Wildlife in the Garden and Beyond !!

[Yakram]

Today I had a quick glimpse of two gorgeous Goldfinches in the garden. It is obviously quite cold in the fields if they are coming into the garden.
Anyone taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch for the RSPB on 27-28 January 2007. It's easy, fun and only takes an hour (so says the blurb). You can enter your results on www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch. They want to know if you see the following: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared dove, Dunnock, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Starling, Woodpigeon. Also the most seen at one time for each listed (during the hour). All these call in my garden, but I bet they don't during my hour's observation at the weekend!

[Juliet]

We'll be doing it. They want to know about other birds too though (unless they've changed it this year) - they just give you a list of the most common ones on the form & expect you to add any others.

Btw the link doesn't work - think it's because you put a full stop at the end & that confused it. Try this: www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

[Deleted]

Hi Yakram
Have done it for a few years and it is the maximum number of any bird that lands during the hour in the garden or wherever you are observing. I have had all the birds you listed plus Siskins, Nuthatches, Jays, Songthrushes, Wren, Yellow hammer, Jackdaws, Greater spotted woodpecker. Luckily last year they did all visit in the hour but probably not this year unless we get more frost and lots of snow in the next few days.
This winter I have had up to 13 Goldfinches as regular visitors for several months now eating sunflower hearts and niger seed so it is not cold weather that makes them visit garden feeding stations.

[Yakram]

Thank you Juliet for the important tip about not putting a full stop at the end of a link, even though it is at the end of a sentence. One learns something every day.

[4pygmies]

I'm really hoping that this cold weather will bring the fieldfares to my garden in time for the Birdwatch. I have apples under the trees still ready for them..all of the birds on the list visit us regularly plus some more unusual ones like birds of prey occasionally but it would be nice to see something really different on the day.

[Juliet]

yakram said:

Thank you Juliet for the important tip about not putting a full stop at the end of a link, even though it is at the end of a sentence. One learns something every day.

I only know because I'm always doing it, Yakram! - it's very difficult not to put a full stop at the end of a sentence, even if you know. I always press preview before I post & check the link works though, so whenever I do it I can change it in time.

[Deleted]

I get the usual birds in my garden, including sparrow hawks, pheasants and the occasional spotted and green woodpeckers

Last summer we had frogs, toads, 1 newt and 1 baby grass snake.

Just lately I have been fortunate to see a Barn Owl in the paddock next to our garden and this evening I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a Roe Deer right next to my pond!

[Yakram]

Lovely sunshine and blue skies after days of gloomy grey clouds. A surprise in the garden was to see a pair of bullfinches feeding inside my roofed birdtable, which has chicken wire round it, to prevent larger birds and squirrels from pinching all the seed. Thus the various tits and the robin can be assured of supplies.

[oldmoleskins]

Looks like the pheasants might have been around the kitchen door again...

[Chuckles]

Fab photo OM wonder if it was just one stomping around or a whole flock of them. ;D

[oldmoleskins]

Bit of overhead RAF training today - (unusual for us), planes roaring around the place and really getting the cock pheasants going... they've been calling out like mad. That and thunder seems to set them off...

Went for a mooch about and was rewarded with a cloud of chaffinches keeping me company along the lane, moving along the hedge just a few feet away and chattering away - or chiffing I suppose it's called...

OM

[Deleted]

we've had mallards in the breeding season and later a mommy mallard with 9 ducklings. At other times we have had a sparrowhawk twice , a jay twice and a fox once.

murraymint

[Chuckles]

Now my neighbour has moved, along with his two young cats the sparrows are back near my back door and room window. I'm so pleased ;D I can sit on the settee and watch them feed again

[Chuckles]

Has anyone noticed lots of big bumble bees around in the last few days, I've seen loads. Also noticed Ladybirds about too.

[Rosefriend]

Yes I have - quite a few bees on the crocuses and a ladybird decided to have a look at one of my Orchids in the lounge this afternoon.

Quite a few outside too and slugs unfortunately.

RF

[Deleted]

Ive seen lots of Ladybirds and caterpillars ive got rid of the caterpillars, ive not killed them but threw them into an overgrown garden at the back of me.
Ive also found in one of my strawberry troughs that i have re done, lots of Chafer Grubs, thats probably why the plants had died. They got squashed.

[oldmoleskins]

this fella turned up at feeding time today... a bit wary, though the hens are very tame now...

[Chuckles]

He's a handsome looking fella OM and the hens are pretty too.

