Where have all our garden birds gone?

[melmerby]

The local Sparrowhawk(s) seem to be on a feral Pigeon removal crusade at the moment (good on them)

 

In the last couple of days there have been two kills in the back garden. The first apart from a few feathers and some bones almost totally devoured, the second was being stripped when a local moggie came on the scene and the hawk withdrew leaving an almost complete carcase.

The cat wasn't interested in the Pigeon which it left alone but the remains have now vanished apart from the pile of feathers.

I assume a fox 'rescued' it overnight!

 

Keith

[hayfield]

 

 

Charm of Goldfinches on our feeders today too.

 

We have up to 12 of them making a mess of our sunflower hearts on our feeders (they ignore the niger seeds), the poor tits have to wait their turn or eat the peanuts

[hayfield]

 

Some of the Goldfinch family that gorges on our feeders, can have up to 12 of them. They are messy feeders though

[Mallard60022]

Breakfast time here in 36E was at 09.00 today (yes, I know.......) and in the Conservatory, meant I saw 6 Reed Bunting juves having quite a good feed.  3 male and 3 female. Female head and neck markings were stunning and they out 'shone' the males whose head markings were just about forming. Lovely sight.

I should try to set the camera up in readiness but I never remember.....sorry.

Phil

[jetmorgan]

I managed to resupply my bird food this weekend after pay day so I've been able to make some new fat feasts for the birds. A couple of handfulls of raisins & sultana's in the food processor...give them a whizz to start chopping them up then mix in about 8 handfuls of peanutsand give them another good whizz about so that everything is well chopped up. All that goes in a bowl with some chopped up lard that is soft and then start mixing in handfuls of wildbird seed. My wild bired seed is mixed with mealworms as well to cater for as many different birds as I can. Lard is really cheap so I get half a dozen packs from the supermarket...I have tried melting the lard before over a gentle heat but I find that once you put the mix in pots or what ever containers you are using it does all fall to the bottom so I prefer to mix it all by hand.

 

Then I'll pack the mixture into reused coconuts...or reused small plastic pots you get supermarket puddings or youghurts in and straight into the fridge, then you can just tip one out onto the bird table. I also have some loose that I press into holes drilled into a tree branch mounted in the garden

[Budgie]

How do you keep the squirrels off them?

[The Bigbee Line]

Driving in Wymondham a couple of red kites were picking up road kill. Seen loads lately and plenty of Buzzards.

Edited November 27, 2016 by The Bigbee Line

[jonny777]

A frosty morning here, with very hard frozen ground - so it was a time to man the binoculars and hope to see the occasional winter visitor.

 

After an hour or so I was not disappointed, with a pair of blackcaps (first of the season) and a fieldfare looking for the surviving holly berries.

[dhjgreen]

Goldcrest today, finding microscopic insects on the acers. Two foot from the lounge window!

[dhjgreen]

I have bought the RSPB endorsed Catwatch. It works; one cat walked into the beam jumped into the air and ran off. Far fewer today in the garden than normal, and none in the area covered.

This has all but solved our cat problem, not cheap though.

[jonny777]

This has all but solved our cat problem, not cheap though.

 

I bought one of those cat scarers when my children were very young, but they all complained that the sound hurt their ears when they triggered it by going outside.

 

I could hear nothing.

[jonny777]

Goldcrest today, finding microscopic insects on the acers. Two foot from the lounge window!

 

I was watching a dunnock on my holly, doing the same thing (or so I thought, initially). However, on inspecting the bird close up through the binoculars, I found it was actually eating bird droppings off the leaves. I couldn't believe it at first, so I carried on watching and it carried on picking the droppings and eating them.

 

I emailed the BTO (as I contribute to Garden Birdwatch) and they replied that although the behaviour had not been reported very often, it had been seen before; and was thought to be a form of extra recycling because there are undigested items in many bird faeces.

 

I learn something every day.

[Bernard Lamb]

A pair of Jays came into the garden this morning. They had a quick check of the bird feeder and then spent several minutes picking about in a topiary box tree. The top of this tree caught the sun before any thing else and they seemed to find it of great interest. They then flew up into a large silver birch and after 20 minutes or so departed.

Bernard

[dhjgreen]

r

I bought one of those cat scarers when my children were very young, but they all complained that the sound hurt their ears when they triggered it by going outside.

