Where have all our garden birds gone?

[Sprintex]

As I've posted before, there's no shortage of starlings round here! 

 

Paul

[boxbrownie]

Aha....you’ve got them all......

[AndyID]

I heard a different twittering sound when I came out of the railway shed. When I looked up there was an Osprey on top of the power pole behind the shed. When it flew off I saw that it had a rather large fish in its claws.

 

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by AndyID
missing indefinite article

[NIK]

Hi,

 

During UK lockdown I decided to practise casting in my back garden with my first fishing rod.

 

I found I couldn't see the metal shot I had as a dummy tackle as I reeled in so I wrapped it in small yellow rubber bands (the narrow type).

 

After the first cast I reeled in the line and while the weight/bands were hanging 3 feet above the ground a Robin flew to it, changed his mind and flew on.

 

Afterwards I realised the weight etc  looked like a ball of meal worms.

 

 

Take care.

 

Nick

[jbqfc]

i have had a complaint from next that the birds are throwing the contents of his ash tray all over his decking 

my reply was to ether empty it or take it inside his reply was oh ok 

i don't think he likes nature as he has decked over half the garden and the rest is now plastic grass and last summer he complained the flowers in my garden where attracting bees 

 

John 

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, jbqfc said:

i have had a complaint from next that the birds are throwing the contents of his ash tray all over his decking 

my reply was to ether empty it or take it inside his reply was oh ok 

i don't think he likes nature as he has decked over half the garden and the rest is now plastic grass and last summer he complained the flowers in my garden where attracting bees

 

Glad I've got a neighbour who's the opposite. She struggles to get a lot of gardening done these days but she's got plenty of advice (when asked, she's not sticking her nose in).

[88D]

6 hours ago, NIK said:

Hi,

 

During UK lockdown I decided to practise casting in my back garden with my first fishing rod.

 

I found I couldn't see the metal shot I had as a dummy tackle as I reeled in so I wrapped it in small yellow rubber bands (the narrow type).

 

After the first cast I reeled in the line and while the weight/bands were hanging 3 feet above the ground a Robin flew to it, changed his mind and flew on.

 

Afterwards I realised the weight etc  looked like a ball of meal worms.

 

 

Take care.

 

Nick

When I was in northern Finland many years ago, I did the same with a quickly-made Huckleberry Finn rod and worm. First cast got a thrush catching the bait in flight;, nothing after that, neither from sky nor water. Thrush flew off after dehooking.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

4 hours ago, jbqfc said:

i have had a complaint from next that the birds are throwing the contents of his ash tray all over his decking 

my reply was to ether empty it or take it inside his reply was oh ok 

i don't think he likes nature as he has decked over half the garden and the rest is now plastic grass and last summer he complained the flowers in my garden where attracting bees 

We so need a 'give me strength' button. 'Made me laugh' will have to suffice

 

Having enjoyed a conversation with a bold and amiable robin this morning that had got into the fruit cage and couldn't find his or her way out, I hope that the little gap by one of the doors that I pointed out as an escape route and was used, is remembered tomorrow/next time. The great tits were making use of the inverted cover of a water butt (catch all the rainwater I can) while this was going on, spray going everywhere. Lovely.

[PhilJ W]

6 hours ago, jbqfc said:

i have had a complaint from next that the birds are throwing the contents of his ash tray all over his decking 

my reply was to ether empty it or take it inside his reply was oh ok 

i don't think he likes nature as he has decked over half the garden and the rest is now plastic grass and last summer he complained the flowers in my garden where attracting bees 

 

John 

Just hope he's left enough space under his decking for a fox. A vixen and cubs on a warm day nice!

[Mallard60022]

19 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Just hope he's left enough space under his decking for a fox. A vixen and cubs on a warm day nice!

Decking; the Devil's Spawn home for Rats.

P

[jbqfc]

27 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Just hope he's left enough space under his decking for a fox. A vixen and cubs on a warm day nice!

 

the sides are left wide open and we have foxes in the area 

 

8 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Decking; the Devil's Spawn home for Rats.

