Garden Birds chat 2011

ISP_dude

Seen the following in my back garden over the last few weeks:
Robin, blue tits, coal tits, plenty of chaffinches and goldfinches, green finches, redpoll, starlings, dunnock, house sparrows, wood pideons, feral pigeons, collared doves, blackbirds, song thrushes, magpies and getting some early morning visits from redwings.
Have peanut feeders and suet balls balls hanging in the trees, also leaving some bread and cut up grapes out. The grapes are proving very popular with the thrushes and starlings...

littlebug

12 starlings crowded into the bird table this morning with another few hanging around underneath. The smaller birds aren't getting a look in at all.

Half-cocked

Starlings hit 70 yesterday evening! I'm putting out 3Kg of food each day now, I'll be bankrupt before the snow melts. Awful lighting for photography, but did get a shot of a Redpoll on the nyjer seed:

Mothman

Maybe my female Blackcap did go to Feargal....haven't seen it since, but a male Blackcap turned up today. And bullies they may be, he didn't tackle the Moorhens

whyulittle

Some new additions today.

Goldfinch


Hiding Greenfinch?


And first Redpoll I've ever seen. Lovely little bird.


And one of our big clumsy Pigeons.

trebor28

really cold down here the last few nights.

parts of the river suir in thurles are frozen with the birds walking along on top of it.

there is a smaller river near me also that has a waterfall on it and the water fall has even frozen.

we have our own pritvate well and even though the pump has its own little house it still froze!

somehow the birds are still alive.!

hairyfairy00

This little guy has visited us the for the last 2 days, think he's a Snipe but i'm not sure. If anyone could let me know exactly what breed he is i'd really appreciate it.

Mothman

My male Blackcap is on the peanut feeder pecking away. I don't see many Blackcaps and have never seen this but neither have I heard of it either.

How widespread is this behaviour?

Half-cocked

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

This little guy has visited us the for the last 2 days, think he's a Snipe but i'm not sure. If anyone could let me know exactly what breed he is i'd really appreciate it.

Yes, its a snipe. Great shot, they are usually very hard to photograph.

Half-cocked

Mothman wrote: »

My male Blackcap is on the peanut feeder pecking away. I don't see many Blackcaps and have never seen this but neither have I heard of it either.

How widespread is this behaviour?

They would only come to a peanut feeder if very hungry. Can you stick a few red apple halves on branches in hedges/bushes nearby - they prefer to feed on them, I think they prefer to stay under cover.

hairyfairy00

Half-cocked wrote: »

Yes, its a snipe. Great shot, they are usually very hard to photograph.

He was sitting around for hours in the grass, we actually thought he was injured but when i tried to get closer he flew off

Half-cocked

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

He was sitting around for hours in the grass, we actually thought he was injured but when i tried to get closer he flew off

Thats fairly typical Snipe behaviour. I've watched them sitting motionless for hours at a time. Lovely to have one in your garden within camera range.

Hammer Archer

Had a sparrowhawk try its luck yesterday. I've seen a bird of prey swoop over the feeders a few times over the past weeks but haven't gotten a good look til this time.
The other birds didn't return to the feeders for the best part of an hour.

sables2

whyulittle wrote: »

Some new additions today.

Goldfinch


Hiding Greenfinch?


And first Redpoll I've ever seen. Lovely little bird.


And one of our big clumsy Pigeons.

Stunning phots's whyyulittle. The images are really sharp. I love the pigeon about to take flight...amazing.

sables2

Half-cocked wrote: »

Yes, its a snipe. Great shot, they are usually very hard to photograph.

Snipe - wow! An absolute AMAZING photo. seriously, you have the knack

Mothman

Half-cocked wrote: »

They would only come to a peanut feeder if very hungry. Can you stick a few red apple halves on branches in hedges/bushes nearby - they prefer to feed on them, I think they prefer to stay under cover.

He's gobbling up the apples as well...when the Moorhens are not about

Mothman

Speaking of the Moorhens.
They are usually extremely shy and territorial. I usually just have the one family party in the visible part of the garden on the big pond. These 3 are making use of my main feeding station. Another family party of 3 have moved into my barn with the hens and are also venturing to a satellite feeding station. They have become much less shy and usually lurk nearby when I'm around. I'll try get a photo of them amongst the hens. The hens are not bothered by them.

