I have the reverse problem, too many birds. I'm beginning to think I must be the only one in our village who's feeding them. When I go out to put lard and raisins out the blackbird call goes out and within a minute there they are in the bushes and trees waiting to pounce. I counted 18 in one feeding frenzy during the snowy weather. We also have a small flock of house sparrows feeding from the peanut and seed dispensers. Blue tits, great tits, chaffinches and a greater spotted woodpecker are regular visitors. Also the occasional sparrowhawk visits, I suppose he needs to eat too.
During snowy weather the following have appeared. Sparrows robins blackbirds blue tits great tits redwings songthrush. Amazing to watch all of them and so uplifting. Sad to see people not keen on having starlings and squirrels. They all play their part and one creature is not more important than another. We need to look after all of them.
Twice a day i drive through the Cambridgeshire Fens (March) beside a deep drainage ditch. There is a pair of swans who reside on this stretch of water beside arable field of rich fen soil. I have seen many common birds in this area including Kestrals, Buzzards, Grey Herons,Geese and the common Pigeon, Gulls, Moorehens as well as the regular Phesents and Partridge. Yesterday, 17th January 2010 i saw a white bird which i have now identified as Little Egret, very distinctive with its black legs and yellow feet. I know they are common in the Mediteranian but i have never seen them in this country before. I see that they winter in North Africa and breed in the Mediteranian. Are they now an expected addition to our bird life due to global warming or is this pair way off course?
Twice a day i drive through the Cambridgeshire Fens (March) beside a deep drainage ditch. There is a pair of swans who reside on this stretch of water beside arable field of rich fen soil. I have seen many common birds in this area including Kestrals, Buzzards, Grey Herons, Geese and the common Pigeon, Gulls, Moorehens as well as the regular Pheasents and Partridge. Yesterday, 17th January 2010 I saw a white bird which I have now identified as Little Egret, very distinctive with its black legs and yellow feet. I know they are common in the Mediteranian but i have never seen them in this country before. I see that they winter in North Africa and breed in the Mediteranian. Are they now an expected addition to our bird life due to global warming or is this pair way off course?
Hi again AuntiEv. My colleague at Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) has identified your frog problem:
Common Frogs often lie dormant on the bottom of garden ponds during winter (particularly males). They slow their metabolism, and actually breathe through their skin. However, when ponds ice over for a sustained period they can suffocate on the noxious gases that build up in the water. In some winters, many frogs can die from this phenomenon, often termed 'winterkill'. No surprises that this year has been particularly hard on frogs.
Winterkill is a natural killer of frogs in cold winters. To prevent winterkill happening in your pond simply ensure that there is a hole in the ice for pond gases to escape. You can make a hole by leaving a plastic ball in the pond overnight, and removing it in the morning when the pond surface is frozen. Another idea is to leave a pan of hot water on the ice surface, and allow the base of the pan to melt a hole.You can also grow lots of pond plants in your pond, this will help to oxygenate the water and prevent the frogs from suffocating.
We have been watching the Red Kites this snowy weather. They usually fly quite high, but they have been swooping low over the field opposite our house looking for dead creatures in the snow! When they are so close you can see their enormous wingspan, and the beautiful markings under their wings. Meanwhile the pheasants in our garden seem to be making more noise than usual - even during the night!
We have only recently put up a bird feeding station and were excited to see a robin two bluetits and the occasional coal tit feeding. However, the last 2 days we have had nothing but pigeons who eat everything I have put out for the robin extremely fast.
Can I do anything to discourage the pigeons and encourage the smaller birds to come back ?
We have only recently put up a bird feeding station and were very happy to see a robin, two bluetits and sometimes coal tits feeding from it. However the last couple of days we have seen 4 pigeons in the garden. They seem to have eaten the food I put out for the robins very quickly. Is there anything I can do to discourage them and encourage the small birds back again ?
Stopped putting out food for the birds a couple of years ago as my cat was catching at least one a day especially in the breeding season, but because of the bad cold spell decided to start feeding again and it is amazing how quickly the birds caught on. So far the cat has not caught any but thought it was worth the risk. We have a pair of doves that reared 2 young last year and they have stayed in the garden. We have a lot of bushes and mature trees in and around the garden. Should I continue to feed in the spring when the birds are nesting I fear the cat would be a danger to the young.
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We also have a small flock of house sparrows feeding from the peanut and seed dispensers. Blue tits, great tits, chaffinches and a greater spotted woodpecker are regular visitors. Also the occasional sparrowhawk visits, I suppose he needs to eat too.
In answer to your question have a look here:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/littleegret/index.aspx
Hi again AuntiEv. My colleague at Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) has identified your frog problem:
Common Frogs often lie dormant on the bottom of garden ponds during winter (particularly males). They slow their metabolism, and actually breathe through their skin. However, when ponds ice over for a sustained period they can suffocate on the noxious gases that build up in the water. In some winters, many frogs can die from this phenomenon, often termed 'winterkill'. No surprises that this year has been particularly hard on frogs.
Winterkill is a natural killer of frogs in cold winters. To prevent winterkill happening in your pond simply ensure that there is a hole in the ice for pond gases to escape. You can make a hole by leaving a plastic ball in the pond overnight, and removing it in the morning when the pond surface is frozen. Another idea is to leave a pan of hot water on the ice surface, and allow the base of the pan to melt a hole.You can also grow lots of pond plants in your pond, this will help to oxygenate the water and prevent the frogs from suffocating.
Can I do anything to discourage the pigeons and encourage the smaller birds to come back ?