Our Garden Birds

[Cherry]

The birds don’t like my ‘no grow’ bird seed.

[SueA]

That's a shame Cherry, I wonder why? Couple of little goldfinch fledglings were pottering about on the garage roof this morning when I got up picking around in the moss on there, I suppose some birds are more particular than others about what they eat.

[grindle]

I do find the odd mixes they take a dislike to.
Walked up the garden and saw a fledgling gold finch enjoying a splash in the waterfall

[seaburn]

I put out lots of extra trays of water for the birds and delighted to see many are taking advantage. I also pre-soak mealworms etc to avoid causing dehydration in the babies.

Also butterflies are taking drinks from the trays.

[grindle]

never thought of soaking the mealworms seaburn that's a good idea will do some today, I've noticed a lot of the birds have disappeared I guess they're working up to the moulting season now

[SueA]

We have various bowls of water out & there was a rowdy queue of starlings around the water bowl on the bird feeder pole first thing this morning drinking & bathing!

[SueA]

The woodpigeon nesting in the wisteria over the patio has hatched her first egg! there's a tiny pink blob with sparse white fluff cheeping over out heads!

[seaburn]

We have lost one of the wood pigeons today.
First thing [6.30 am] there was a headless pigeon on the grass with a few feathers near it. I ignored it as I didn't want to go and get damp as it was raining lightly.

Later in the morning I was weeding my veg plot when all the blackbirds set of their alarms. I looked up and 10ft away a female sparrow hawk was on the carcass. No camera of course and I didn't want to scare her off so I was knelt there for 40 mins whilst she plucked and ate it all bar the feet and guts.

Apparently hubby took some pictures through the kitchen window. Fantastic I hope but they are on film!

[SueA]

We had a visit from a little raiding party of longtail tits yesterday, lovely little birds, there were about 8 of them.. We usually get gangs of them early in the year around February but not often at this time of year. Pics. not that clear as I took them through the window!

[seaburn]

They are such charismatic little things aren't they. We often get 6 or so in the garden through winter. They did breed in the back of the shrubbery one year. Nest was sublime.

[grindle]

you're clever even getting photos SueA they generally fly off when I get a camera near not seen any here yet, I' ve noticed that the birds seem to be later this year coming back to the garden, I guess there's still plenty for them in the hedgerows round here

[SueA]

They do flit about a lot don't they grindle, they were in & out of all the shrubs, trees, bird boxes etc. but these 3 sat still for a minute on the feeders! They're quite brave as well & just whizz past my head if I'm out there!

[Cherry]

I think the Rooks in the oak trees keep birds away. There are two types of Pigeons and one Robin. I am now bringing the feeders in for washing. They don’t even eat the peanuts. I am very disappointed. Fat balls are so popular with the Pigeons that I gave up putting them out. They broke them up to eat them on the garden, in minutes.

[SueA]

When your garden develops a bit more Cherry & there are more hiding places in the shrubs etc. you'll probably get more of the smaller birds visiting. If I put fat balls or blocks out they get eaten by flocks of screamimg, squabbling starlings!

[grindle]

Had a lovely surprise visit from a Bullfinch yesterday it stayed for quite a while, probably decimating the buds on my viburnum but was lovely to watch couldn't get a photo of it as I was indoors and it was just a bit too far away, this is the first time I've ever seen one in the garden since we've lived here.