Garden Bird Chat 2012

Mothman

From BirdWatchIreland.

The 2011/12 Garden Bird Survey runs from Monday 28th November to Sunday 26th February. See last years thread

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:)**

whyulittle

Right, registered!

littlebug

Two goldfinches at the feeder within half an hour of putting it out for the first time this year. It's like they were waiting

whyulittle

I think my male Blackcap was back today! Just got a quick look at it, but don't think it was just a Coal Tit.

Looked like a Goldcrest quickly popping through as well.

I'm always amazed at how quick they find freshly put out food.

whyulittle

Blackcap definitely in today, 4 times in about an hour on the fatball feeder.

doctor evil

'My' Blackcap has yet to return. Did have about 15 Gold Finches turn up and squabble over who got on the feeder first.

I haven't seen a Wren or Dunnock in a while.

I still have berries on the Catoniaster, do you think the mild weather is providing a lot of food?

I haven't been putting out much food compared to this time last year. No fat balls out as of yet.

Traonach

Got a 25kg bag of Nyjer seed for 28 euros. In the Corn Store in Finglas. Unreal price considering it's usually around 3-5 euros for 1kg of Nyjer. Went a small bit mad and bought 150kg.

Bsal

At least your Goldfinches won't go hungry

whyulittle

ooh, just had a Bullfinch in to top off my first week's list!

Hammer Archer

Had a treecreeper during the weekend. Never even seen one of them before.

whyulittle

I had my first really good look at a Wren in the garden today.

Also two Robins in together, chasing each other around.

RonMexico

Rooks are really starting to piss me off. Broke five of my feeders in the past week alone. Stealing all the food left out for smaller birds. Anything I can do? Is there a rook proof feeder out there?

whyulittle

How are they breaking them?

I use a cable tie around the branch, well up the branch so it can't slip off. Then hang a carabiner off that, and the feeder off that. Can't be dislodged.

Smaller feeders should make it harder for a Rook, whatever about Jackdaws, to get a grip. You could also try to put the feeder into a tree/bush to make it harder for bigger birds to get at.

I had a Bullfinch in again today. Is there anything I can put out for it at this time of year?

Bsal

I had my first Dunnock back in the garden today since last winter

doctor evil

Had a Dunnock on the fat ball feeder which I put up two days ago, going to couple it with a red peanut feeder.

Both are tied with string to my Nyger 'defender' feeder. I took the ports off it to keep the Feral Pigeons off it.

I recall hearing something about red peanut feeders attracting a specific bird?

whyulittle

Got a little busier today, including 4 Goldfinch in.

Come oooooon Redpoll!

siledee

Please can anyone tell me what food to put out for collared doves that the other birds won't mop up, especially the starlings who eat everything in sight.

I have a couple of doves who visit often but not every day and I would like to keep them.

I only feed peanuts, sunflower hearts (in a feeder and on the ground) and fatballs. These seem to suit all my visitors but when the doves come theres nothing left on the ground. Help ??

Mickeroo

siledee wrote: »

Please can anyone tell me what food to put out for collared doves that the other birds won't mop up, especially the starlings who eat everything in sight.

I have a couple of doves who visit often but not every day and I would like to keep them.

I only feed peanuts, sunflower hearts (in a feeder and on the ground) and fatballs. These seem to suit all my visitors but when the doves come theres nothing left on the ground. Help ??

I had a collared dove show up twice this week too, never had one beore was delighted. It just strolled around the garden for a bit and flew off.

Bsal

The Collared Doves in my garden can become a bit of pain sometimes when there's too many of them, at the moment I have 5 regulars and they hoover up the mixed seed.

Half-cocked

Bsal wrote: »

The Collared Doves in my garden can become a bit of pain sometimes when there's too many of them, at the moment I have 5 regulars and they hoover up the mixed seed.

Collard Doves are happy enough with ordinary grain. Can you get a few buckets of grain from a farmer? Put the more expensive mixed seed in feeders that the Doves can't perch on.

whyulittle

I had my first Dunnock of the winter in today, hoovering up under the fat ball feeder.

Nine Goldfinch in on a mix of feeders.

siledee

Thanks to all who replied re the collared doves

I had 14 goldfinches yesterday, not so many today. 50+ house sparrows. Few each of great,blue and coaltits. Chaffinches, pied wagtail,two fighting robins and a couple of blackbirds.

