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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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magicbastarder

yep, it's a thrush. song thrush rather than a mistle thrush, from what you say about the song.

Mickeroo

It's a Song Thrush I think? Definitely a thrush of some kind anyway.

New Home

I remember reading around these parts that a way of distinguishing them was to look at the little "arrows" ^ ^ ^ on their chest... only I can't remember which is which...

Where is Srameen when you need him?!

magicbastarder

https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/u23/downloads/pdfs/thrushes_01_2012_low_res.pdf

there's a guide there, but the differences are subtle.

New Home

The most obvious (well, kind of...) difference to me is that the song thrush's head is much darker.

Storm 10

In the past week or so the birds are gone mad at the three feeders I have out in Galway City, Peanuts, Sunflower Hearts and Niger seed, cant keep up with them I notice that they seem to be feeding their young as there are a lot of them which probably explains it, Gold Finches, Blue Tits, Starlings, Sparrows, Robins and a Jackdaw at the peanuts who does well to hang on there every day and of course the hoovers on the ground Pigeons, I had to put a bit of a fence around the Sunflower Hearts as the Pigeons were breaking feeders and spilling seed. Lovely to see this every day.

watlantic

watlantic wrote: »

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 ?

Many thanks to all who posted a reply. Listening more closely I now noticed that this bird does repeat a few verses every now and again. It seems to be ground-nesting in an overgrown area on the neighbour's land.
Anyway, I'm going to call it the 'Grammy Thrush' as it deserves that award in the 'Best Singer' category. Most beautifully entertaining song and it definitely doesn't need an amplifier.
Got another shot of him (or her ?) a short while ago:

Penfailed

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

That's concrete in a bag. Concrete is made up of sand, cement, aggregate and water. You need sand and cement only for your job (and water).

catrat12

Live in the Dublin mountains and my god the amount of birds and rabbits is incredible way more than usual

Flocks of starlings every few minutes landing and flying by
Swallows and house sparrows and starlings nesting in eves some noise and only can imagine the **** up there
Every night bout 8 there is at least ten rabbits hopping around garden
Do feed anything but plenty of goldfinches, bullfinchs blue tits long tailed tits and great tits siskens and seen a gold crest at a certain tree plenty of buzzards/ kites don’t know the difference and just plenty, caught a hedgehog most evenings on night time camera but seems to have gone now

catrat12

And curlew at some time in year but don’t think they are the endangered ones

CalamariFritti

Just noticed something in my back garden that I can't explain, but I don't know much about birds.

There is this blackbird sitting out on the lawn in the full sun. He is sitting down low with his wings spread wide and beak open. It looks must unusual he almost looks like a bat there. He is there for quite some time he seems to enjoy this and he did the same thing yesterday.

its obviously something to with the sun and the heat but I wonder is he trying to catch rays or is he trying to cool? I don't quite understand what he's doing.

New Home

Sunbathing, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the rays help kill off mites. Make sure you leave him some water nearby.

Alun

New Home wrote: »

Sunbathing, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the rays help kill off mites. Make sure you leave him some water nearby.

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/sunning.aspx

catrat12

Another thing I have noticed the last few days is at least 2 or 3 birds flying into the windows surely must be to do with strong sunshine hitting the window and reflecting

New Home

Put a silhouette of a bird of prey against the window when there's a reflection, that will keep them away and safe from harm.

two wheels good

A few Cabbage Whites - that's all!
Where's the butterfly resurgence?

John_Rambo

catrat12 wrote: »

And curlew at some time in year but don’t think they are the endangered ones

If it's this time of the year they're native, rare and endangered!

https://greennews.ie/have-you-seen-a-curlew-birdwatch-ireland-need-you-to-report-sightings-of-this-endangered-bird-during-the-breeding-season/

catrat12

John_Rambo wrote: »

If it's this time of the year they're native, rare and endangered!

https://greennews.ie/have-you-seen-a-curlew-birdwatch-ireland-need-you-to-report-sightings-of-this-endangered-bird-during-the-breeding-season/

I actually contacted birdwatch Ireland 2 years ago and they were very dismissive they just said the ones I saw were Not endangered I offered photos and co-ordinances and they were not interested

John_Rambo

catrat12 wrote: »

I actually contacted birdwatch Ireland 2 years ago and they were very dismissive they just said the ones I saw were Not endangered I offered photos and co-ordinances and they were not interested

That's not good. Was it during the summer months?

catrat12

John_Rambo wrote: »

That's not good. Was it during the summer months?

Pretty sure it was autumn I live near loads of fields so they always land in them

watlantic

Had a lizard calling to my patio door today (see images).
It's a young female and she wasn't camera-shy at all:

Spanish Eyes

There are blackbirds out the back and maybe thrushes too not sure, but honestly their song is just the business when sitting out there quietly and listening. So uplifting in these times too.

I don't think many have had the time to listen to them until lockdown.

Spanish Eyes

watlantic wrote: »

Had a lizard calling to my patio door today (see images).
It's a young female and she wasn't camera-shy at all:

Are you in Ireland? Have to say I haven't seen a lizard here, but that's not to say they don't habitate here either, I don't know.

Penfailed

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Are you in Ireland? Have to say I haven't seen a lizard here, but that's not to say they don't habitate here either, I don't know.

I've seen two in the past twenty years.

Tiercel Dave

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Are you in Ireland? Have to say I haven't seen a lizard here, but that's not to say they don't habitate here either, I don't know.

The Viviparous Lizard in our only native reptile and is widespread across the country.....

Spanish Eyes

Tiercel Dave wrote: »

The Viviparous Lizard in our only native reptile and is widespread across the country.....

Where are they? Have never seen any at all.

Alun

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Where are they? Have never seen any at all.

I see them quite often up in the Wicklow Mountains. Although like all lizards they like sunning themselves on warm rocks, any time I've seen them they've always been in wet boggy ground. I've even seen one "swimming" across a small pond.

Penfailed

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Where are they? Have never seen any at all.

Two different locations in the north west for me.

John_Rambo

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Where are they? Have never seen any at all.

I've seen a huge increase of them on the Bull Island since lockdown. They're all over Howth head too. They're hard to spot, but once you've seen them and get used to what to look for you'll spot them easily enough.

New Home

Third visit from the hedgehog a few minutes ago.