Lately we have had pigeons, blackbirds, robin, great tits,coal tits, long tailed tits, maybe blue tits. We put out bird food and scraps, and every frosty morning I go out and put fresh lukewarm water in the water dish Birdwatch weekend so far - one blackbird and one robin. I agree with oldchippy - they have gone on holiday!
I agree with' 4get-me-not' about needing cover for the birds-when we moved to our current garden there were very few birds and no shrubs & any trees had been cut down! We put in shrubs & small trees that soon grew big enough to provide cover & just like magic the birds flew in & stayed. Despite having always had cats, the birds haven't been particularly put off! For the Birdwatch on Saturday a Redpoll & Brambling decided to pay us a very welcome visit.
When I was a child there seemed to be thousands of house sparrows and starlings even in built up areas yet you rarely seem to see them these days.
Spoke to a girl from the RSPB about this when setting up my monthly donation and once again it boiled down to their habitat being removed more than anything else.
just witnessed our two foxes having a relationship in the back garden,they were rather connected for awhile and total unaware of being observed as i was meant to be looking for bird life,they then relaxed and the female so sweetly slid on her side across to the male ,who now ignored her,she kept this playfulness up for some time,then they fell asleep on the the lawn in the rain,then disappeared,I then went on to spot to bedraggled pigeons who looked worse for wear.
Re sparrows - my street (Elloughton, E Yorks) has a number of Hawthorn hedges and mine is (ahem) huge, to say the least. But I have about 50 sparrows that live in it and they make a real racket both when they first wake up in the morning and at night, when they gather for bed. It's just like flicking a switch as they all seem to start/stop together.
But, during the day, the gang move around the street to other hedges and feeders and visit my feeders are specific times. They have a real routine.
But numbers look good - despite several local cats and a brazen Sparrow Hawk. Both of which I chase off several times a day.
And, in response to an earlier post - feeder positioning is important. I have mine right next to a hedge to try and give them a chance of diving into it when the hawk attacks. It's so fast it's like a stealth bomber and they really have a race on to get out of the way. And it's an awful sound when it gets one....
Have had up to eight long tailed tits in the garden over the cold weather - usually only see them in the summer. Lots of other wildbirds too - blackbirds, coal/blue/great tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, woodpecker, wood pigeons.
Since the snow has gone, lovely to see the green grass, the birds are still around but not as interested in the birdtable. Previously plenty of blackbirds, starlings & others fought each others for a space on the table. I'm guessing this is cos they're able to find more of their natural food now ?!
What kinds of hedges do your House Sparrows prefer? My observations suggest that beech is particularly popular, followed by other semi-dense deciduous, then hawthorn, with any sort of evergreen a long way down the popularity list.
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Lately we have had pigeons, blackbirds, robin, great tits,coal tits, long tailed tits, maybe blue tits. We put out bird food and scraps, and every frosty morning I go out and put fresh lukewarm water in the water dish Birdwatch weekend so far - one blackbird and one robin. I agree with oldchippy - they have gone on holiday!
Not only were lots of my regulars missing on Saturday when I did my count, but today for the first time ever a Greater Spotted Woodpecker turned up
When I was a child there seemed to be thousands of house sparrows and starlings even in built up areas yet you rarely seem to see them these days.
Spoke to a girl from the RSPB about this when setting up my monthly donation and once again it boiled down to their habitat being removed more than anything else.
just witnessed our two foxes having a relationship in the back garden,they were rather connected for awhile and total unaware of being observed as i was meant to be looking for bird life,they then relaxed and the female so sweetly slid on her side across to the male ,who now ignored her,she kept this playfulness up for some time,then they fell asleep on the the lawn in the rain,then disappeared,I then went on to spot to bedraggled pigeons who looked worse for wear.
Re sparrows - my street (Elloughton, E Yorks) has a number of Hawthorn hedges and mine is (ahem) huge, to say the least. But I have about 50 sparrows that live in it and they make a real racket both when they first wake up in the morning and at night, when they gather for bed. It's just like flicking a switch as they all seem to start/stop together.
But, during the day, the gang move around the street to other hedges and feeders and visit my feeders are specific times. They have a real routine.
But numbers look good - despite several local cats and a brazen Sparrow Hawk. Both of which I chase off several times a day.
And, in response to an earlier post - feeder positioning is important. I have mine right next to a hedge to try and give them a chance of diving into it when the hawk attacks. It's so fast it's like a stealth bomber and they really have a race on to get out of the way. And it's an awful sound when it gets one....
Have had up to eight long tailed tits in the garden over the cold weather - usually only see them in the summer. Lots of other wildbirds too - blackbirds, coal/blue/great tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, woodpecker, wood pigeons.
My joy this year is to see 8-10 long tailed tits hanging on the feeder pecking away at the food.
What kinds of hedges do your House Sparrows prefer? My observations suggest that beech is particularly popular, followed by other semi-dense deciduous, then hawthorn, with any sort of evergreen a long way down the popularity list.