No sign of my doves today and no starlings

littlebug

I've just been watching a bit of a scrap between my resident male blackbird and some young upstart sticking his beak in. Speaking of his beak it was one third yellow and two-thirds black so I'd assume first year? Quite unusual looking.
Other than my blackbirds I've had mainly goldfinch coming to the feeders with some chaffinch, a couple of greenfinch which is nice to see as they were notably absent last year. Also some blue, great and coaltits. No sign of the siskins yet and no sparrows which is unusual.

Corruptedmorals

One faithful wood pigeon- I got six in snowy weather last year, but always one every day and it's the same now, I'm going to say it's the same one. One robin, one blackbird, 5/6 goldfinches, 7/8 chaffinches, 1 thrush. 5 starlings. No sparrow yet, less starlings- and they don't stay long either, and no collarred doves yet- had the same pair every day last winter..I keep looking out for them.

Bsal

My resident Robin had an intersting day today, two new Robins tried to invade his patch. There was a bit of a stand off at the bottom of the garden between the three of them but by the end of the day my one was back for his normal feed before roosting.

Bsal

I had my first ever Blackcap in the garden today , a male one.

Mickeroo

Hey folks. Had 6 or 7 new birds show up at the feeders today, went straihgt for the peanuts. At first I thought they were Pied Wagtails but they seemed to have a lot of brown in them, I'm not quite convinced they were Grey Wagtails either. Anything else they could be?

Also had a small bid that looked like thrush of some sort, would it be a song thrush? Looked to have darker plummage than any pictures I've seen, was roughly the size of a Chaffinch.

Mothman

Mickeroo wrote: »

Hey folks. Had 6 or 7 new birds show up at the feeders today, went straihgt for the peanuts. At first I thought they were Pied Wagtails but they seemed to have a lot of brown in them, I'm not quite convinced they were Grey Wagtails either. Anything else they could be?

Also had a small bid that looked like thrush of some sort, would it be a song thrush? Looked to have darker plummage than any pictures I've seen, was roughly the size of a Chaffinch.

I'd say the 6 or 7 are Long-tailed Tits. I love watching them! Quite happy to be in a crowd on a single feeder

Song thrush is distinctly larger than a Chaffinch, may it have been a Dunnock?

Bsal

My garden was very busy today, got a few new visitors in a Greenfinch, a Redpoll and a Yellowhammer. Last winter I had up to 7 Yellowhammers from the end of December to about March, I wonder if the one from today is one from last year.

Bsal

Also had a small bid that looked like thrush of some sort, would it be a song thrush? Looked to have darker plummage than any pictures I've seen, was roughly the size of a Chaffinch.

It could have been a Meadow Pipit

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/meadowpipit/index.aspx

Mickeroo

Mothman wrote: »

I'd say the 6 or 7 are Long-tailed Tits. I love watching them! Quite happy to be in a crowd on a single feeder

Song thrush is distinctly larger than a Chaffinch, may it have been a Dunnock?

I think you're right on both counts! Looked exactly like this:

Bsal wrote: »

It could have been a Meadow Pipit

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/meadowpipit/index.aspx

I think it was a dunnock like Mothman said, I'd know a meadow pipit from seeing them hill walking all the time.

Delighted, thats two first timer species for me today

Bsal

My Yellowhammer was back again today and also a female Blackcap, didn't see the male today though. I still have two Robins having a bit of s scrap.

mossie

Are house sparrows on the up this year? Last year I only had 1 or two any day, this year I'm averaging around 6 with a high of 10.

Mothman

I've an old native hedge with stream along it bordering one side of garden.
It was really busy this afternoon.

During fifteen minutes I saw the following
Goldcrest
Treecreeper
Sisken
Blue tit
Coal Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Dunnock
Robin
Song Thrush
Black Bird
Wood Pigeon
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Many were bathing in the stream. A much milder afternoon with sunny spells.

Mickeroo

Could have sworn I saw a Swift today? Surely they're all gone by now, what else could it have been? (this wasn't my garden now but somewhere near my family home in achill).

whyulittle

What I thought was a Swift one day, was a Kestrel. Moving car, pointy wings, looked similar.

Mickeroo

whyulittle wrote: »

What I thought was a Swift one day, was a Kestrel. Moving car, pointy wings, looked similar.

