Birds in the garden.

[H block]

Sitting here doing a bit of paperwork before I go out and have just watched a Sparrow, a Robin and a Common Tit all sitting together whilst taking it in turns to have a bash at the peanut cage I have hung up. I like watching birds a lot.

Got me thinking as to what I should be putting out for them this winter besides the nutty fatballs I usually put out.

Also when should one put a Tit box up ?

 

[super-seagulls]

 

[Dawn Korus]

I nearly posted something similar bout birds yesterday, I'm in no-way a twitcher, but yesterday morning there was a unbusual, brightly coloured bird sitting on top of my car. I was quite captivated by it, so much so it prompted me to look it up on Google. Found out it was a Goldfinch, certainly not something I'd seen before.

 

[H block]

I nearly posted something similar bout birds yesterday, I'm in no-way a twitcher, but yesterday morning there was a unbusual, brightly coloured bird sitting on top of my car. I was quite captivated by it, so much so it prompted me to look it up on Google. Found out it was a Goldfinch, certainly not something I'd seen before.

My young son came running in one day and was shouting excitedly that there was a Puffin in the garden.
That was a Greenfinch.... very pretty.

 

[Trufflehound]

Sitting here doing a bit of paperwork before I go out and have just watched a Sparrow, a Robin and a Common Tit all sitting together whilst taking it in turns to have a bash at the peanut cage I have hung up. I like watching birds a lot.

If you were watching that keenly, and it really was a Common Tit, you may have spotted the fact it was a butterfly... Butterflies of Singapore: Life History of the Common Tit

More likely a Great Tit, Blue Tit or Coal Tit?


[/pedant]

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I have just finished a spell of work in Preston Park and befriended a Robin. He used to come and sit in my office until I gave him some weetabix.

I love birds. I might have to dig out my David Attenbrough Life of Birds soon.

 

[porkypie]

Feed any of these,

Bread (moistened)
Cake
Cheese
Cooked potato
currants
fruit
mealworm
nuts (unsalted)
Pastry
porridge oats (dry)
raisins
suet
Sultanas
sunflower seeds

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I had a woodpecker in my garden for a while, lovely colours it was, bright green, red and yellow and quite large. Did the old headbanging sometimes - it's a nice sound to hear of a summers evening. He did seem to like digging in the garden though, middle of the lawn ... strange. Not seen him for a while.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

I find crushed plain peanuts simply disappear in minutes rather than leave them whole for the bigger birds,i also buy mixed fruit cake mix the dried sort and that goes down well most supermarkets do their own and it is not that much to buy.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Sitting here doing a bit of paperwork before I go out and have just watched a Sparrow, a Robin and a Common Tit all sitting together whilst taking it in turns to have a bash at the peanut cage I have hung up. I like watching birds a lot.

Got me thinking as to what I should be putting out for them this winter besides the nutty fatballs I usually put out.

Also when should one put a Tit box up ?

In fact if you get two Robins together they sometime fight esch other,a feisty little bird.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I have fat balls, seed mix and peanuts out and the first two have to be replenished regularly, the third less so, unless the bloody squirrels manage to get in. Not really getting a wide variety of birds though, just masses of starlings and sparrows, plus a robin, some pigeons and a blue tit. Hope to see more variety over the winter and maybe a few interesting migrators as I am on the end of Shoreham Beach

 

[Gazwag]

I would like to see more birds in my garden but the neighbourhood has too many bird murderers around

 

[H block]

If you were watching that keenly, and it really was a Common Tit, you may have spotted the fact it was a butterfly... Butterflies of Singapore: Life History of the Common Tit

More likely a Great Tit, Blue Tit or Coal Tit?


[/pedant]

yes - great tit it was. well twitched.

 

[clippedgull]

I have a friendly seagull who is waiting for breakfast every morning when I get up (12 floors up, no garden!) He/she? loves tuna and egg mayonaisse. Won't eat dry bread, insists on Anchor butter otherwise the bread is tossed over the balcony. I recycle most of my other leftovers through his/her mates who dive onto every morsel from a great height as it is thrown from the balcony. Seagulllsss!!!

 

[readingstockport]

Here in Reading it's now not uncommon to see these bad boys



in the gardens. And damn impresive they are as well.

 

[glasfryn]

I find crushed plain peanuts simply disappear in minutes rather than leave them whole for the bigger birds,i also buy mixed fruit cake mix the dried sort and that goes down well most supermarkets do their own and it is not that much to buy.

good call we also use Tesco museli which is sometimes as low as 65p and mix it with all sorts and what the birds leave the foxes eat that night.
living in rural Wales does have is good points its sometime like a scene from St Francis here
even though we have 4supposed "bird murderers"
I have been trying to put a link up for a forum ....nature_uk .but the damn thing won't work
if you can find it its a good forum and worth having a look

 

[Seagull kimchi]

Great thread. I used to adore watching the sparrow hawks circling high above the fields waiting to swoop on their unsuspecting quarry.

Nowadays I get to savour the delights of multiple genus of Kingfisher from the huge to the tweeny, along with red kites, incredible hornbills and the occasional hummingbird. I'm always left trans-fixed.

 

[skipper734]

Up to 6 at a time of these ride the thermals over Curdridge. The most I have counted is 8, maybe that's why it's called the Common Buzzard.

 

[CheeseRolls]

We moved house in the summer and our old garden only half a mile away, got very few bird visitors. We did once have a goldcrest fly into the patio windows and sit dazed in the garden for about 20 minutes and earlier this year I took a photo of a black redstart, sitting on our wall. For now I am just having to be patient though.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I had a woodpecker in my garden for a while, lovely colours it was, bright green, red and yellow and quite large. Did the old headbanging sometimes - it's a nice sound to hear of a summers evening. He did seem to like digging in the garden though, middle of the lawn ... strange. Not seen him for a while.

If it lawn feeds it'll be a Green Woodpecker. They go for ants. Listen for the 'laughing' call, very distinctive.

I used to have a Greater Spotted Woodpecker come and feed on the nuts we put out, living in the dead tree in the copse behind the garden. They have amazing gripping claws can almost hang upside down.

PG