Where have all our garden birds gone?

[Mallard60022]

Thanks for that Phil, so do I, he was a big bu**er!

 

Peter

Yup, they are quite a 'fat' bird, even when in prime condition, so must come from a small town not far from mine! Yours looks a bit dazed?

Phil

[peter220950]

Yup, they are quite a 'fat' bird, even when in prime condition, so must come from a small town not far from mine! Yours looks a bit dazed?

Phil

 

Probably female then, flustered by having it's photo taken when having a bath, can't have upset it too much, back again this morning, so it looks like it's moved in locally. - It all adds to the variety that we see, all I have to do now is stop the little darlings digging out all the plants and spreading mud across the paths and patio.

 

Peter

[dhjgreen]

....all I have to do now is stop the little darlings digging out all the plants and spreading mud across the paths and patio.

 

Peter

It is a small price to pay though?

 

Edit to say it is the blackbirds that dig up the flower beds here

Edited August 1, 2016 by dhjgreen

[Mallard60022]

Probably female then, flustered by having it's photo taken when having a bath, can't have upset it too much, back again this morning, so it looks like it's moved in locally. - It all adds to the variety that we see, all I have to do now is stop the little darlings digging out all the plants and spreading mud across the paths and patio.

 

Peter

That'll be yer Blackbirds........nosy bu##ers.

P

Edited August 1, 2016 by Mallard60022

[47137]

With my building work finished, the door of the new building is about 1 metre from the front of the blue tit's nesting box. I have had blue tits in this box for years - this year was the first time I tried to photograph them. On the bright side, they seemed happy to pop in and out to gather food for the babies while I was nearby in the garden.

 

And so - a question. To encourage the blue tits back next year, should I best move the nest box somewhere else, or get a new nest box to put somewhere else, or try doing nothing?

 

- Richard.

[jetmorgan]

With my building work finished, the door of the new building is about 1 metre from the front of the blue tit's nesting box. I have had blue tits in this box for years - this year was the first time I tried to photograph them. On the bright side, they seemed happy to pop in and out to gather food for the babies while I was nearby in the garden.

 

And so - a question. To encourage the blue tits back next year, should I best move the nest box somewhere else, or get a new nest box to put somewhere else, or try doing nothing?

 

- Richard.

I would leave it where it is...if the birds are happy with you being around about the place then no need to disturb things. Just take a look inside in the autumn or winter to see what the insides are like and if there look to be a lot of pests in there give it a clean out. If you're in a rural area go around the farm fences and collect any sheep wool and dry out any moss you can find and keep it dry and clean over winter to be put out for them in the early spring to rebuild the nest with new material. You can also get nest building material and a special holder for it from your local pet store.

 

Another thing to do if it's possible is to grow some sort of thorny plant up and around the nest box to give them an extra bit of protection from predators

Edited August 3, 2016 by jetmorgan

[bike2steam]

Being an owner of large long-haired dogs it can be amusing at times in the garden. They are groomed every other day, and the birds are literally queuing up to take dog-fur to re-line their nests, we have three families of Blackbirds, and two Robins in our trees around our garden, and they are on the lawn taking the fur even during the grooming process. There's normally more than enough to go round as on each occasion there's enough fur to fill a plastic shopping bag. And the birds are safe in knowing no predator will ever have the stupidity to attempt to enter our garden.

[dhjgreen]

I know it's not a bird, and that the pictures are blurred (3200 ASA in the dark) but I could not resist.

 

S/he comes for Hungry Hedgehog Blend.

 

Pictures by Mrs dhj (past my bedtime)

[DDolfelin]

I know it's not a bird, and that the pictures are blurred (3200 ASA in the dark) but I could not resist.

 

S/he comes for Hungry Hedgehog Blend.

 

Pictures by Mrs dhj (past my bedtime)

 

A jet propelled hedgehog!

[Mallard60022]

Anyone noting the gathering of the Martins getting ready for migration?  Many of our House Martins have gone already where a few years back they almost all used to leave at the same time. After my worries in the Spring, we have had about 60 locally.

We have also got a Robin singing territorially in the evenings at the  moment and also what I think is third brood juvenile Goldfinch visiting our feeder!

Blackbirds disappeared ages ago as well. The Sparrows have 'split' as usual (they breed to about a gang of 20/30 and then half move away!)

Phil

[Mallard60022]

Miserable drizzle and a possible 'migration' visit here at 36E?

I was privileged this morning to witness a 'gang' of what could be pre migratory feeders:

Circa 10 LT Tits, a beautiful autumn fledged Willow Warbler and two Chiff Chaff, one looked like a Juvenile. This gang also contained probable resident Blue Tits & Great Tits.

