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Post by andy on Jul 13, 2007 9:25:15 GMT
Has anyone else noticed a distinct lack of garden birds around at the moment. There's plenty of crows, magpies, gulls and pigeons but only the occasional blackbird, dunnock, wren, robbin and thrush.
The garden at work is usually bustling with blue tits, long tail tits, goldfinches, chaffinches, grey wagtails and lots lots more but i haven't seen any for ages.
Is it the weather ? or have they all flown south ?
Anyone else noticed ?
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Post by dirtyboots on Jul 13, 2007 9:38:00 GMT
They are all over here andy lol We have a beautiful thrush which wanders all round the garden with worms in its beak, just hope the cats don't get it. The tits are still feeding on the fat balls, should I stop putting them out or do we have to keep on feeding them in the summer too?  Lots of blakbirds,wrens,robins,starlings,swallows,I could go on for ages. Sorry that you are short at the moment. I spend ages looking at the birds instead of working ! . We also have buzzards and hen harriers. One of the buzzards just sits on the telegraph pole and watches the cars on the road. (maybe he is an oldie like me!) db |
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Post by madonplants on Jul 13, 2007 11:32:41 GMT
Has anyone else noticed a distinct lack of garden birds around at the moment. There's plenty of crows, magpies, gulls and pigeons but only the occasional blackbird, dunnock, wren, robbin and thrush. The garden at work is usually bustling with blue tits, long tail tits, goldfinches, chaffinches, grey wagtails and lots lots more but i haven't seen any for ages. Is it the weather ? or have they all flown south ? Anyone else noticed ? I agree, Andy. We still get blackbirds, starling, robin(s), sparrows, doves, pied wagtails, magpies and the odd buzzard, wren and gull (3 types), but only seen goldfinches once. Our garden is still quite new, so maybe time for me yet. I haven't seen a blue tit or any tit for that matter for ages, well except for the wife's!!  They do say that our most popular pet is now the cat, taken over from the dog, so this may have something to do with it, but can't believe it is the main cause! If people would put bells on their cats and bring them IN at night, it would help!  Also could it have something to do with 'low maintenance gardens' being so widely used now and one of my bugbears, weed suppressing membrane?!! How do the birds get at the worms and other beasties in the soil! Keith |
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Post by dirtyboots on Jul 13, 2007 12:16:45 GMT
Naughty Keith  I agree with you on the membrane stuff, the French use a lot of it but don't plant enough plants so it is always on show. We have 3 cats who are free to roam day and night, also a dog who is a great mole catcher i151.photobucket.com/albums/s130/dirtyboots_2007/Maggie2.jpg Anybody want to hire her? ;D db |
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Post by andy on Jul 13, 2007 13:33:49 GMT
Is she a pointer DB....what a gorgeous girl she is !!!
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Post by madonplants on Jul 13, 2007 17:01:51 GMT
Naughty Keith I agree with you on the membrane stuff, the French use a lot of it but don't plant enough plants so it is always on show. We have 3 cats who are free to roam day and night, also a dog who is a great mole catcher i151.photobucket.com/albums/s130/dirtyboots_2007/Maggie2.jpg Anybody want to hire her? ;D db Sorry, but true DB. I went on RSPCA and RSPB courses as a teenager and this was drummed into us about cats. It's our responsibility to help protect our native wildlife and it's a fact that cats are our bird's worst enemy. Oh and I have had cats before, as a child and when grownup, so don't hate them! Can't ignore the truth, can you? Glad you agree about the wsm, though. In it's place yes, like under paths or decks, but I like using my hoe!! Every tv show seems to use it now. It should be the plants that come out of the van first, but sadly not true anymore. Lovely dog, btw. ;D Keith |
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Post by Shrubrose on Jul 13, 2007 17:10:37 GMT
Actually, I hadn't noticed but now that you've said, all the little ones have gone. I've only spotted pigeons, rooks and maggies this last couple of weeks. Very strange.
