Garden Birds chat 2011

littlebug

Thread update 28th Feb
The garden bird survey is finished, but the thread is being left open to continue chatting about the birds in our gardens for the rest of the year

From BirdWatchIreland.

This survey has been running since winter 1994/95, and aims to monitor birds using Irish gardens in winter by recording the abundance and variety of birds on a weekly basis over a thirteen week period from early December to end February. Only a basic knowledge of birds is required to take part and the survey is particularly favoured by families with young inquisitive children.

The 2010/11 Garden Bird Survey runs from Monday 29th November to Sunday 27th February.

To take part in the survey online you’ll need to visit the BWI surveys page and register. After that it’s just a matter of filling in the max number of each species that you see at any one time every week.

Attracting birds to your garden and feeding them need not be an expensive activity. As well as peanuts and seeds that you can buy you can make your own “bird cake” with leftover kitchen fats, and oatmeal, breads (soaked), cheese, nuts and dried fruit. Pieces of fruit can also attract birds that might not otherwise visit. BirdwatchIreland have some good Factsheets and info on feeding wild birds as well as a Garden Bird FAQ.

For help with identifying the birds that visit your garden you can visit their Ireland’s Birds
Section. I also find the RSPB Bird identifier useful.

**This year, as well as suggesting you take part in the BWI survey we’d like you to use this thread to tell us about the birds you see in your garden through the winter, post photographs, share stories, recipes:D, ask questions, id. queries and general garden bird chit chat:)**

Note to everyone..... please feel free to add anything here that you think I've left out, tips for attracting birds, links to resources etc.

Mothman

Thanks for reminder LB
Always goes down well in our house with the competition of who can count the most Blue Tits or Great Tits and also seeing if a House Sparrow wanders in from the neighbours. Doesn't happen often.

doctor evil

Does it have to be the same time every day? What happens if you count the same bird twice.

Mothman

No, the idea is that you record the maximum count at one time of a species during the week. Time of day has no bearing.

So if you only ever see one robin during the week even if it is 10 different ones (unlikely) or the same one all week, one gets recorded for the week.

Half-cocked

I keep count of my garden birds all year round, so it will be no extra effort to do the BWI survey. This year my other half is not working, so she is under orders to keep track of bird numbers during the week!!!

Kess73

I do two tetrads for the 2007-2011 BTO Bird Atlas, so I am in the habit of checking bird numbers anyway, so filling this in for my garden will be a doddle each week.



There are a few tetrads around Ireland that need some extra help though, so if anyone has some spare time and is interested, maybe they could check out the bird atlas site.


http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/

bogtreader

Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland gave a top tip for feeding Robins today
on Mooney goes wild
He said Robins like grated Cheese if you have no mealworms some cheese will do

Kess73

bogtreader wrote: »

Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland gave a top tip for feeding Robins today
on Mooney goes wild
He said Robins like grated Cheese if you have no mealworms some cheese will do

Trust me, if you have a robin that is used to getting mealworm and the odd waxworm from you, and you then pop some grated cheese into the palm of your hand. You had better be ready to get the stink eye from that robin.:D


Fussy regular bluetit will go as far as to voice their displeasure when you put out something they are not expecting.

Sigma Force

Doing the survey for the 1st time this year, sadly so many of our garden birds died off last winter. We are left with only 2 to 3 sparrows, a robin (possibly 2) a chaffinch and a female blackbird so far. Good few crows too.
Increasing the amount of food and feeders to encourage them but the birds are really finding it tough this winter esp. after being hit so hard last year. Our garden used to be full of them even in winter time now the home made fat balls last days rather than all gone in one day.

Mothman

If I'm up early enough, I'll see the dozen or so wrens roosting in a box on the side of the house, next to kitchen window departing. Had great fun looking at them this evening.
But its cold....so very cold. The coldest in November in Ireland since 1919 and perhaps even colder.

All my water birds have gone...swans left today....pond is frozen

Terrier

Has anyone got greenfinches this year?
I used to have quit feeding at my table, but none this year

On Autumn watch last week they stated that a virus was killing greenfinches in large numbers in the UK.