Just about the same time, out came the resident mob of  circa 20 House Sparrows, feeding on the ground whilst the others attacked the fat ball feeders and the adjoining trees and shrubbery, probably for spiders and mites. Ten minutes (on and off as they flitted around and then returned a couple of times) of pure joy for me.

The last of our House Martins left the area at the weekend and last week 'our' pair of Dunnocks reappeared.

The Goldfinch Juvenile feeds every morning at about 9a.m. however the noisy Robin seems, ssdly,  to have moved on.

Phil

Edited September 19, 2016 by Mallard60022

[hayfield]

Having moved to the Essex countryside close to plenty of woods initially there were few birds however there was evidence of the previous owner at one time being an avid bird feeding we set up a feeding station. Now a flock of house sparrows jockey for position with blue and great tits as well as goldfinches and out robin, wood pigeons, jackdaws and starlings also visit and bats at dusk.

 

Will be trying over the next few years to plant bird friendly bushes and shrubs, would be nice to get a few extra species visiting, but once we can get the garden straight will look into what's required to increase the number of species 

[dhjgreen]

In North Wales last week the lanes were filled with clouds of up to 40 goldfinches, lovely.

[Mallard60022]

Miserable drizzle and a possible 'migration' visit here at 36E?

I was privileged this morning to witness a 'gang' of what could be pre migratory feeders:

Circa 10 LT Tits, a beautiful autumn fledged Willow Warbler and two Chiff Chaff, one looked like a Juvenile. This gang also contained probable resident Blue Tits & Great Tits.

Just about the same time, out came the resident mob of  circa 20 House Sparrows, feeding on the ground whilst the others attacked the fat ball feeders and the adjoining trees and shrubbery, probably for spiders and mites. Ten minutes (on and off as they flitted around and then returned a couple of times) of pure joy for me.

The last of our House Martins left the area at the weekend and last week 'our' pair of Dunnocks reappeared.

The Goldfinch Juvenile feeds every morning at about 9a.m. however the noisy Robin seems, sadly,  to have moved on.

Phil

I lied, there are still about 5 House Martins feeding around here this evening and Robby turned up at dawn this morning (singing over the sounds of Tweet of the day on R4....I thought it was actually on that clip.....) and at dusk this evening. I suspect it has been a good feeding day being fine and warm and it was just having a final feast.

I have also spotted a couple of Blackbirds locally in the last couple of days, but not in the garden.

Phil

[dhjgreen]

Lots of birds on the feeders here too yesterday after a few quiet days.

[jetmorgan]

The birds here are starting to come back to the feeders now. Bluetits have been an ever presance but the Nuthatch isback along with some of the Robins. The Long Tailed Tits have been making appearances again and the Sparrows.

[melmerby]

Seems to have been a complete shake-out of visitors here.

 

Haven't seen any Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Swifts and others for some time.

We are however getting visits from a pair of Jays.

 

Keith

[Wolseley]

These are amongst the more frequent visitors to our garden:

 

[Mallard60022]

These are amongst the more frequent visitors to our garden:

 

Blimey are they really that colour?

Phil

[Wolseley]

Blimey are they really that colour?

Phil

 

 

Yes, they are and, if you approach them slowly, you can usually get quite close.  They usually seem to travel in pairs.  The most of them I have seen in the garden at any one time is eight.

 

There are a few other types of parrots you see around here, the other ones we see a lot of are the sulphur crested cockatoos.  They don't come and stop in our garden that often, as they seem to prefer the taller trees in neighbouring properties.  They do, however, fly over the house quite a lot, sometimes in flocks of 40 or more, screeching their heads off:

 

[The Blue Streak]

These are amongst the more frequent visitors to our garden:

 

 

 

Rainbow Lorikeets ?

They have been introduced here into West Oz and are considered by some to be a bit of a pest.

They have mainly established themselves in the metro area and supposedly compete with the local Parrots for food and nesting sites.

 

Personally I think Humans and the Urban Sprawl has done more to displace the naturally local birds and these little fellows have only moved into areas vacated by the native fauna and have just really adapted well to areas cleared of natural vegetation and filled with houses and gardens.

 

I quite like them .

[lightengine]

Lots of swallows and martins in the air today. Migration may be occurring.

[dhjgreen]

Nine goldfinches in the garden today, yay.

[Mallard60022]

Nine goldfinches in the garden today, yay.

Charming dear fellow.

Phil

[Budgie]

I had an awful time earlier today trying to prevent one of my local robins following me into the garden shed. He/she must have been rather hungry if they need to follow me into there. So I put out some of those fat balls, hoping they will prove useful for feeding them.