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Post by JennyWrenn on Jul 14, 2007 19:55:57 GMT
Lots of birds round here - too many magpies tho - they make the most awful racket in a morning I heard the Cuckoo a couple weeks ago, in Holland, it gave me such a buzz - not heard it in the UK for many years I notice the shy thrush is actually strutting about the lawns on the pavements on my main road pulling up worms and hopefully eating some of my slugs |
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Post by Slugger on Jul 19, 2007 11:33:20 GMT
Hi Andy. To get back to your original question, a lot of the smaller garden birds (tits etc.) are going through the moult at the moment - replacing last years feathers, so they tend to make themselves scarce as flying is not all that easy!
And no, they are not bald at the moment, but replace them a few at a time. and when they do reappear they will not be as brightly coloured as before - this will come in the spring when the feather edges get worn down a bit to reveal the true colours underneath.
Larger birds do this too. If you look at crows and gulls at this time of the year you will often see gaps in the wing feathers as the old ones drop out.
There. Science lesson for the day over!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2007 11:34:10 GMT
Seeing plenty in our garden since our cat died.  |
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Post by Slugger on Jul 19, 2007 11:34:47 GMT
And why is this in Garden Gallery?!
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Post by andy on Jul 19, 2007 17:16:39 GMT
Hi Andy. To get back to your original question, a lot of the smaller garden birds (tits etc.) are going through the moult at the moment - replacing last years feathers, so they tend to make themselves scarce as flying is not all that easy! And no, they are not bald at the moment, but replace them a few at a time. and when they do reappear they will not be as brightly coloured as before - this will come in the spring when the feather edges get worn down a bit to reveal the true colours underneath. Larger birds do this too. If you look at crows and gulls at this time of the year you will often see gaps in the wing feathers as the old ones drop out. There. Science lesson for the day over! I've been watching the birds and keeping notes on what's about for a few years now and there's usually a glut of starlings, blue tits, chaffinches, thrushes, robbins, wrens and blackbirds at this time of year. We also get a visit from long tail tits and the grey wag tails are always round the pond looking for bugs. But there's nothing....i hear the occasional wren and i have a female blackbird that follows me around but that's it. We have a bloke who has been walking through the garden at work for many years now and even he said the same. There has been a sparrow hawk zooming around but he was here last year and we had hundreds of blue tits etc. If you look at the main page (home page i believe it's called) the "garden gallery" incorporates wildlife among other things. HTH |
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Post by Slugger on Jul 20, 2007 8:51:59 GMT
Fair enough. I still say they are moulting though! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2007 20:10:06 GMT
Just pinging this thread back to the top because I was wondering if anyone else is still suffering from a distinct lack of wildlife in their garden. I've been watching for the last few months and we can sometimes go hours without seeing a bird in the garden. I know we have 2 cats but we've had them a long time and we always used to get loads. My garden seems to be pretty "dead" at the moment.
We've also not had much in the way of insect life in the garden this summer, we had no summer chafers in July (we usually have masses of them) and we haven't had a single cranefly this year yet. We're normally inundated with the bloody things by now. Just where the hell has everything gone ?
Is anyone else finding the same ?
FA x
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Post by JennyWrenn on Aug 31, 2007 20:38:10 GMT
I have two regular wood pigeons and quite a number of sparrows visit Yesterday  I found a dead blackbird in my garden - I didnt know what to do with it for a while and put it in my summer house on some tissue paper - I wasnt sure if he was really dead cos didnt see any injuries He was tho |
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Post by Tig on Aug 31, 2007 22:31:36 GMT
Got starlings galore! And quite a few sparrows (not sure which ones?) Collared doves, blackbirds and robins. And the cat! I do put bread and fat out quite regularly, but haven't refilled my bird feeders with nuts and seeds yet. Not seen many 'pretties' for a while.
Jennywren - I have found that the Corvids will take dead birds from my lawn - it is just nature after all.
Tig
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Post by Shrubrose on Sept 1, 2007 7:16:31 GMT
Things have improved in my garden. Now seeing blackbirds, one wren, long tailed tits (noisy little blighters) and starlings.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2007 7:25:43 GMT
Most of mine are AWOL at the moment, I do not get starlings unless I put out fat ball's. The sparrows are still about and the odd blue tit and robin, but the green finches and gold finches have not been around for a couple of weeks. My end of garden neighbour is building his loft conversion so it has been a little noisy Sara  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 1, 2007 7:33:45 GMT
I seem to still have the usual cross section of birds here. I keep my hangers topped up all year and they always seem to be full of tits, sparrows, finches etc. The swallows are still here too although I have read that many have started their migration early this year. My Woodpecker is still a regular too. The Magpies have disappeared though - there are far too many of them round here - so I'm glad about that.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2007 7:41:50 GMT
I do try to encourage wildlife, particularly birds into the garden with food and plenty of cover in the form of large shrubs etc. It's just been really noticeable for ages now how few there are around. Even when we did the big garden birdwatch in January and I put out fat blocks, seed & bread we had almost none.
