Garden Bird Chat 2012

swifts need our help!

Lucky you, MM

Mark

Bsal

I had a female Blackcap in the garden for most of the day who wasn't afraid of fighting off the Blackbirds when needed for a bit of apple

Bsal

There was a short piece on the six-one news about how the Tree Sparrow is making a come back in Ireland.

http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1132461 starts around 36:40

whyulittle

I've had this fairly pale Greenfinch in the garden the past few days. It's virtually white across the wings.

thyme

Saw my first Greenfinch this morning, it was with all the Chaffinch's hopping around the yard.

Bsal

Did anyone see the report on the RTE news about the all white Blackbird in Ballinteer, surprised a Sparrowhawk hasn't got him yet!

whyulittle

Two male Blackcaps in.

cscook

whyulittle wrote: »

Two male Blackcaps in.

Our female who appeared some time last week is now a daily regular, so I'm keeping an eye out for a male.

Bsal

For the last week or so I've had a female Blackcap visiting and pretty much staying in the garden all day, she is going through an enormous amount of apple. She sits eating apple for around 20 minutes and then has a short rest in a tree in the garden and comes back for another session of apple eating this goes on all day:D. The two Blackbirds have some competition, I don't know how a Blackcap can eat that much.

thyme

Another first for me, Brambling, outside the window today with two Redpole's,thats four different ones around here this year, os far.

Crossbill.
Siskin.
Greenfinch.
Brambling.

E39MSport

Second nest box (no roosting in this winter) checked out this morning.

mossie

The great tits appear to be taking over my feeders. Counted 12 this morning, most I ever had before was 4-6.

whyulittle

Nice bit of variety in today.

2 of 3 Bullfinch right down the end of the garden.




Siskin? Two in.




Two Dunnock! Only ever had one in before. They were quickly chased away by a Robin!




Two male Blackcaps in again today.




Collared Dove




Redpoll? Didn't stick around very long.




Which type of Thrush?




Rook on neighbours areial.

doctor evil

I had a mistle thrush a few days ago, any reason why the numbers are down? Used to be frequent are now rare.

I have a regular male blackcap and occasional female. I hear the Bullfinches but don't often see them, not a great song on them sounds like a rusty gate.

Very cold this morning so hopefully more visitors to the feeders which I restocked. Homegrown cooking apples are a massive draw!

cscook

Those are goldfinches rather than redpolls.
How lovely to see the bullfinches!! I've seen one pair on our neighbour's roof, and one along the canal but that's been it.
Our dunnocks and robins seem to co-exist quite happily, but I suppose there are enough seeds scattered on the ground by the sparrows for them to share.

Pie Man

cscook wrote: »

Those are goldfinches rather than redpolls.
How lovely to see the bullfinches!! I've seen one pair on our neighbour's roof, and one along the canal but that's been it.
Our dunnocks and robins seem to co-exist quite happily, but I suppose there are enough seeds scattered on the ground by the sparrows for them to share.

redpoll at top left good camouflage.

whyulittle

For the second time, I do know the difference between Goldfinch and Redpoll!

But thanks anyway!

cscook

My apologies - I missed it.

E39MSport

Song Thrushes, Robins and Wrens in good voice here this morning.

Hearvee

Have had a regular little bunch of about 4 Goldfinches hanging out of the feeder, but leaving for work this morning I counted (at least) 11 of them between our garden and the tree in next door's garden (they use it as kind of a stage post!). Absolutely nuts.

Other regulars over the last week are a pair of Blackcaps, a Blue Tit, a female Chaffinch, couple of Robins, one Wren (very very briefly) and I think a couple of Longtailed Tits hanging out next door but didn't see them our side of the wall at all. And over the weekend there were quite a few Coal Tits, but hard to tell how many as I never saw more than two at a time.

Also had a bunch of Redpolls a couple of weeks ago, but they didn't hang around long.

whyulittle

Three female Siskins in with one male today, he's spoilt for choice!

whyulittle

They'll think I've gone mad when I put in this week's records - 32 Jackdaws when the previous high was 5 or 6!

More noteworthy though were the 2 Robins in together, with one collecting beakful after beakful of fresh moss.

Then I spotted these!

cscook

Fantastic shot of the swans!! Love hearing the sound of the wind in their wings, a rare treat.
Now that we have two robins I'm hoping for a repeat of what we had a couple of years back when we got to see them feed each other. We didn't get that last year.

sophdel

I don't usually post on this thread but I've been doing the garden bird survey with my 3 kids for the last few years and this morning we witness a kill which made us all sad. :-(
Just before heading to school my eldest said "there's a big bird in the garden come see!!". The big bird in question was a sparrow hawk eating away at a sparrow or female chaffinch I think. After staring at him for a while, Junior proceeded with opening the window and scaring the sparrow hawk away, leaving only a feast of feathers behind. I know it's a lesson of nature for the kids but I can't help feel somewhat guilty 'cos the poor sparrow was munching unawares in our garden.
We live in an estate in Lucan, we saw the sparrow hawk twice last year during the survey when it was snowy, even took pictures of him, wonder if it's the same guy. Attached is a picture of him last year.

Mothman

sophdel wrote: »

I don't usually post on this thread but I've been doing the garden bird survey with my 3 kids for the last few years and this morning we witness a kill which made us all sad. :-(
Just before heading to school my eldest said "there's a big bird in the garden come see!!". The big bird in question was a sparrow hawk eating away at a sparrow or female chaffinch I think. After staring at him for a while, Junior proceeded with opening the window and scaring the sparrow hawk away, leaving only a feast of feathers behind. I know it's a lesson of nature for the kids but I can't help feel somewhat guilty 'cos the poor sparrow was munching unawares in our garden.
We live in an estate in Lucan, we saw the sparrow hawk twice last year during the survey when it was snowy, even took pictures of him, wonder if it's the same guy. Attached is a picture of him last year.

I can understand the sadness.
One does become attached to one's "own" birds, but as you've acknowledged with your lesson of nature, sparrows and finches are a part of the much larger web of life, and there is no getting away from the situation that by feeding the little birds we are also helping to sustain the predators which rely on the little birds.

You are privileged at seeing nature at its finest and thank you for sharing.

sophdel

Thank you for your kind words. That's it, I have become attached to what I call "my birds" (oh I must feed my birds, oh I haven't seen my blackcap today, oh I wonder why my robin doesn't come anymore, bla bla!) even though with birds you just don't ever own any of them.

whyulittle

Had a Sparrowhawk fly over the back garden this afternoon, in lovely sunshine.

baaba maal

Two yellowhammers this morning (normally only one) and my first siskin of this survey period- we had a dozen of them in the cold weather last year, so it was nice to see at least one this time around.
Always a treat to see a yellowhammer in the garden- to see two is magic

E39MSport

Saw a sick Finch in the garden Sunday. Time to haul in the feeders again.

whyulittle

Had a Goldcrest briefly land right beside me. They really are tiny.