Mothman

I've no Greenfinches and they were scarce last year

Sigma Force

Forgot we have a great tit as well, cute little fella.
The Robin was suprisingly polite at the bird table today, the chaffinch was being a bit of a bully but the Robin eventually shooed him away.

No greenfinches so far.

On Autumn watch they said to clean the feeders very regularly, I usually have a kettle of boiling water and slosh down the table and bird bath every morning, it cools very quickly in the cold and melts the ice in the bird bath.

Kept meaning to give them some grated cheese, puppy food is aparently ok too so I tried a little bit of soaked good quality puppy food today, the crows got the most of it but saw the robin going off with some.

trebor28

i have seen a few greenfinches out on walks down my way but none in the immediate vicinity

Connacht

I noticed my first Greenfinch just today, but would not have had any more than 4 at one time last year either. Plenty of Goldfinch though - 11 at one time already this year. Notice small numbers of Blue Tit though. Great and Coal ok numbers.

doctor evil

I hear that hot water freezes faster than cold water?

I had a Greenfinch visit today, the first time since the summer.

So, when doing the survery do you record how many birds in say ten minutes or in just one glance out the window? I have never done this kind of thing before.

(Mod note- Content below added from id "what bird did I see" thread. )
On another note a Greenfinch came to my feeder today, not surprisingly there has been a lot of traffic!

I put some glycerine solution in the bird bath to help stop it from freezing but now it is solid. Any tips?

I plan on mixing some fat from the pan with some oats/raisins/wholemeal bread crumbs and putting it into an empty yogurt pot. I will then attach this to the top of my bird feeder. Are chopped cherries ok to put in?

I would like to put something out for the Wren but I don't want the mice to get it, no way will I be leaving fat out. The homemade fat ball is going to be attached to my cj bird foods feeder, a defender one with the slippery pole that has defeated squirrels in the two years of use. I thought perhaps bits of cheese (which the cat may take - only goes out to relieve himself) or mealworms. Would mice take mealworms? I know the area and the rough time 'my' Wren will be. I'd rather not touch the mealworms so just sprinkling them out of the tub be ok?

The snow is early this year.

Hot whiskey for getting this far;)

littlebug

Hi Doctor evil,
I merged the second half of your "what bird is this" thread to your post above.


Some info below from BWI Garden Bird FAQ on keeping the birdbath ice free.

• Line the bath with plastic so that the ice can easily be lifted out.
• If the bath is made of metal, place a night-light underneath.
• Place a light rubber ball in the water: it should move about enough to keep the area immediately around it ice-free.
• Use hot water to melt the ice. Never use chemicals

.

I don't like the idea of using glycerine myself. What do other people do?

Re counting birds... remember it's the highest number at any one time in the week that you want. I can see all my feeders from my kitchen (sink:rolleyes:) so if there's a lot of activity I just do a rough count and write it down. I don't have a regular system as such... if I'm taking a break from work I'll stand by the patio door with my coffee and see what's going on and jot stuff down as I happen to see it.

trebor28

a couple of questions for ye.

while out for a walk today, i was walking across a field and over near the ditch i saw a solitary bird on the ground. at first glance i thought it was a robin, but as i got closeri noticed it wasnt.
it was pretty much the same size as a robin, the same pale brown back, with the pale white/cream breast, but without the red obviously.
he was pretty fearless too paying little or no heed in me only when i got too close and even then he only move another 20 feet away and continued on about his business.
any ideas? had a look at the bird identifier on rspb, but didnt find anything really.

how long does a juvenile bird keep their juvenile coat? should they have changed to an adult coat already? or does it depend on the breed?

Kess73

trebor28 wrote: »

a couple of questions for ye.

while out for a walk today, i was walking across a field and over near the ditch i saw a solitary bird on the ground. at first glance i thought it was a robin, but as i got closeri noticed it wasnt.
it was pretty much the same size as a robin, the same pale brown back, with the pale white/cream breast, but without the red obviously.
he was pretty fearless too paying little or no heed in me only when i got too close and even then he only move another 20 feet away and continued on about his business.
any ideas? had a look at the bird identifier on rspb, but didnt find anything really.

how long does a juvenile bird keep their juvenile coat? should they have changed to an adult coat already? or does it depend on the breed?