FA x
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Post by carolann on Sept 1, 2007 7:58:47 GMT
The birds vanished back in mid June around here, all we had where Swallows, House Martins gulls and Crows. Now that the Rowen has berries and a few other trees they seem to be coming back slowly. Talking of Swallows has anyone elses gone south yet? Ours usually go around the 15th Sept but they went the 25th Aug this year, we alway keep a record does anyone else do this?
Carol.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2007 17:27:17 GMT
Now that you mention it the wee ones aren't about at the moment, must be the weather, not surprised. had to put the heating on 2 nights last week.
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Post by Weeterrier on Sept 2, 2007 19:26:08 GMT
I put out one of the 12" seed feeders at about 10.00 every morning, and it is almost always empty by noon, so there is no shortage of birds here. I feed small birds at the front of the house. Big birds get fed at the back, with food scraps mainly. Strangely, the birds are accepting this segregation very well. I'm fortunate though, living in the countryside. Also I have trees and a small pond, and I don't kill slugs, so there is always abundant natural foods as well as the commercial seed. I have cats, both of them rescued from the wild. To keep them in would be what I would like, but I would get no peace, and very little sleep. They would go mad! I'm afraid they don't wear bells. Maybe I'm soft, but I couldn't bear to have a bell ringing constantly round my neck, and I don't like to inflict it on another creature. Fortunately, because it would upset me, the cats have no interest in the birds, they are far too busy stalking mice in the hedgerow. I feel sorry for them too. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2007 20:07:51 GMT
I filled 2 seed feeders up in January and by April, they hadn't even been emptied once. I've stopped buying seed now because they don't eat it. I guess it must be something to do with the mild winters we have now. There must be plenty of other food around even during the winter days.
FA x
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Post by Weeterrier on Sept 2, 2007 22:17:11 GMT
Lucky you Andy. It costs me more to feed the birds than it does to feed myself, most days anyway Even a woodpecker comes to take the seed. There is masses of wild food, as I said, but I think they are just lazy **@!!*** |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2007 7:20:59 GMT
My little Goldfinches bought their babies for lunch yesterday, unable to get a photo but here are mum & dad.  Sara |
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Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 3, 2007 7:36:59 GMT
Deeply envious, Sara, despite teasles and nyger banquet have yet to see a goldfinch here, though they are within a few hundred metres at a neighbour's... As to "where have all the birds gone" I did see a worrying page in our local rag the EDP - "a sour note in the garden" reporting devastation among small garden birds caused by a parasite, trichomona gallinae causing death by starvation. Started in pigeons, apparently and is country-wide since 2005 though only just reported in Norfolk... it's a full page article so too much to quote here, but the EDP online www.edp24.co.uk/news should have it - including preventative measures we can take. OM. ps just checked my own link - to save navigating, this should take you straight into "news" and then scroll down to the item: new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx? |
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Post by Weeterrier on Sept 3, 2007 12:34:45 GMT
Deeply envious? Me too! I have seen goldfinches a couple of times here, and bullfinches just once. Nothing wrong with all the other birds, glad to see them whatever they are, but a sighting of something different is always a joy. Worrying about the parasite OM |
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Post by andy on Sept 7, 2007 16:45:38 GMT
Well....the bird population has improved slightly. There's a few blue and great tits around at work. A couple of thrushes, wrens and blackbirds are still there but i have a lot of robins which are great to watch with their little terratorial disputes. They get pretty close especially when i'm digging.
The only explanation is the sparrow hawk has scared them all off.....he's disappeared now (probably no food left) so a few of the birdies are coming back
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I found a dead blackbird in my garden - I didnt know what to do with it for a while and put it in my summer house on some tissue paper - I wasnt sure if he was really dead cos didnt see any injuries 
