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What have you noticed in your garden during the lockdown?

Arequipa

Hi!

I hope you are all well.
I am at home a lot more the last few weeks and have enjoyed Spring springing in front of my eyes.
Daffodils, tulips and shrubs blooming, blossom on trees, bees buzzing in the air and the evenings getting brighter...
And also the birds have just been great to watch... it is like they are all on some Spring drug...it is all go..
First I notice a significan increase in birdsong: robins, blackbirds, bluetits, and the fabulous wren.
I have a camera nestbox and unfortunately the bluetits have not chosen it this year.. but I think they are nesting nearby... as they are feeding on the peanuts and chasing great tits away from my garden.
To the left of my garden is a large tree. 2/3 up the tree, there is a woodpigeon sitting on her nest... and about 10-15 feet above this is a magpie next. A few days ago x2 magpies were having a proper tiff with the pigeon. But the pigeon stood her ground.
I just hope when the eggs hatch that the magpies dont predate the chicks.

Then 3/4 nights ago I watched 30 - 40 brent geese flying in a v formation north on their big trip to Arctic Canada.
It is amazing to see all these changes happening...I think I have noticed a lot of things I didnt have time to before, which is nice..

Oh yes... the last thing I noticed was a magpie coming into my garden with food....digging a little hole and sticking the food in and covering with bark mulch...I went out to check the other day.. and found a big chunk of meat/steak where the magpie hid it... Never realised that they do this.. As I rule I am not fond of magpies, but I admire their intelligence and determination..

What have you noticed in your garden since the lockdown?

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Storm 10

Alun wrote: »

Unfortunately the mother bird in our birdbox seems to have disappeared. Everything was going swimmingly last night up until 9pm when my scheduled recordings stopped, with 6 very strong chicks all eating voraciously. I checked again at around 10.15pm when usually the mother bird will have long taken up residence for the night, and she wasn't there.

She still wasn't there first thing this morning, but around 6am a bird arrived with food, probably the male, but by this time the chicks were in a bad way and weren't interested in food at all, probably cold from the night before. He went in and out for a while and then gave up. Then he reappeared again around noon, and up until now, he's in and out like a yo-yo, sometimes popping repeatedly in and out of the box chirping away with the same piece of food in his beak, but they're getting weaker by the minute, and only one seems to have any strength at all.

Heartbreaking, and very difficult to watch.

Very sad is there any way that you could help say with small worms and a tweezer to feed them if it was me I think I have a go even though I know its nature.

Penfailed

Alun wrote: »

I don't know about coal tits, but for blue tits, between the first egg appearing and hatching is about 2 weeks, and then another 3 weeks to fledging. Add another week for nest building and you're looking at 6 weeks in total where there'd be lots of activity.

We only discovered them during the feeding stage so I suppose it is possible that they've gotten big and bold enough to leave.

griffin100

We’ve had a pair of ravens in the garden regularly over the last couple of weeks - we live in a rural area and they’re some long stands of trees lining our site. I assume they’re nesting nearby. Sends the magpies nuts when they’re in the same trees that the magpies are nesting in. This is the first year I’ve seen a pair in the garden. They’re impressive up close.

John_Rambo

Deleted User wrote: »

I saw a red squirrel twice in the last few days. There’s usually plenty grey ones in that area, but I’ve not seen a red one before. He’d disappeared by the time I got my phone out to take a photo.

Cool! How Far East or West are you?

New development for us... Blue tits nesting in a little bird house that's been attached to the house for about seven years. First time it's been dwelled in.

magicbastarder

Just watched a sparrowhawk take what was almost certainly a juvenile starling about 20 foot from me in the garden.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

Pair of magnificent buzzards who are regulars here, spotted overhead today but this time with their chick in tow.

Very exciting, first time I've seen them with a chick. Nothing like their call, I love to see them.

[Deleted User]

Magnus Flat Chessboard wrote: »

Pair of magnificent buzzards who are regulars here, spotted overhead today but this time with their chick in tow.

Very exciting, first time I've seen them with a chick. Nothing like their call, I love to see them.