[Chuckles]

Saw loads of those huge Bee's I've been seeing yesterday in the garden. The Ladybirds were out sunning themselves and also saw a couple of them having a bit of rumpty tumpty . Mrs Blackbird was also spotted collecting bits and bobs off the garden for her nest.

Ain't life grand

[Deleted]

Can anyone explain to me where my garden birds have gone ? When I did the big garden birdwatch in January, I hardly had any. Since then, I've been keeping an eye on the bird life in teh garden and it's virtually non existent. It's usually teeming with birds in our neighbourhood but they seem to have completely disappeared.

A neighbour said he saw a sparrowhawk a couple of weeks ago. Could that have taken them all ? Or are they just hiding from it ?

My colleague, who lives about half a mile from me said the same thing about his garden. Does anyone know how big a territory sparrowhawks have ?

Thanks
FA x

[oldmoleskins]

fatandy said:

Does anyone know how big a territory sparrowhawks have ?

Thanks
FA x

And the bad news... I've been told since I took an interest in the 'dissappearing pigeons' that they don't have a territory as such, and that several may 'work' a wide productive area until all prey species diminish to a point where they have to move on...

Now there's a thought.

OM.

[Spruance]

That's interesting OM.

There has been at least one sparrowhawk visiting our garden for the last ten years or more, and the only discernible difference over that time is a scarcity of chaffinches. I suppose they stand out more than sparrows, which despite being number one menu item still flock to our garden in abundance. Worse luck!

What is of greater concern is a pair of magpies which appear to be looking for a nesting site. One bird seen with nesting materials only this morning. These are always cleared off as a matter of course, but we can't be 'on patrol' all day long.

NB: I should perhaps point out to the uninitiated that magpies are notorious for taking other birds' eggs.

[oldmoleskins]

fatandy said:

Can anyone explain to me where my garden birds have gone ? When I did the big garden birdwatch in January, I hardly had any. Since then, I've been keeping an eye on the bird life in teh garden and it's virtually non existent. It's usually teeming with birds in our neighbourhood but they seem to have completely disappeared.
Thanks
FA x

And another thing... you're absolutely right on an 'industrial' level too Andy;
I've been taking an interest in the cultivation of the ground immediatley surrounding my place over the past 48 hours (ahead of the expected bad weather I suppose) From ploughing to drilling, the whole process - and not a bird to be seen, not even gulls.
The ground is full of worms, and seed corn now too, but there's nothing out there...

OM

[Chuckles]

Seem to have had lack of birds about today in my garden, but thats probably because they have been tucked up in a nice thick hedge somewhere out of this awful weather we've had today.

Did see two Robins this morning scuttering about, one had a bath in the water trough and then the other came and fed it with some bread I'd put out, must say they both looked like fully grown adults to me. It's time like that that I wished I had a better zoom on my camera

[4pygmies]

Well, I beg to differ but my garden is packed with birds! All the usual finches, tits, robins, yellowhammers, sparrows, dunnocks, collared doves plus magpies, starlings and blackbirds. The farmer is ploughing over the road and there are flocks of gulls as per normal. In the field next to us there are 10 or 11 swans that have been there for over a week now. And pheasants and partridges all over the place. I guess we're just lucky then.....and it has been hailing today (Sorry! Don't mean to sound smug!)

[oldmoleskins]

Well, that's it then 4P - they're all at your place!

OM.

[Deleted]

We have pretty well everything here I expect to see back home, plus hoopoes and lizards and BIG grass snakes - in fact I was a little disappointed when I first came out 4 years ago at how similar things are - now I rejoice in the comfortable familiarity and enjoy tipping-off friends back home the annual migrants are on their way to you!
Judy

[Chuckles]

Hoopoes are lovely summerswallow they'd certainly stand out in a UK garden ;D

[Yakram]

The insects are coming! Today I saw honeybees, big hairy bumblebees, queen wasp, a comma butterfly, and a peacock butterfly which sunbathed on my shoulder (I was sunbathing, too!)
Amazingly, the frogs have only just laid frogspawn in my well established and carefully maintained wildlife pond. There had been no sign of them at all so far this year; I usually see some around Valentine's day, with spawn a fortnight later. Very odd.
Last year and the year before the spawn was laid in the middle of the pond - we had a hot year. This time it is at the edge again - is it going to be a wet year? I hope not.

[Yakram]

What I thought was a slug on the path turned out to be a 'message' from a hedgehog! I am glad one is around again, as there has been no sign for a couple of years. I put out some mealworms last night under the back porch (hope the Robin doesn't mind sharing) and they had gone this morning. They are freeze-dried and not live, thank goodness.