Bird Watching in the Garden

charleeh

Wow Thanks for the replies everyone!! I have enjoyed reading about everyone's little visitors

I love the poem about the Thrush - that was lovely!!

And I never thought of helping with the BTO surveys before! - thats an excellent idea!!

As I may have mentioned me and my husband moved out of my Nan's house (finally lol ) and have our own house now but very few birds... we just got back from holiday in Arizona last week to find that we have 2 little visitors joining us for breakfast each morning!!!

2 GOLDFINCHES!!!!

I know it doesn't sound like a lot (especially from the huge array of species I had at Nans - and am still maintaining by feeding them btw) but we were over joyed to see them!!!

.....ps.

I am incredibly jealous of the person who saw waxwings in their garden, I might just go and plant a rowan tree for the plant a tree day on the 22nd now hahah - I was thinking of something more ornamental but hey!! I haven't even seen a waxwing!!! (they have eluded me each winter!)

Good birding everyone

Best wishes,
Charleeh x

frogmella

I was really chuffed when I first enticed the goldfinches into our garden too! We have never had waxwings in our garden but I have seen one in the field next door a few years ago.

We went on holiday to the lakes over Easter and noticed that the chaffinches there sang a different song to the ones here, and, in fact, to the one on the identification guide. Funny how as you get more into looking and listening that you notice odd things. We went to the coast one day and saw oyster catchers which I had never knowingly seen before. We also saw a bird about buzzard sized when up in the fells but it wasn't a buzzard. According to our identification guides it might have been a hen harrier but it wasn't acting like a hen harrier so who knows!

mig

Not exactly watching the birds but oh and I mowed the back lawn between us ,the sparrows were getting increasingly anger chattering away at us,when we had finished and tidied away I filled all the bird feeders and filled the bird bath and I'm in the kitchen giving my hands a good scrubbing when hubby said come and look at this it looked like the message had gone out that there was a feast to be had there were the sparrows plus two blackbirds any number of starlings and the wood pigeons,think it's time for tea and a biscuit. Mig

stickywicket

My neighbour had a heron on his roof yesterday. We thought it was a statue 'til it flew off

Then, of course, there were the humming birds in L.A. Magic.

charleeh

frogmella wrote:

noticed that the chaffinches there sang a different song to the ones here

I have noticed during my travels that birds have 'accents' - I had this confirmed by my very experienced birder cousin who said that they do have regional variations, including the birds appearance too.

Birding has picked up in our new home now I am pleased to report:

This week we have had:

Great Spotted Woodpecker
Goldfinch
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Wood Pigeon
Starling

go us lol!!

pot80

We are enjoying our best ever season for garden birds. Lots of Finches - Bullfinches,Goldfinches,Greenfinches and Chaffinches.Taking pride of place are 4 Gt.Spotted Woodpeckers a mix of two families - the two females fly off in different directions. We have had all possible combinations 3 adults,2 adults and two juveniles. Today the other highlight is the return of the House Martins.We have two nests on the house and this morning I saw a little beak poking out of one.very much hoping that they will stay.

applerose

Wow, you've got some lovely birds there. Not much coming in my garden at the moment. A male blackbird comes demanding food every day and a few sparrows. A dunnock sits singing on top of the hedge and the starlings come in droves to finish off what the blackbird leaves. A couple of pigeons pop in now and again. The house martins have been circling down the road for a few weeks now.

dreamdaisy

I have recently acquired a trio of goldfinches (I hung up some sunflower thingies which they discovered very quickly and now dominate). Two of them were in the flowers outside the kitchen doors just now, I enjoy watching their darting flight pattern as they zoom around the garden. DD

Kitty

Our Sparrows appear to have deserted us. So it's back to the pigeons, starlings and magpies. :? But we still hear the blue tits, great tits, Chaffinch and Robin in the trees at the back of us. This morning (02/07/2015) we even heard a song thrush for about 15 minutes. Such a beautiful sound, haven't heard it for years. We still get Blackbirds too, and in autumn/winter we get the occasional Mistle Thrush. But a Song Thursh - they are on the red list, so that was a real treat.

applerose

My blackbird has been coming for dinner with his grown-up baby every day recently. Baby is still a bit wary of me. Mr B has a sore leg. Poor thing is hopping about on 1 leg using the bad one to balance with when he needs to. Don't know where Mrs B is. Haven't seen her for a couple of weeks now. Hope she's just decided to have a break from them.

A dunnock often sits in the hedge singing and there are a few sparrows gathering nesting materials for round 2. Don't seem to be as many starlings now.

pot80

House Martin nests both have young in them who are now poking their heads out calling for food. A few weeks ago I found egg shells from three different eggs under one of the nests. What the other nest has I do not know.

applerose

My blackbird still comes and his baby, who is all grown up now, comes sometimes for dinner. They are both quite happy for me to stand watching while they eat their mealworms. The sparrows are spending lots of time in my shrubs, maybe eating insects. And I have seen the grown up ones making more babies. I only put food out when I can watch them as there is a cat who comes in to the garden so not too many other birds come in. My raspberries and strawberries are being eaten too.