Garden Bird Chat 2012

Bsal

Not your typical garden bird but at 11:30 this morning I was in the conservatory and all the birds made a dash for cover, I thought must be my Sparrowhawk. I went out to the garden and looked up and there was two Redkites very low over the house. My first time seeing them where I live in Rivervalley, Swords :D

E39MSport

Kites in Swords - excellent.

Re: the rat. He wandered into my trap without it even being bated. Just as I had opene the back door I heard it go off. It must have been startled by the door and bolted the wrong way.

It was a feisty fella. Gave it plenty to my face as he was being transported elsewhere.

E39MSport

I was followed from the feeder location over to the garage on Saturday by a cheeky Great Tit who couldn't wait for me to fill up the feeders

He hovered around the garage door and grabbed his chance as I placed the feeder on the ground to lock the door.

The birds are becoming very used to me presence which I like. (even the sparrows which seem to be the most nervous)

whyulittle

A Robin just took a lump out of a Coal Tit, chasing it off a feeder. Saw it wiping its beak on the branch after and thought it was full of food, but it was actually feathers!

The three young Blackbirds have been having baths and are being fed by the male.

kincsem

I saw a treecreeper outside CityWest hotel this morning. I've no idea if they are common, but it's a first sighting for me.

Bsal

My garden is turning into a creche for Starling babies, 12 of the little fellows in the garden most of the day, plus the gang of baby Sparrows and few Collared Doves

MeteoritesEire

young chaffinch kamikazied into my kitchen door/window-made quite a thump so no wonder he didn't make it-went to investigate the sound 15 mins after hearing it (was in middle of something) and he was ghost.I see sparrowhawks just about every day here so maybe it got a fright and panic flew to his doom-have seen the hawks catch birds twice at my feeder so feel a bit bad about that but they're gonna be caught one way or another.
Chaffinch was such a gorgeous little creature.More greenish/yellow on his lower back than I realised.Took pics and may upload to other pic thread unless mods think the dead bird may be in bad taste?...no blood-just his little eyes closed

Half-cocked

Added a new species to my garden list - a Lesser Black Backed Gull!

Half-cocked

The invasion has started - fledgling Starlings are starting to appear in the garden. Last year they went up over 40. Only one fledgling House Sparrow so far, I hope the bad weather hasn't effected them too badly.

E39MSport

E39MSport wrote: »

I was followed from the feeder location over to the garage on Saturday by a cheeky Great Tit who couldn't wait for me to fill up the feeders

He hovered around the garage door and grabbed his chance as I placed the feeder on the ground to lock the door.

The birds are becoming very used to me presence which I like. (even the sparrows which seem to be the most nervous)

Came home yesterday at about lunch after leaving the feeders unattended that morning.

I got out of the car and instantly this GT was by my side. He persisted until I filled the feeders again

Mothman

At least 3 blackbirds fledged from nest in garden last week. Already 4 new eggs in same nest today.

siledee

This nesting time is just so stressful.
Lots of times when outside there is the distress racket. Its quite chilling.
Down the front about 50yds away there is a wooded area with blackbirds and thrushes defending like hell.
I watch and it is ALWAYS a magpie on the prowl.

But was delighted this afternoon to see mammy thrush with three fledgings begging for food.
Have also seen some young blackbirds so the magpie didn't get them all.

But it did get the blackbird nest out the back a few weeks ago as I haven't seen them there since :mad:

Was letting the dog out the front door last evening and there was this commotion at my feet. A squawking starling fledgling scampered into the porch followed by the dog.
Now I'm not good with birds in the house but I did manage to get dog outside, gather up the bird, dog back inside while I released it.
I hope it found its mammy again because it didn't seem too confident.

E39MSport

( I thought I had posted about this last week but can't find it )

I ordered 1kg of live mealworm last Thursday from the UK with free post. They said they would arrive today and arrive they did.

Impressed.

www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

... and my BT family are ripe for them. Fledging very very soon

The Master.

I love seeing the great tit in the garden. lovely colours.
one came down and nuzzled down into the soil dont know if it was cooling down or heating up
im using a fray bentos pie dish as a bird bath but only the last couple of days and ive seen one bird have a quick drink but i suppose they are going to have to get used to it.
have seen a brown bird that i didnt see before. about the same size as a starling or blackbird. is this the young of one of these birds?

E39MSport

Possibly young Blackbird.

whyulittle

I've had a Wren or two singing in the garden the past few days - God they're loud close up!

B0jangles

The Master. wrote: »

have seen a brown bird that i didnt see before. about the same size as a starling or blackbird. is this the young of one of these birds?