Sounds a bit like you saw a dunnock. A great little bird with the most amazing looking eyes if you ever get lucky enough to see one at very close quarters. Anyone who has had one in their hands or observed them from a foot or so away will know what I mean about the eyes when that near as close up pics do no justice to what the eyes are like.





Here are some pics that I grabbed from various sites for you to compare with what you saw today.

Alun

Mothman wrote: »

I've no Greenfinches and they were scarce last year

I've got loads of them here, along with goldfinches, chaffinches and a few great tits and blue tits. Not much of anything else though.

Mothman

Alun wrote: »

I've got loads of them here, along with goldfinches, chaffinches and a few great tits and blue tits. Not much of anything else though.

I'm too rural for them

-7C this morning, with ground at -12C

secman

Down in North wexford, topped up all feeders, nuts, fat balls and seed.
So far have seen blue tits, great tits. greenfinch, wag tails, thrush, blackbird, sparrows, chafinch. Haven't seen a Robin yet!

Secman

trebor28

thanks for the reply kess but it wasnt a dunnock, only saw one a few mins ago scuttling along the butt of a wall.

have been looking at the bird id'er on rspb, it looked something like the garden warbler, but obviously he isnt here in winter (or at least so that site says.), so i am not sure.

Terrier

Garden is alive this morning with this weather..
Any ideas on this lad? Have a pair of them..

trebor28

are they female house sparrows?

Kess73

Yep defo a house sparrow in Terrier's pics, as Tebor has said already..

Kess73

doctor evil wrote: »

I hear that hot water freezes faster than cold water?

I had a Greenfinch visit today, the first time since the summer.

So, when doing the survery do you record how many birds in say ten minutes or in just one glance out the window? I have never done this kind of thing before.

(Mod note- Content below added from id "what bird did I see" thread. )
On another note a Greenfinch came to my feeder today, not surprisingly there has been a lot of traffic!

I put some glycerine solution in the bird bath to help stop it from freezing but now it is solid. Any tips?

I plan on mixing some fat from the pan with some oats/raisins/wholemeal bread crumbs and putting it into an empty yogurt pot. I will then attach this to the top of my bird feeder. Are chopped cherries ok to put in?

I would like to put something out for the Wren but I don't want the mice to get it, no way will I be leaving fat out. The homemade fat ball is going to be attached to my cj bird foods feeder, a defender one with the slippery pole that has defeated squirrels in the two years of use. I thought perhaps bits of cheese (which the cat may take - only goes out to relieve himself) or mealworms. Would mice take mealworms? I know the area and the rough time 'my' Wren will be. I'd rather not touch the mealworms so just sprinkling them out of the tub be ok?

The snow is early this year.

Hot whiskey for getting this far;)

Under certain conditions hot water can freeze quicker than cold water. A lot of the time it is happens thanks in part to evaporation.

The hot water loses mass as some of it evaporates, and then freezes quicker due to having less mass, than if you put out the exact same volume of cold water at the start.



As for glycerine solutions, I personally would not do so as it is not good for the birds and it is too easy to put too concentrated a dose into the water. You can buy bird bath additives to help prevent the freezing over of bird baths. A lot of them are made from plant extracts, but I have found most of them are pretty useless once the temp drops to -5 or below.


The one in the link works well for mild frosts and temps slightly below zero.


http://www.birdfood.co.uk/product_details.php?area_id=2&group_id=20&nav_id=43&prd_id=1418



What I have done the last few days is simply refill the bird bath a number of times a day. It does not counter the fact the water will freeze in time, but by checking it on a regular basis I can remove ice and have open water for the birds for spells during the day.

Trying different spots around the garden can work sometimes as well if you have parts of the garden that are less exposed. That way you get longer unfrozen spells in the bird bath.