One flew ahead of me during the week. The road is fairly closed over, so it flew along the road, about 6 feet off the ground, until it saw an opening. It did a 90 degree turn without slowing. Magnificent.

[Deleted User]

I let my dogs out for their nightly sniff around when I heard some excited barks, which is always a cause for investigation when it comes to my devilish pair!

Then I came across this little guy!

This is my first glimpse of one this year, my OH has been lucky enough to see a pair together a few nights this year. A quick snap and I left the poor wee thing in peace to recover from all the commotion.

Made my day ❤️

ozmo

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi!
Oh yes... the last thing I noticed was a magpie coming into my garden with food....digging a little hole and sticking the food in and covering with bark mulch... Never realised that they do this..

I saw similar last week - was watching them as a magpie took food I left out - and hid it high up in the gutter under some gutter covers I have - just a few minutes later a smaller bird uncovered it and stole his stash

John_Rambo

Massive increase in insect activity compared to previous years in St. Annes park. Most likely due to the lack of strimming and weed eradication. The banks of the river Nanakin are covered with nettles & foliage that would be otherwise not there. Huge amount of bugs, butterflies and moths.

At the start I notices a big increase of buzzard activity most likely due to the lack of roadkill causing them to forage further than the motorways.

Foxes getting braver due to the lack of food source from the cafe and farmers market.

If the park is within your 5k zone it's worth a visit at dusk or at dawn.

[Deleted User]

A rat!

The cats won't use the back garden because there's a 9 stone Newfie puppy out there who chases them. But he's not much of a hunter.

My husband bought a humane trap but expected the rat to just stroll on in, and gave up after just one unsuccessful night. He tried to fill the burrow with cement, but seriously underestimated how much cement to use. My next move would actually just be to take the Newfie for a walk, position the cats by the burrow and repeat daily, until either a cat gets lucky, or the rats just give up and move.

dogmatix

Deleted User wrote: »

A rat!

The cats won't use the back garden because there's a 9 stone Newfie puppy out there who chases them. But he's not much of a hunter.

My husband bought a humane trap but expected the rat to just stroll on in, and gave up after just one unsuccessful night. He tried to fill the burrow with cement, but seriously underestimated how much cement to use. My next move would actually just be to take the Newfie for a walk, position the cats by the burrow and repeat daily, until either a cat gets lucky, or the rats just give up and move.

I also have a humane trap - getting the crafty blighters to go in is almost impossible, no matter what tasty treats i put in. With regards to blocking a rat entrance hole with cement - better to mix the cement with steel wool (comes in rolls at most hardware stores) as the rats (and mice) hate chewing through the steel fibres.

banie01

Lots of birds perching and feeding from the Ivy along my garden walls.
The sheer variety and noisiness of wildlife out there, and even a fox or 2 walking along the avenue in the early morning.

That said, the fixed aren't that unusual. Often spot them on winter mornings by Thomond bridge which is very urban.

dogmatix

Not in my back garden - but very close by. While out walking yesterday by Killavarney wood, I heard a crash beind me and on turning around saw this cute little fawn behind me.

Arequipa

Morning!

I hope you are all well.
I have been working from home and have noticed more from my garden.

A couple of weeks ago a blue tit was moving from the top of mint plants, ripping pieces of mint leaves and flying off to her nest, which i know is in 2 gardens to my left. I presume she was feeding them to the chicks.
These chicks fledged last week sometime. On Friday, when it was really windy I noticed very young and scared looking blue tits, clinging onto branches of shrubs in my garden to avoid being blown away.

This morning a pair of blackbirds came into my garden... the male sat on the mulched border, in the direct sunlight and squatted down, wings and feathers pushed outwards.. like they are sunbathing...have any of you seen this?

I also notice that the birds seem very thirsty and come back for water in my garden, numerous times a day..

A

New Home

They sunbathe, they have dust baths and they have bath-baths! They're great creatures and great fun to watch.

[Deleted User]

New Home wrote: »

They sunbathe, they have dust baths and they have bath-baths! They're great creatures and great fun to watch.

