Garden Birds chat 2011

Ditch

trebor28 wrote: »

not doubting you but how do you know it was a long eared owl?

and is that the list?
barn, long eared and short eared?

I'd imagine it to be Long Eared on the basis that we only have the three owls listed above here. No Tawny or Little. Like; OK, I hear there's a Snowy gets about? But it's not very likely to be that singular bird.

Barn Owl doesn't hoot at all. Short Eared does. But, ye description just 'sounds' better for LEO.

Why not Google their calls and have a listen?

Ditch

trebor28 wrote: »

50 on top of what i got already??

dunno if ill live that long!

Don't worry about it. By the time their numbers build up here as they have in england? Ye'll be losing the will to live anyway!

Flo with a view

ppink wrote: »

great pics Flo! Do you find the nyger seed feeder is the best thing to use? i got the seed but just sprinkled a bit out for them and i was thinking of getting the proper feeder.

It seems to be best if you only put Nyger seed in the proper feeder. It has little tiny slots in the sides so that the birds can only get at the seeds by pulling them out one by one. Otherwise I imagine it gets scattered very wastefully.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Florence/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png[/IMG]

Half-cocked

Flo with a view wrote: »

ppink wrote: »

great pics Flo! Do you find the nyger seed feeder is the best thing to use? i got the seed but just sprinkled a bit out for them and i was thinking of getting the proper feeder.

It seems to be best if you only put Nyger seed in the proper feeder. It has little tiny slots in the sides so that the birds can only get at the seeds by pulling them out one by one. Otherwise I imagine it gets scattered very wastefully.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Florence/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png[/IMG]

+1

Nyger seed isn't cheap. Using the proper feeder will ensure that only target species can get at it - linnets, goldfinches, redpolls etc. Leave out peanuts, sunflower seeds etc in ordinary for all the other species.

ppink

Awful bang on the window....its a goldfinch:(. it is stunned so I put him in a box on a towel and hopefully he will recover. anything else I should do for him?

Ditch

ppink wrote: »

anything else I should do for him?

Nothing ye can do, mate. I've had a Blackbird hit by a motor. Gasping for breath because it was winded, see?

Darkness soothes birds. Warm and dark and he'll come round, with a bit of luck

ppink

Thanks Ditch...he's gone, up to the top of the big oak tree:D:D. when i went back to him after 20mins he was very ready to go, i did not delay him for a pic:p but he did leave me a little pressie to clean up;). poor fella probably got concussion!

knealecat

If any one interested i was in woddies in Lucan the other day and they were selling 5L tubs of bird nuts for €10, cheapest place so far for me.

Ditch

knealecat wrote: »

5L tubs of bird nuts for €10

Wonder how they pans out by Kg? Just that I pay ..... I think it's €13.00 for 5 Kg.

Either way; that's just in my small, 'local' town. Not exactly spoiled for choice there.

Given a reasonable choice? I'd be willing to pay a premium for the better quality nuts. I 'had a go at' the guy in our creamery the other day. They buy from two suppliers, so we get round tubs and rectangular tubs. Same price.

I left him in no doubt what so ever that I prefer the ones in the Rectangular tubs

Feargal as Luimneach

In Petmania Carlow town, two weeks ago I got 1kg of O'Keefes Nyjer seed for around 3 Euro. There was a special offer; but two get one free.

Also you could get 2 bags of O'Keefes superior wild bird seed (15 grain blend) for 30 euro. I bag is 12.75 Kg. Brillant stuff

ISP_dude

Wohoo, spotted a male Blackcap in one of my birches this morning. Was starting to loose hope of seeing one in my garden. Let's home he comes back with his missus

whyulittle

I've had a single male in my garden for the past while, no missus though.

Cardynal

Same here , single male Blackcap on and off for the last month.

Rainbowsend

Was thrilled to have my first Longtailed Tit visit the garden today

Flo with a view

Super picture! They're such pretty little things. Long-tailed Tits never seem to come here. Not close enough to the woodlands, I guess.