Another trick I try sometimes is I pop a small plastic ball into the bird bath. Any bit of a breeze keeps it moving, and it creates ripples on the water surface. The logic being that moving water is much harder to freeze.

Half-cocked

Noticed a Tree Sparrow among my usual mob of House Sparrows today. I wonder how long it has been visiting and I never noticed it before! Its definitely worth having a second look at House Sparrows in your garden when doing the survey counts.

Sigma Force

Just a heads up Lidl have bird seed in this week.
No more new birds, left out food for the larger birds to distract them from the smaller birds food and counted 14 Rooks and 2 Jackdaws.

Feargal as Luimneach

Half-cocked wrote: »

Noticed a Tree Sparrow among my usual mob of House Sparrows today. I wonder how long it has been visiting and I never noticed it before! Its definitely worth having a second look at House Sparrows in your garden when doing the survey counts.

Are you in a coastal location? Any photos?

Half-cocked

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Are you in a coastal location? Any photos?

Yes, we have the sea on either side, about 100 metres away. No pic, the light was too bad. I'll try and get a shot next time I'm home during daylight hours.

Feargal as Luimneach

Half-cocked wrote: »

Yes, we have the sea on either side, about 100 metres away. No pic, the light was too bad. I'll try and get a shot next time I'm home during daylight hours.

Excellent stuff:)

Kess73

Half-cocked wrote: »

Noticed a Tree Sparrow among my usual mob of House Sparrows today. I wonder how long it has been visiting and I never noticed it before! Its definitely worth having a second look at House Sparrows in your garden when doing the survey counts.

Lucky you, I have not spotted a tree sparrow in ages.

IceMaiden

Yesterday about 10am on our outdoor kennel runs thermometer temp was -4 the birds seen in our paddock & pens hooded/grey crow, jackdaws,& pigeons ,blackbirds ,robins & unidentified small finch like birds. On the tree feeders blue & great tits, robins, jackdaws trying LoL
Under hedge row bottoms blackbirds & thrush ,wagtails & in the sparse hedges long tailed tits in a small flock. Could hear snipe but didn’t see them.

Rainbowsend

Todays 10o'c count,
6 blue tits
3 coal tits
1 great tit
20 sparrows
1 wren
2 blackbirds
5 goldfinch
2 greenfinch
15 rooks
1 magpie
2 jackdaws
1 robin
3 chaffinch
2 wagtails

Will need to refill the feeders at this rate :eek:

BrianD3

Just had a count there
19 x Goldfinch
22 x Chaffinch
14 x Greenfinch
3 x Starling
1 x Redpoll

Also getting regular visit from a small number of coaltits and bluetits although they weren't there when I looked out.

1 dead Greenfinch in one of the caged feeders this morning

here are some typical pics (these were not taken at the same time as the count)

littlebug

Total count for my garden so far this week = 1 song thrush

There again the feeders only went out on Monday and I haven't been here much in daylight. Thankfully I'll be at home for the rest of the week and I know they'll find me soon enough.

Feargal as Luimneach

BrianD3 wrote: »

.

1 dead Greenfinch in one of the caged feeders this morning

The Greenfinch could have died from trichomonosis. Greenfinches are susceptible to it. Here's a link detailing the disease.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.aspx
If trichomonosis is suspected, it is recommended to temporarily stop putting out food, and leave bird baths dry until sick or dead birds are no longer found in the garden. Clean all bird feeders with with disinfectant and area (ground) around feeders. Keep an eye out for other dying birds especially greenfinch, which could indicate a problem.

Feargal as Luimneach

Some tips concerning bird baths. I usually don't bother with them since I have two ponds in my garden. Unfortunately they are frozen over now:(
I just use plastic lunch boxes at the moment. Water depth around 5cm. The birds can perch on the side and drink. I don't place the lunch boxes on the ground. I place them on a plastic bucket. If they are in direct contact with the ground they freeze quicker. I tried littlebug's method of putting a small rubber ball in the lunch box that helps as well.

trebor28

here is some sparrows and a thrush in the middle.


above thrush on his own.


my fearless Robin (nothing spooks him)


Chaffinch and house sparrow


need to get a camera with some optical zoom. there was a blue tit and a coal tit knocking around too but couldnt get close enough with my crappy compact!

saw a Blackcap today too. not sure if it was my first one, first one for a long time if i had seen one before.