The 2 family parties are often only metres apart. They seemed to have established a clear boundary and I haven't seen friction between them for at least a week.

sables2

Mothman wrote: »

Speaking of the Moorhens.
They are usually extremely shy and territorial. I usually just have the one family party in the visible part of the garden on the big pond. These 3 are making use of my main feeding station. Another family party of 3 have moved into my barn with the hens and are also venturing to a satellite feeding station. They have become much less shy and usually lurk nearby when I'm around. I'll try get a photo of them amongst the hens. The hens are not bothered by them.

The 2 family parties are often only metres apart. They seemed to have established a clear boundary and I haven't seen friction between them for at least a week.

Mothman.
Moorhens wouldn't interest me as a posed to the Snipe. I believe the Snipe is a wonderful, elusive wader...(correct me here ?). Some thing about them which i can't point to really. I seen a Curlew about 2 weeks ago a long Seapoint pier. Monkstown. Was feeding along the rocky outcrop. I thought i was seen things - it WAS a Curlew. Looked through my bino's to get a positive. I believe they have the most 'haunting' cry/song. I waited to see if i could hear it. :rolleyes:

Half-cocked

This evening I saw 2 Lapwing and a Snipe sitting on the pavement beside the busy coast road at Clontarf! This weather is causing all sorts of unnatural behaviour among birds. I assume the thaw attracted them to that spot as melt water was running down a bank onto the road and may have been carrying food (worms etc).

irelandspurs

Was watching birds feeding in garden today and blue for left feeder and just dropped mid flight and hit the floor upside down.i picked it up and held it for half hour in the warm,took it back outside and it flew off.

Mothman

Had Lapwing on my lane both outgoing and again on return some hours later at other end of lane. I had to get them ushered out of the way because they wern't moving for the car.

My lane has a grass middle and it had been cleared of snow.

A lot of the grass will return to view with the thaw tomorrow.

Half-cocked

I noticed that during the very cold weather (when the temp remained below zero all day) all of the tits disappeared but this morning with the thaw they are all back - a pair each of great, coal and blue. I know that coal tits stash food, is it possible that all of them are able to lay low during icy weather and feed on stashed food? Has anyone noticed similar behaviour in their garden? Or maybe they were just being fed better food elsewhere;)

Stoner

ThunderCat wrote: »

A grey wagtail has been visiting the last few days. Never saw one before. Getting a good few goldfinch and redpoll as well thanks to the nyger.

same thing happened to me last week, never saw one in the garden before, saw lots of them in France before. The books say they are all over the country but last week was the first time i noticed one.

Bsal

Found a dead Snipe in the garden this morning, never had one in the garden before.

littlebug

The numbers in my garden have really dwindled. It could be cat related but since we've been there all the time over the last few days I think we've been getting rid of it fairly quickly. I think it's more to do with the starlings. i knew they would take over the suet cakes but they are also gobbling up the mealworms as fast as I can get them out there.
Still no siskins
I need to move the feeders now that the ground has thawed a bit.

Feargal as Luimneach

Siskin's back:)
Saw two in garden at the mixed seed feeders.......

mossie

I'm getting quite a few goldfinch and greenfinch - 5 or 6 of each at times. Two or three blue tits, great tits and chaffinches and loads of crows. Over 20 at times mixed rooks, jackdaws and a couple of hooded crows. One robin from time to time but thats it - no sparrows, redpolls or anything else.

Since the crows started turning up in force the numbers of other birds have dropped. Is there anyway of discouraging the crows?

Update First two house sparrows showed up today.

Mothman

First Sisken on feeder yesterday. The Blackcap is in the Mahonia. Not the first time I've seen Blackcap at Mahonia. It seems to attract them.

The Long-tailed tits have stopped visiting now that the snow has gone.

ender ender

Saw my first redpolls today, three feeding on nyjer with three greenfinches. Had a high of 24 goldfinch yesterday, but otherwise numbers are way down since the thaw.
Spotted my first redwings too! But in my parents, none in mine

bogtreader

Had a male blackcap this morning briefly on the fatballs.
Female blackcap this afternoon again feeding on the fatballs.:)