Have to make do with the riches we do get, though. Lots of other tits, various finches, robins, sparrows (both tree and house), redpolls and yellowhammers. Oh, and of course the heron.

bogtreader

I had my first goldfinches at the weekend since last winter.
I had given up all hope. There was one this morning feeding on the peanuts.
Collared dove on the ground feeding on the little birds rejects:)

Hearvee

bogtreader wrote: »

I had my first goldfinches at the weekend since last winter.
I had given up all hope. There was one this morning feeding on the peanuts.

I had feeder with some nyger seed in it left out since before Christmas, but nothing was going near it. About a week ago I noticed the level in the feeder had dropped a bit, and at the weekend I spotted a Goldfinch tucking in.
Then this morning just before I left for work I had a quick look outside, and there were five of them hanging out of the thing!

bogtreader

Two goldfinches flew across my path as i cycled to work this morning.
Does anybody know if they stick together in pairs?

doctor evil

About 6 or so Goldfinches on the feeder today, I call them piggyfinches as they stay put and tuck in! It was gas watching the Great Tit trying to chase them off.

I have some energy balls in a feeder which attracted two Long Tailed Tits, lovely birds to watch.

I find it surprising that I have no Bullfinches in my garden as there are mature apples trees and loads of mature trees around the area?

Half-cocked

Still have a couple of redpolls coming in every day, down from 8 during the cold snap. A male and female blackcap and 6 tree sparrows seem to have taken up permanent residence.

Ditch

bogtreader wrote: »

Two goldfinches flew across my path as i cycled to work this morning.
Does anybody know if they stick together in pairs?

They flock, more generally. See a pair from here on in and they've likely 'paired up' to breed.

I get a pair come here each season, collecting my Dog and horse hairs for their nest.

I always brush out my creatures and stuff balls of their fur into the bushes and hedges. Ye'd be amazed at how fast it disappears!

Ditch

Half-cocked wrote: »

6 tree sparrows seem to have taken up permanent residence.

Just saying that to Really twist the knife, aren't ye? Lucky swine!

Got any boxes up yet? Imagine starting ye own colony of them ..... <Goes weak at the thought!>

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

bogtreader wrote: »

Two goldfinches flew across my path as i cycled to work this morning.
Does anybody know if they stick together in pairs?

They do not stay in breeding pairs through the Winter but many pairs are recorded throughout Winter. They can be siblings, unmatched pairs, or same sex pairs. This is common is areas where large flocks of Goldfinch are not usual. Around my own garden I'll often get groups of only 2 or 3 Goldies throughout the Winter.

Half-cocked

Ditch wrote: »

Just saying that to Really twist the knife, aren't ye? Lucky swine!

Got any boxes up yet? Imagine starting ye own colony of them ..... <Goes weak at the thought!>

I have a few tit nest boxes up, think I'll enlarge the holes for the sparrows.

Ditch

Hmmm ..... Now, is that just an idea off the top of ye head ~ a knee jerk to the situation? Or do ye know a damn site more about this game than ye letting on? :cool:

ppink

<A href="http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/picture.php?albumid=1553&pictureid=8777&quot; target=_blank>



not great pics

Ditch

Siskins Love 'em! Male top, with the black cap. Female below

ppink

A little better

ppink

when do we stop feeding the little birds for the spring/summer or do you guys feed all year round?

Ditch

I never stop feeding them. The 'science' behind it that I follow is that, in winter, we're providing food which might otherwise be hard to come by. Yeah?

Then, in spring and summer, we're providing the adult birds with a readily available source of food / energy for themselves. This means they can drop by for some 'fast food' as they scour the land for the insects and such they're more likely to be feeding their young.

See? Saves them searching for their own food. Leaves them more time to gather bugs for the baby's


Spoke to a German friend about all this once. Fantastic guy. Absolutely lovely bloke. Do anything for ye. But, the German society can harbour it's own beliefs and standards.

" I'd never feed wild birds. " He said. " Survival of the fittest. If they can't find their own food? They die. "