 

I could hear nothing.

Was that a Catwatch or something similar?

 

Edit to add: this product does not affect polecat, hedgehog or fox (braggart). If you want to deter foxes though, they have a different product, imaginatively called Foxwatch.

Edited December 1, 2016 by dhjgreen

[jonny777]

I can't remember the name, as it was about 30 years ago, but it emitted a high pitched noise (allegedly ) which deterred animals.

[dhjgreen]

I can't remember the name, as it was about 30 years ago, but it emitted a high pitched noise (allegedly ) which deterred animals.

I think they are able to get a much tighter spec now, not supposed to affect dogs . Someone on here is bound to know.

[Mallard60022]

I think they are able to get a much tighter spec now, not supposed to affect dogs . Someone on here is bound to know.

If the one I have also ordered makes dogs stop crapping on the local pavements, because they don't like the noise, then that will be good. OK so the owner shouldn't let their mutt crap without picking it (the #### not the mutt) up but there are always a few that seem unable to follow that code. 

The world is teetering on the brink of more vicious conflict and I'm moaning about dog crap. I'll shut up and leave now.

Phil(th)

Edited December 2, 2016 by Mallard60022

[dhjgreen]

4 greenfinches today. Not had that many at one time before.

[Mallard60022]

Catwatch arrived. I feel a little ripped off as it doesn't even come with a mains adaptor (that's another £16!). So, although this is the 'recommended' machine, at £53 (free P & P) you may find other types at less cost that are just as good. Stupidly I didn't search enough and didn't read the small print thoroughly. 

Had it been about £20 I'd not have been having a moan.

S. Kinflint

[dhjgreen]

Catwatch arrived. I feel a little ripped off as it doesn't even come with a mains adaptor (that's another £16!). So, although this is the 'recommended' machine, at £53 (free P & P) you may find other types at less cost that are just as good. Stupidly I didn't search enough and didn't read the small print thoroughly.

Had it been about £20 I'd not have been having a moan.

S. Kinflint

I did say it was expensive, sorry: well not cheap actually. I hope it works for you though.

 

Edit to add: when I did my research none of the cheaper ones got good reviews/did not work.

Edited December 3, 2016 by dhjgreen

[Mallard60022]

No apologies required David. I have looked at this item for several years, decided they were too expensive and have been using pepper as mentioned some time back. However, certain cats, and there are a lot of new ones in the area, have taken to sh###ing in our and local gardens and don't give a hiss about the pepper in the 'usual places'. They just find an unpeppered area. There is one that appears to actually sit right on/in our lavender plants at the front and craps into the bl''dy bush. Must be a giant by the look of the deposits especially on next doors flower bed! Cats are not supposed to like lavender.

Anyway, flocks of LT T1ts around this morning to cheer me up.

Phil

Edited December 4, 2016 by Mallard60022

[Wolseley]

One of these the other day flew under our pergola and rested on the back of a chair, about six or seven feet from the kitchen door (it's a sliding glass door with two large window panels on either side).  It sat there, on the back of the chair, intently watching what was going on in the kitchen for at least half an hour.

 

[Mallard60022]

One of these the other day flew under our pergola and rested on the back of a chair, about six or seven feet from the kitchen door (it's a sliding glass door with two large window panels on either side).  It sat there, on the back of the chair, intently watching what was going on in the kitchen for at least half an hour.

 

We in Britain are told that they are very intelligent and enjoy mimicking things. Is this true or an urban myth perpetuated by Lager adverts?

Freddy Parrot.

[dhjgreen]

Male bullfinch, yay

[jetmorgan]

Catwatch arrived. I feel a little ripped off as it doesn't even come with a mains adaptor (that's another £16!). So, although this is the 'recommended' machine, at £53 (free P & P) you may find other types at less cost that are just as good. Stupidly I didn't search enough and didn't read the small print thoroughly. 

Had it been about £20 I'd not have been having a moan.

S. Kinflint

My upstairs neighbours bought some of those and they said it should my side of the garden as well as their's but it hasn't stopped any cat getting into my garden and trying to have a go at the birds and having the odd crap in the bushes. I find best to stand at the window and when I see one I give a rap on the window...they soon run off then.

 

birds are starting to return now and feed up off the feeders, Blue tits and Robins mostly with a few Sparrows and Dunnocks