Hammer Archer

41 Chaffinches today :eek: Had myself and 2 family members counting at different vantage points. Also delighted to see two linnets again.
I also had one or two tree sparrows during the cold spell earlier this year but none that I could see so far this time around.

Mothman

Just logged a Buzzard. Didn't land but was hunting and came in quite low.

aslo have a Greenfinch

doctor evil

Had a bird today that was similar to a chaffinch that was being a total jerk, it wouldn't let any of the bird land on the feeder and there were some almost midair collisions and leg locking.

Can the colour vary between male chaffinches and do all the females migrate in winter?

Rainbowsend

doctor evil wrote: »

Had a bird today that was similar to a chaffinch that was being a total jerk, it wouldn't let any of the bird land on the feeder and there were some almost midair collisions and leg locking.

Can the colour vary between male chaffinches and do all the females migrate in winter?

I find the chaffinches very timid, and they are the ones that sit on branch waiting their turn, but with the weather like this they might get a bit more aggressive, Greenfinches on the other hand are real bolshy and see off everything, as will Goldfinches. Younger male chaffinches may not be quite as colourful until mating time, but should still have the same colouring.

Half-cocked

I'm getting a bit worried about my garden birds. I've been keeping a log year round and have seen a decrease in numbers since the cold spell started. For example, goldfinches peaked at 17 over the summer and settled at 8 through the autumn and early winter. Now I'm seeing 4. Usually bird numbers would go up as the food draws them in during colder days. I'm now positive that the resident pair of blue tits are now a single bird. Its possible some one else has started feeding nearby which has drawn some birds away. All species apart from house sparrows and starlings are either down or gone completely:( No apparent extra cat activity.

Mothman

Just counted the wrens going into their night roost...at least 25!
I think more couldn't fit. I'll see if I can get a bigger box there tomorrow.

Yellowhammer came through yesterday. Been a few years since seeing one in garden. I'm givng the Moorhens grain, 6 of them. Its about survival and they don't seem to be bothered as much about holding territory.

Feargal as Luimneach

Mothman wrote: »

Just counted the wrens going into their night roost...at least 25!
I think more couldn't fit. I'll see if I can get a bigger box there tomorrow.

Yellowhammer came through yesterday. Been a few years since seeing one in garden. I'm givng the Moorhens grain, 6 of them. Its about survival and they don't seem to be bothered as much about holding territory.

Throw some fresh straw (barley/wheat) along ground where you saw the yellowhammer. They will feed on the wild flower seeds in the straw. That might get him to stick around.

Mothman

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Throw some fresh straw (barley/wheat) along ground where you saw the yellowhammer. They will feed on the wild flower seeds in the straw. That might get him to stick around.

Thanks....any tips in keeping my hens away from the straw.....;)

kincsem

I have three sunflower, one nyjer feeders here in Stillorgan. The numbers of visitors is way down over the last eighteen months. Mostly goldfinch, some chaffinch, regular coal tit(s), occasional blue tit and great tit. Of course I have no idea what the brown ones are.

On Monday I put out fat cylinders (with peanuts, insects embedded). Size is about large yogurt size. A goldfinch approached the feeders and had a wtf moment when it saw the fat and did a u-turn in mid-air. Today a few inches of fat was missing with plenty of pecking evident. They learn.

Scrappychimow

Today I saw the most birdies that I ever did see in my garden,(I have peanut feeder and seeds)
The usual suspects of house sparrows starlins ,and 3 blue tits.... the other vistors were the great tit ,a robin ,a chaffinch, a dunnock , a pied wagtail ,and a grey wagtail.

I live in a suburb in N Dublin

EDIT: and a blackbird

littlebug

I had dozens of sparrows last year and not a sign of them yet this year The siskins haven't arrived yet but they're usually late anyway. Plenty of goldfinches but no greenfinches yet.