no thrushes for a while but we have a lot of birds of prey around
Blackbird has been around for about three to four weeks now. I only see him in the early mornings. I'm looking forward to seeing robins again on a cold crisp weekend
Housemartins. James I'm so jealous. I can't honestly can't remember the last time I saw a Housemartin. But I have the feeling that I still wore socks. That makes it, well, suffice to say it wasn't yesterday!
My dad gets song thrushes in his garden in the next village, had one in mine and I live just a few hundred yards from M1! He puts feed out all year round, mealworms etc., as well as seed for goldfinches and others. He also has mature trees and shrubs around I think that might help.
Despite close proximity to the motorway, we still get fieldfares, redwings and waxwings coming in, we have sorbus and pyracantha, which they love, plus hawthorn and rose hips. I think we just must be on a migration route. We also get a sparrowhawk on a regular basis.
Regarding housemartins, we see swifts high over head, but we put a bought housemartin bird box up a few years ago with no success until this year. However the occupant wasn't a housemartin but a collared dove!!! Comical the way it squeezed itself in and out, much to the amusement of us and our neighbours. It raised two broods though .
I think I spend too much time at the kitchen sink! Good luck everyone.
I currently have quite a number of adolescent thrushes and robins in the garden. I bought a job-lot of mealworms so I fill up a ground-feeder for them every day. I won a very long, loud argument with my husband who wanted me to cut back the hedges in June and I said I thought the birds had nested late this year and so wanted the hedges left undisturbed another month just in case. So we had a scraggly, unkempt hedge for half the summer but now I have significantly more bird babies than normal, so maybe I was right about not touching the hedges earlier.
Posts
Blackbird and house martins taking a soil bath
no thrushes for a while but we have a lot of birds of prey around
Blackbird has been around for about three to four weeks now. I only see him in the early mornings. I'm looking forward to seeing robins again on a cold crisp weekend
James
knowing the difference in songs of thrush and mostle thrush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3VEDsg0V1_M
I have been havind a baby robin coming into my garden for a while and now the red is coming through on it breast.Fearless little thing it is.
Housemartins. James I'm so jealous. I can't honestly can't remember the last time I saw a Housemartin. But I have the feeling that I still wore socks. That makes it, well, suffice to say it wasn't yesterday!
Giggalo. Diddy is that you?
My dad gets song thrushes in his garden in the next village, had one in mine and I live just a few hundred yards from M1! He puts feed out all year round, mealworms etc., as well as seed for goldfinches and others. He also has mature trees and shrubs around I think that might help.
Despite close proximity to the motorway, we still get fieldfares, redwings and waxwings coming in, we have sorbus and pyracantha, which they love, plus hawthorn and rose hips. I think we just must be on a migration route. We also get a sparrowhawk on a regular basis.
Regarding housemartins, we see swifts high over head, but we put a bought housemartin bird box up a few years ago with no success until this year. However the occupant wasn't a housemartin but a collared dove!!! Comical the way it squeezed itself in and out, much to the amusement of us and our neighbours. It raised two broods though
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I think I spend too much time at the kitchen sink! Good luck everyone.
Yes Heather it is me i changed so that OH can find me,as dirty deeds are done at night lol
could it be possible that the increase in the squirrel population could have the effect on them,as i do believe they they do rob birds nests
How about providing more suitable shrubs in the garden to provide nesting sites for them?
Hen with young
juvenile
I currently have quite a number of adolescent thrushes and robins in the garden. I bought a job-lot of mealworms so I fill up a ground-feeder for them every day. I won a very long, loud argument with my husband who wanted me to cut back the hedges in June and I said I thought the birds had nested late this year and so wanted the hedges left undisturbed another month just in case. So we had a scraggly, unkempt hedge for half the summer but now I have significantly more bird babies than normal, so maybe I was right about not touching the hedges earlier.