It had pointy wings but it was flying very low(only about 10ft off the ground) and I don't think the colouring looked right for a kestrel.

Bsal

Two Yellowhammers in today

The Master.

whyulittle wrote: »

I had my first really good look at a Wren in the garden today.

Also two Robins in together, chasing each other around.

I heard somewhere that robins are very territorial and will fight to the death to keep their square mile free.

I only put my "futterboy 3000" seed feeder up the other day and its nearly half gone already.
I tied it to a vertical clothes line pole and at first the boys were struggling to land on it so i taped a dead branch on too so they could land then hop.
Very funny watching them at first as they were like hummingbirds trying to land on it.
Can anyone recommend a site with pictures of the common birds for identification.
Im starting to see differences between what i thought were all sparrows so would like to know whats there.
Next doors back garden is fairly overgrown with bramble bushes and different trees as it used to be allotments so its an unusual habitat in tallaght.

Bsal

These are the two I like to use for bird Id's

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/a/

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/

whyulittle

Was wondering where all the Chaffinch chat had disappeared to.....it was in the Redpoll thread...d'oh!

I've been getting up to around 20 Chaffinch, 20 House Sparrows, 10 Goldinch, 10 Greenfinch.

Chaffinch are in pretty much all day, in varying numbers. While the Sparrows just appear and disappear.

Starlings are pretty scarce so far. Think 3 is the most I've seen so far.

cscook

As per the redpoll thread we had our first one yesterday - with 4 or 5 pals today. Also first time I've had a greenfinch in a good while; there were also some chaffinches and three goldfinches, plus the regular sparrows,dunnocks, coal, blue and great tits.

Bsal

One of my 3 Yellowhammers from today

seanknowsall

Had 10 linnets in today..... last winters record was 35. My species list for this season so far....rook, jackdaw, magpie, collared dove, blackbird, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, robin, wren, sparrow, great tit, blue tit, linnet, redpoll and starling. No thrush or wagtails yet even though recorded them frequently last year. Also had a redwing and some bramblings last year but that probably due to the severe winter. I live on a typical housing estate in west Dublin....despite lack of mature trees and gardens it is incredible what a bird feeder will attract. Oh had a sparrowhawk fly over garden last Summer too!!

googsy

See large flocks of geese flying over an area between Santry Woods and the Airport most days, anyone know what type of geese these are ??

Half-cocked

googsy wrote: »

See large flocks of geese flying over an area between Santry Woods and the Airport most days, anyone know what type of geese these are ??

They'll be pale bellied brent geese. Any idea where they are landing?

Half-cocked

7 Redpolls on the nyjer seed this morning and 10 Tree Sparrows feeding on grain I put our for the Collard Doves:)

googsy

Half-cocked wrote: »

They'll be pale bellied brent geese. Any idea where they are landing?

Thanks for that, don't know where they are landing... they head in the general direction of the Northside Shopping center... not sure if that's any help... it's a very regular occurrence in the morning time ( roughly 8am onwards ) wonder are they using some fields somewhere around St Margarets at night as they fly quite low over the main airport road heading from Santry to the Airport....

Half-cocked

googsy wrote: »

Thanks for that, don't know where they are landing... they head in the general direction of the Northside Shopping center... not sure if that's any help... it's a very regular occurrence in the morning time ( roughly 8am onwards ) wonder are they using some fields somewhere around St Margarets at night as they fly quite low over the main airport road heading from Santry to the Airport....

There's plenty of playing fields around that area, probably where they're heading for. They like short grass.

Mothman

seanknowsall wrote: »

Had 10 linnets in today..... last winters record was 35. My species list for this season so far....rook, jackdaw, magpie, collared dove, blackbird, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, robin, wren, sparrow, great tit, blue tit, linnet, redpoll and starling. No thrush or wagtails yet even though recorded them frequently last year. Also had a redwing and some bramblings last year but that probably due to the severe winter. I live on a typical housing estate in west Dublin....despite lack of mature trees and gardens it is incredible what a bird feeder will attract. Oh had a sparrowhawk fly over garden last Summer too!!

I'm very rural and and have not had the bolded species in my garden this month. I've only ever had Collared Dove and Starling a couple times.

Hammer Archer

Sparrowhawk has been around several times today looking for his Christmas dinner.