Forum home› Wildlife gardening
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Where have the birds gone!

InTheMoorlandsInTheMoorlands Posts: 161
in Wildlife gardening
We have a nice wildlife garden surrounded by trees.  For years we have had a bird table and usually put food there two/three times a day.  Over the last two days hardly any food has gone.  This happened before around the end of summer when the weather was very nice.  I can't undertstand it now though as there can't be as much food in the wild.

Has this happened to anyone else?
At about 750 feet on the western edge of The Pennines.  Clay soil.  
«134

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No change here. Birds are plentiful. Loads of food in the surrounding area for them, but the small birds, in particular, still come in as they do all year round. Sunflower hearts are the most popular.  Blackbirds and thrushes tend to come in when it's colder, so they're more common later on in winter or when ground's frozen. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SherwoodArrowSherwoodArrow Posts: 284
    I find when it’s really windy I have fewer birds visiting the feeders. I can still see them hunkered down in the hedges and bushes. 
    Nottinghamshire.
    Failure is always an option.

  • CatDouchCatDouch Posts: 488
    There are always fewer birds visible at the end of the summer/breeding season as they are going through their moult and are more vulnerable to attack.  But I’m still seeing loads at the moment, I’m also getting birds that normally only come in the winter months, loads of long tailed tits and a pair of marsh tits.  

    Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been putting out suet balls as an extra food source.  @InTheMoorlands  perhaps your neighbours are also doing that and your birds are finding better pickings elsewhere?
    South Devon 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Loads here and eating well.  Mix of the usual suspects and we've recently had our first winter visits from woodpeckers.

    We put out mixed bird seeds with added extra sunflower seeds, still in their black shells, and they always go first.   We can get fat balls all year too but the square blocks with meal worms, insects of fruit in them are only sold here for autumn and winter.  Haven't seen peanuts for a couple of years.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Tried a different bird food (mixed seeds) and the birds do not like it at all. They ignore the feeders until the peanuts are gone and then maybe one or two will have a go but they most definitely do not like the new feed. The niger seeds are sitting in the feeders as we have not seen goldfinches for many weeks. The longtails come but go very quickly. So we have the usual blue/great tits and sparrows. Had Mr & Mrs (at different times) greater spotted woodpecker on the feeders this morning. The pigeons are having a grand time in the orchard with the fallen apples, sometimes one fieldfare joins them. Did have Mr black cap on the feeders last week.
    Love watching the birds in and around our garden. 
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    At the moment there is still quite a lot of wild food available.
    Our area due to the weather has had bumper crops of Hawthorn berries this year.
    There are still a lot around. And other stuff like teazles etc a lot of food uneaten as yet.

    I would say the same as CatDouche and SherwoodArrow have summed up what I would have said for our area here.

    Hopefully you will see them again soon , keep stocked up :)
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    we have a pair of wagtails roosting in the bay tree right outside the kitchen window. I've been making OH turn the light off early so as to not keep them awake. Our bird feeder is swarmed with bluetits and great tits. Starlings go murmuring across the fields each evening. Plenty of birds about
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • InTheMoorlandsInTheMoorlands Posts: 161
    bertrand-mabel said:
    Tried a different bird food (mixed seeds) and the birds do not like it at all. They ignore the feeders until the peanuts are gone and then maybe one or two will have a go but they most definitely do not like the new feed. The niger seeds are sitting in the feeders as we have not seen goldfinches for many weeks. The longtails come but go very quickly. So we have the usual blue/great tits and sparrows. Had Mr & Mrs (at different times) greater spotted woodpecker on the feeders this morning. The pigeons are having a grand time in the orchard with the fallen apples, sometimes one fieldfare joins them. Did have Mr black cap on the feeders last week.
    Love watching the birds in and around our garden. 

    We have used the same bird food for years, seed, mealworms and peanuts, all from Morrisons.  The main visitors are collared doves.  We thought that we had just two or three in the area but saw about ten all at once earlier in the year.  A pair even nest in our garden.  I was three doves this afternoon so they may be coming back.

    It's just a bit of a puzzle when most of them vanish for a few days.
    At about 750 feet on the western edge of The Pennines.  Clay soil.  
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    We had long tailed tits today on the fat block.
  • Forester_PeteForester_Pete Posts: 175

    We certainly had quite a gap where the birds were not visiting the feeders but they are certainly making up for it now. The main species are Goldfinches and secondary are Starlings. If I count fast enough I think there are about 30 Goldfinches about which is fabulous to see. I do love the Starlings too. Buying sunflower hearts in bulk!!

Sign In or Register to comment.