I’ve noticed that too. I’ve made a birdbath with a tray used for watering seedlings from the greenhouse. It’s about 2 inches deep, 8 x 16 inches. It’s on a small path outside my kitchen window. Lovely to look out on.

New Home

Excellent! Just make sure you wash it properly and on a regular basis, they can catch some nasty infections both from those and from the feeders.

Mac-Chops

Was watching this little fella hopping/nearly flying around the garden yesterday.
No sign of any parents checking on it and when it started wandering down towards our neighbouring & frequently patrolled "cat alley", thought best to move it back in to the garden.
Started chirping eventually and some adults flew down for a look so hoping for the best with no further sign this morning.

Bragging rights to who can identify the type?

bocaman

An abundance of wildlife. Birds have built a nest in the hedge. Bees crawl through the grass collecting nectar. A fox on my neighbours shed roof. Ground bees have dug in my garden. Much to my delight I discovered these were harmless. At night I look up and can make out the stars. Yes my garden is a menagerie.

New Home

Mac-Chops wrote: »

Was watching this little fella hopping/nearly flying around the garden yesterday.
No sign of any parents checking on it and when it started wandering down towards our neighbouring & frequently patrolled "cat alley", thought best to move it back in to the garden.
Started chirping eventually and some adults flew down for a look so hoping for the best with no further sign this morning.

Bragging rights to who can identify the type?

That picture isn't visible, Mac-Chops.

Mac-Chops

New Home wrote: »

That picture isn't visible, Mac-Chops.

It showed in the preview for me which usually means OK. Tried something else there hopefully worked.

New Home

Juvenile sparrow, perhaps?

Mac-Chops

New Home wrote: »

Juvenile sparrow, perhaps?

Not quite.

HINT

two wheels good

Miss, Miss! Goldfinch, Miss.

Now I'm going out to make a bird bath. Been meaning to do it since the wheel-barrow dried-up.

Bsal

Arequipa wrote: »

Morning!

I hope you are all well.
I have been working from home and have noticed more from my garden.

A couple of weeks ago a blue tit was moving from the top of mint plants, ripping pieces of mint leaves and flying off to her nest, which i know is in 2 gardens to my left. I presume she was feeding them to the chicks.
These chicks fledged last week sometime. On Friday, when it was really windy I noticed very young and scared looking blue tits, clinging onto branches of shrubs in my garden to avoid being blown away.

This morning a pair of blackbirds came into my garden... the male sat on the mulched border, in the direct sunlight and squatted down, wings and feathers pushed outwards.. like they are sunbathing...have any of you seen this?

I also notice that the birds seem very thirsty and come back for water in my garden, numerous times a day..

A

Blue tits often use medicinal plant leaves to disinfect their nests

Interesting article about it here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8199000/8199726.stm

jams100

I have paving out the back and weeds keep growing in-between the cracks, I'm trying to cement in the cracks but the cement i got seems to have a lot of little stones in it...does anyone know of this is the wrong cement to use? Thanks

New Home

jams100 wrote: »

I have paving out the back and weeds keep growing in-between the cracks, I'm trying to cement in the cracks but the cement i got seems to have a lot of little stones in it...does anyone know of this is the wrong cement to use? Thanks

This might be more of a question for the gardening forum or the DIY forum.

Tiercel Dave

jams100 wrote: »

I have paving out the back and weeds keep growing in-between the cracks, I'm trying to cement in the cracks but the cement i got seems to have a lot of little stones in it...does anyone know of this is the wrong cement to use? Thanks

You should have got Sand and Cement mix, it would be finer. You could possibly riddle out the stones if you are only doing a small area.....

watlantic

Have finally managed to snap the bird that's been singing in the most amazing way in my garden since early April. Its song is the loudest and clearest of all the many birds around and ever changing. The song is very varied, nothing is repeated and in between it does odd noises and weird sounds. sometimes like an electronic device gone mad, so that when in the garden I sometimes can't help LOL. It's about the size of a blackbird, maybe a bit larger, and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything, not even cats passing close by.
Have tried to identify it on various websites and it sounds most like a very loud nightingale, but looks more like a thrush.
Could someone enlighten me what it is ?