If it's speckeldy with a longish tail it s probably a young blackbird, if it's a solid mid-brown with a shortish tail and an upright stance, its probably a young starling - though they usually show up in gangs with their parents.

Mothman

Mothman wrote: »

At least 3 blackbirds fledged from nest in garden last week. Already 4 new eggs in same nest today.

My daughter has been keeping an eye on nest. It's in a shrub on the outside of polytunnel. She can see the nest from inside tunnel. This evening, what appeared to be a small mouse was fed to one of the chicks :eek:

It didn't have much of a snout so she doesn't think it was a shrew and it was dead. The chick that got it struggled and it seems it was too big. At one stage it was nearly all in, just the tail, bum and hind legs could be seen, but then it regurgitated the whole body and it was left on side of nest.

Anyone ever heard of blackbirds feeding/preying on mammals?

Bsal

I think on Springwatch last year, they had Blackbirds on eating small frogs.

Bsal

I had two Redpolls on the nyger seed yesterday , my first time seeing them in the garden during the summer.

Mothman

Mothman wrote: »

At least 3 blackbirds fledged from nest in garden last week. Already 4 new eggs in same nest today.

Mothman wrote: »

My daughter has been keeping an eye on nest. It's in a shrub on the outside of polytunnel. She can see the nest from inside tunnel. This evening, what appeared to be a small mouse was fed to one of the chicks :eek:

It didn't have much of a snout so she doesn't think it was a shrew and it was dead. The chick that got it struggled and it seems it was too big. At one stage it was nearly all in, just the tail, bum and hind legs could be seen, but then it regurgitated the whole body and it was left on side of nest.

Anyone ever heard of blackbirds feeding/preying on mammals?

4 Blackbird chicks fledged on Sunday

Will see if they go for a third brood in same nest. Plenty of time though I wonder about cleanliness of nest with regard parasites.

V Bull

In the garden early this morning,

2 adult Redpolls - 2 juvenile.
1 adult Greenfinch.
2 adult Woodpigeon - 1 juvenile.
5 Collared Dove.
1 adult Goldfinch.
1 adult Dunnock.
1 juvenile Robin.
++ House Sparrows & juvenile.

:)

Bsal

A big increase in activity at the feeders today, 2 Robins, 2 Coal Tits, 2 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits, 80+ Starlings, Collared Doves, 2 Blackbirds, 8 Chaffinch, 8 Goldfinch, 12 Sparrows.

Half-cocked

We've always had a wren (or two) skulking around the bottom of the garden but recently one has started regularly patroling the entire garden, coming right up to the house. Could it be making sure none of this years fledglings try to establish a territory on its patch?

KJ

A starling in the garden yesterday.


I dont know much about birds or the different types/names but all we get are starlings and some other tiny bird. If we put out food other than small seeds, will that attract others?

Half-cocked

Starlings were demolishing all the fat balls I put out before the smaller birds could get a look in, so I bought one of those caged feeders. It's been hanging less than a week and the Starlings have figured out how to open the lid to get at the contents:D

Bsal

I love Starlings, there so.... bold

vandriver

Spotted my first Dunnock in the back garden a few days ago,and a gang of coal tits,both for the first time.Oh,an a magnificent female Sparrowhawk.(dublin 12)

Half-cocked

Just had a brief visit from a 30+ mixed flock of Bramblings, Redpolls, Chaffinches and Goldfinches. Also a family of 5 Long-tailed Tits.

Bookworm85

I'm not doing the survey but I've had the feeders out for about a fortnight now and the amount of activity in the garden is fascinating. So far this afternoon I have counted about 6-8 great tits, 4 blue tits, 6-8 coal tits, 4 chaffinches (2 male & 2 female) our resident robin is gorging himself morning, noon and night and when it was still damp this morning there was an adult male black bird and a thrush. We also have a pair of collared doves that I have nick named the "Clean-up Crew". But best of all we have had 2 confirmed visits from a female sparrow hawk!!

Last week I found a carcass in the garden that was most likely a collared dove, but possibly a feral pigeon. There were feathers all over the place and I thought one of the neighbourhood cats got him. Then on Sunday afternoon I was doing a few bits in the garden. One of my neighbours has a sycamore tree and the starlings use it for roosting and spend a few hours there singing their heads off. All of a sudden they just took off and whatever was in the garden on the feeders scattered. Two seconds later she swooped in but perched on top of the greenhouse. She obviously missed her chance but stayed for about a minute and then flew off.

Today I was watching the feeders from the lower end of the garden and she appeared again but approached from a different direction and missed whatever she was after. Again she perched on the greenhouse for a bit and took off.

I'm beginning to think that she might have been responsible for the dove/pigeon carcass last week. She's a beautiful bird.... hope she comes back again!:D