore each other and neither perceives the other as a threat or as food.

Both cats will play in the garden while the foxes are about at times coming within a few feet of each other.

Unfortunately neither species shows any inclination to chase and kill tree rats.

Bernard

The foxes I have seen walking along a footpath when a cat is comingn in the other direction always seemed to avoid the cat by walking around in a big arc or even crossing the road. The cats never moved!

 

Just had some starlings in the garden. That is very unusual for us, they were after the mealworms.

 

Keith

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...Unfortunately neither species shows any inclination to chase and kill tree rats.

...As for the red Kite there were stories of them swooping down and trying to take small dogs and cats in various rag tops, but in reality it cannot actually lift much more than a small rat.

I live at the dog end of the Chilterns (central Herts) and the Red Kite has got properly established now, see at least one every day. Likewise the Buzzards are now over ten years established here, and a peregrine overflies very regularly, and can be seen tackling the flying tree rat every now and again to great effect..

 

Something has been taking the tree rats over the past few years as numbers are well down, and I do  not believe it is fox or cat, as they know squirrels can be off up a tree faster than lightning. But last year in an oak tree behind our garden there was a great racket of shrieking and flapping, and after some manouvering for a view with binoculars through the foliage it was a Red Kite doing the flapping as it subdued some indisputably live - thus shrieking - prey. And the evidence that eventually fell to the ground was tree rat. Freshly bleeding bushy tail most distinctive. Maybe there isn't enough carrion to go around so they have to make some? (There's not much animal husbandry locally, and hot competition from all the plentiful corvids as well as the other raptors for the road kill.) All power to their secondary wing joint say I.

[PhilJ W]

When I went out lunchtime there was a cat stalking a pigeon, not very successfully though as the cat was an albino with a bell on its collar.

[melmerby]

Sparrowhawks 1 Wood Pigeons 0

 

 

Keith

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Total silence from the songbirds just now. A pair of peregrines about, and calling to each other, one having just knocked down a flying tree rat into the wood.