Garden Bird Chat 2012

Bsal

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

I only start feeding again last week after about six weeks of no feeding due to some House Sparrows and a Collared Dove being sick . I hate not feeding but it has to be done unfortunetly when some get ill.

On another note my garden was very busy today, lots of Sparrows, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Collared Doves and one Greenfinch. The highlight of the day where the Starlings, not many of them around over recent weeks but today I counted 45+ in the garden .

littlebug

Lots of starling in the garden this morning.... a strange sight when I looked out to see a blackbird, jackdaw and a number of starling all at the feeders together! Not a finch in sight!

Bsal

This afternoon I saw two Starlings mating on a neighbours roof :eek:. Also had two Yellowhammers back in the garden after an absence of around 4-5 weeks .

sophdel

Talking about mating I saw two collared doves mating on the fence yesterday, I thought it looked a bit precarious!

kincsem

Had a male Blackcap in my ground cage this morning in Stillorgan. It was my first sighting of this species. I needed my Ireland's Garden Birds book to identify it. It was on the ground picking away at the bean can sized hanging fat feeder.

Bsal

I thought I'd share my survey results so far

whyulittle

25 species for me.

E39MSport

Beautiful chorus just now - what a beautiful evening

It's finally here ...

doctor evil

whyulittle wrote: »

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

I hate you!

veetwin

Ì have a pair of feeders on the lawn at the moment. Many birds including robins feed off the grass underneath the feeders. I will be fertilizing the grass shortly and am wondering if the birds will be adversely affected by the fertilizer?

E39MSport

Watch out for rodents !

Can't comment on the fertiliser other than red the labels

cscook

We definitely have a robin pair. I'd been assuming it, with two feeding at the same time and no aggression, but a couple of times this week I've seen one of them feeding the other. Still trying for a photo, but happy just to see it. We saw a lot of it three seasons ago, but not the previous two years.

whyulittle

A pair of Dunnock and a single Wren in this afternoon.

Bsal

I was watching my female blackbird building a nest in a tree at the end my front garden today. She was taking material from the back garden all day and flying down the side lane of the house out to the tree in the front. I also put a good bit of cotton wool in the hedges in the back garden for the House Sparrows and it was all gone within an hour . Starlings are also busy building nests, and chasing each other around the garden making incredible sounds, one sounded exactly like a police car siren. Also had a male and female Yellowhammer pair in today haven't seen them in almost a week.

whyulittle

Just spotted my first ever Fieldfare in the garden, cackling away at a Hooded Crow.

Cork boy 55

City garden cork city south

get

regulars
starling
collared doves
pigeons
crows(magpies, jackdaw, rook)
robins
blackbirds
blue tits
chafinchs
sparrows

Very rare
song thrush
wren(tiny fellow)
gold finch

thats it.

Mothman

Put this in the picture thread, but had to post here as well



Not one but 2 cormorants!

Back to more usual garden birds, plenty of rearing going on with Robin nesting on house wall and Blackbird in hedge coming to lawn to get worms

veetwin

Chaffinch feeding young on my back wall yesterday evening. Really have to get a longer lens.

Connacht

Had a pair of Bullfinch eating dandelion seeds on the lawn this morning. Such beautiful birds. Also have Goldfinches doing the same thing these days.

whyulittle

Saw my first fledgling, a young Blackbird, in the back garden yesterday.

E39MSport

Connacht wrote: »

Had a pair of Bullfinch eating dandelion seeds on the lawn this morning. Such beautiful birds. Also have Goldfinches doing the same thing these days.

Had the exact same thing yesterdday. I've spotted tham about for years but they've never come to ground. Might be the weather. The're normally in bushes attacking seeds.

whyulittle

Just noticed a Blackcap in the garden - have only ever seen them in during winter before.

Bsal

I had two fledgeling Sparrows in the garden around half five today , I should be seeing a few Starling babies very soon, they are very loud in the neighbours roof

thyme

whyulittle wrote: »

Just noticed a Blackcap in the garden - have only ever seen them in during winter before.

Just when you mention Blackcap's, has anyone noticed that there is a lot more of them around this year, you'd fall across here.

trebor28

thyme wrote: »

whyulittle wrote: »

Just noticed a Blackcap in the garden - have only ever seen them in during winter before.

Just when you mention Blackcap's, has anyone noticed that there is a lot more of them around this year, you'd fall across here.

I had a pair of blackcaps nest here last year so there is plenty around.
Between them and chiffchaffs that's all i can hear around here

MeteoritesEire

chaffinches mostly
greenfinch
goldfinch
bullfinch (occasionally)
great tits
coal tits
blue tits

cuckoos and wheatears are just back though they don't hit the birdfeeders
oh and saw my first snipe last year-that was a treat

whyulittle

Two Robins in today, female calling high pitched and begging for food off the male. They were at that ages ago, thought it would be finished by now.

Looked like a young Coal Tit in yesterday as well, with its wings 'going' and following one of the parents around for food. Could very well have been a pair though, the same as the Robins.

Bsal

It was a very busy day in the garden today, an explosion of baby birds over the last two days. Loads of Sparrows, Starlings and Collared Dove babies.

Bsal

Fledgeling Starlings being fed





The adults queing for food



Blackbird

E39MSport

Have a very active pair of bull finches in the garden. Love to see them. (Just been reminded of the incessant chick calls of last year)

The Swallow couple are in and out of the porch regularly. The nest cup means that they spend next to zero time building.
Interestingly, they have elected to use (thus far) the cup with the protective mesh around it despite the fact that access is not as easy as the other cup in the porch. Perhaps last years Magpie annihilation of the first brood is a factor.

Rodent #1 has made an appearance at the feeders.

Any suggestions for something irresistable to rats for the trap? (given the abundance of seed litter)
Perhpas I should construct a platform to catch the litter.