P

 

he do's have rats under there as they where coming in to my garden and on to the feeders but a squirrel baffle and a bit of concrete  in the gap between the patio and the fence they where digging under stopped that    

Edited April 29, 2020 by jbqfc

[PhilJ W]

Foxes will soon deal with the rat problem. Haven't seen a rat since the foxes moved in. 

[melmerby]

17 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Foxes will soon deal with the rat problem. Haven't seen a rat since the foxes moved in. 

Next door but two has a fully decked back garden and there are rats.

There are and always have been foxes around as well, I catch then on my wildlife cam.

Edited April 29, 2020 by melmerby

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Foxes will soon deal with the rat problem. Haven't seen a rat since the foxes moved in. 

The Gulls get them around here........saw a gull down a rat in one go at a friends yard last year......bloody horrible sight! 

[PhilJ W]

Handy tip.

 

[pH]

We had an unusual visitor to our yard yesterday. I'd heard a commotion in the trees across the road - some birds were obviously not happy. Then I was sure I had seen a light blue bird fly across the road, but I couldn't see it on this side. I continued working, turned round and saw this:

 

 

It was very tame - it tried a couple of times to perch on my belt buckle! I asked the neighbours if they had a bird cage - we don't. They didn't, and when I went back to our yard, the budgie had gone. Then about half an hour later, the neighbour came round to say they had caught the budgie in their yard. It had actually perched on her finger. She had called a friend who has a lot of birds, and she had come with a cage and taken it away. We hope it survives the stress.

[AndyID]

6 minutes ago, pH said:

We had an unusual visitor to our yard yesterday. I'd heard a commotion in the trees across the road - some birds were obviously not happy. Then I was sure I had seen a light blue bird fly across the road, but I couldn't see it on this side. I continued working, turned round and saw this:

 

 

It was very tame - it tried a couple of times to perch on my belt buckle! I asked the neighbours if they had a bird cage - we don't. They didn't, and when I went back to our yard, the budgie had gone. Then about half an hour later, the neighbour came round to say they had caught the budgie in their yard. It had actually perched on her finger. She had called a friend who has a lot of birds, and she had come with a cage and taken it away. We hope it survives the stress.

 

I wonder if that's the one that escaped from our house in Renfrew. I sort of doubt it because it was quite a long time ago.

[pH]

4 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

I wonder if that's the one that escaped from our house in Renfrew. I sort of doubt it because it was quite a long time ago.

 

... and quite far away!

Edited April 30, 2020 by pH

[boxbrownie]

4 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

I wonder if that's the one that escaped from our house in Renfrew. I sort of doubt it because it was quite a long time ago.

Could be mine......flew off the balcony of our flats in London.....must have been in 1962.......how long do they live?

 

Come back Chirpy 

[jbqfc]

12 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Handy tip.

 

 

it works as well i used it on my kitchen window after a couple of bird strikes and on problems since 

 

John 

[NIK]

Hi,

 

First two consecutive days of rain in my part of North Hampshire for quite a while and I've finally seen Goldfinches on one of my bird feeders. Hopefully other finches and other passing birds will follow.

 

Take care.

 

Nick

[Reorte]

The blackcap was back yesterday, and I heard it singing this time. I also caught a not very convincing glimpse of something that might've been a female blackcap, so hopefully there's a pair somewhere near here.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, jbqfc said:

 

it works as well i used it on my kitchen window after a couple of bird strikes and on problems since 

 

John 

I wonder if something like vertical blinds or a beaded curtain would work just as well. 

[jbqfc]

3 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I wonder if something like vertical blinds or a beaded curtain would work just as well. 

 

i guess that would depend on how visible it was from the outside on how well it would work 

 

John 

 

 

[Tanllan]

We continue to have plenty of sparrows a few starlings, a pair of blackbirds, pair of robins, blue tits and coal tits and an occasional wren. For want of some variety in life I have been photographing anything that moves in the garden - and quite challenging it is too. On Sunday, by sheer luck, I captured the attached photo of a goldfinch.