[Ratal]

Originally Posted by bongofury

A very good bird to have around the garden

Seems she has taken a liking to the ambush site. Sat last night with the male on a lower branch, sheltering from the rain.

Today's feeding birds are a swarm of blue, great, coal and long tailed tits, and in the lower gorse is a pair of warblers.

[catbasket]

One compensation for the wet weather here is daily visits from GSWs. Mostly we see the juvenile male or the adult female but for the last few days a female juvenile has been visiting. Today she stayed long enough for me to get some footage.

YouTube link

At first she looked spooked


Then she ate some peanuts


Then she really surprised me by eating sunflower hearts from the seed feeder


First time I've seen that!

[roger1234]

Originally Posted by Cheshire Birder

Maybe they found somewhere to nest. When was the last date you saw them?

CB

15th july,they are usually in every day,maybe, but i have my doubts,however i will live in hope

[bongofury]

Originally Posted by catbasket

One compensation for the wet weather here is daily visits from GSWs. Mostly we see the juvenile male or the adult female but for the last few days a female juvenile has been visiting. Today she stayed long enough for me to get some footage.

I've never been able to separate sex the juveniles. What should I be looking for?

[Cheshire Birder]

My local male Pheasant had a lucky escape yesterday when it was nearly attacked by one of the local cats.

CB

[catbasket]

Originally Posted by bongofury

I've never been able to separate sex the juveniles. What should I be looking for?

The male has a larger red cap than the female.

Which is something I only discovered recently. This Birdforum thread pointed me in the right direction. Being lucky enough to have both male and female juveniles at the feeders this year really helps see the difference -

M: F:

M: F:

Looking back at the last two years' pics it seems this might be the first female juvenile in the garden

Juve male and adult female have both already visited this morning.

[bongofury]

Originally Posted by catbasket

The male has a larger red cap than the female.

Which is something I only discovered recently. This Birdforum thread pointed me in the right direction.

Thanks a lot - I must have missed that thread. Looks like this year's juvenile is a male then. I'll need to keep an eye out for him, but I'd deffo say a fuller cap of red.

[Socar MYLES]

I am envying the woodpeckers: how lovely they are! Lately, I have been getting mostly house sparrows at my feeder, eating up all the sunflower seeds and scattering thistle seed over my entire balcony. I'm out there sweeping up after them every day! I used to get a lot of pretty little house finches, too, but I think the sparrows were bothering them too much.

I was thinking of putting out some suet, to see if I can get some wrens or woodpeckers, but would such birds visit a 5th floor balcony? I have seen woodpeckers (northern flickers, and something else that had a similar shape, but was larger--it was too dark to see its markings) sitting on the roof across the courtyard, so I know they exist in the area. I'm just not sure how willing they are to get that close to people; they seem a little shy.

[Bananafishbones]

a large movement of gulls just gone past, flying at height and in some sort of formation: 60+ Black headed and 20+ Lesser Black Backed

[earleybird]

Originally Posted by Socar MYLES

I was thinking of putting out some suet, to see if I can get some wrens or woodpeckers, but would such birds visit a 5th floor balcony? I have seen woodpeckers (northern flickers, and something else that had a similar shape, but was larger--it was too dark to see its markings) sitting on the roof across the courtyard, so I know they exist in the area. I'm just not sure how willing they are to get that close to people; they seem a little shy.

hi and welcome to the thread.

I would say that suet was an ideal food to entice a wider variety of species to your balcony.
I'd be interested to hear how sucessful you are, as a balcony that high up must be a bit of a challenge.

[stilt]

A first, blue jays drinking from my bird baths!

[stilt]

Drove by my former house, I left my feeders and food and the renters assured me they would feed the birds. I had lived there 8 years and had a lot of regulars. Sadly they have removed the feeders.... Hope they were not to dependent on me....

[wildlifelove]

Had loads young house sparrows the past month! The starlings haven't been around to much, but as soon as I start feeding fat balls they will be back! I will proberly start putting the fat balls out around the end or mid september..

Does anyone else stop feeding fat balls in summer months?

[Cheshire Birder]

Grey Heron is bright sunshine today had me grabbing my bins, unfortunately it didnt turn into the hoped for Egret.

CB

[bongofury]

Originally Posted by wildlifelove

Had loads young house sparrows the past month! The starlings haven't been around to much, but as soon as I start feeding fat balls they will be back! I will proberly start putting the fat balls out around the end or mid september..

Does anyone else stop feeding fat balls in summer months?

The Starlings here disappear from the feeders during the summer months, although I see them a street away on the neatly manicured lawns.

I continue with my peanut / lard concoctions all year round.

[roger1234]

Originally Posted by wildlifelove

Had loads young house sparrows the past month! The starlings haven't been around to much, but as soon as I start feeding fat balls they will be back! I will proberly start putting the fat balls out around the end or mid september..

Does anyone else stop feeding fat balls in summer months?

Fat balls are permanent all year round in my garden,I need to fill them up every day, mainly house sparrows and the tit family

[Bananafishbones]

Originally Posted by stilt

Drove by my former house, I left my feeders and food and the renters assured me they would feed the birds. I had lived there 8 years and had a lot of regulars. Sadly they have removed the feeders.... Hope they were not to dependent on me....

Always a little sad when what you put in place isnt grasped completly by the new owner, however birds are resourceful creatures and will do just fine

I think the bigger issue is that some people dont appreciate what is in front of them..... a little time dropping what your doing and staring out into the garden and watching wildlife doing their thing sure beats tonnes of other stressful\mundane day to day stuff.

Their loss I`m afraid

[GlesgaBirds]

Was away at my sister's wedding in Leeds last weekend. The hotel had a nature reserve at the back of it, with a woodland walk 60 seconds away.

Went for a wee wander, and saw GSW, blue and great tits, blackbirds, dunnocks and 2 treecreepers, first for me

Walked a little further round to the lake, and there were geese, gulls and ducks galore, along with a pair of moorhen accompanied by 4 very noisy chicks !!

The hotel was the Mercure Parkway, for anyone who knows the area.

Back home in East Kilbride, the GSW is still fairly regular, along with 6 starlings, mixture of adult and juvenile.

Also saw a wren for the first time in the garden, for all of 20 seconds

And finally, we have a juvenile robin, half mottled chest, half red, looks very odd on first sight.

Fruit scones have not yet atrracted LTT's but everything else loves them, so will persevere.

Final finally, had a buzzard circling and calling overhead today, very impressed.

Will try and make the next post a bit shorter......

[GlesgaBirds]

Starling numbers now up to 10, anyone wanna sell me some earplugs ?

[wildlifelove]

I have to say, I do quite like a garden full of starlings ! It amazes me how all of a sudden big flocks of 20-25 suddenly turn up (Which is big for my Garden) then in a Blink of an eye there away and not in sight!

[Cheshire Birder]

Grey Heron, pair of Goldfinches and Pheasant this morning.

CB

[GlesgaBirds]

Collared dove on another recce mission this morning, hopefully be feeding by the end of the day.

Not seen goldfinches in the garden for weeks now.

Anyone else's disappeared, apart from CB who had them this morning !

[Bananafishbones]

Just a few Goldfinch around, but what I have noticed is the complete lack of Starlings, which is very unusual..... however more than made up for with juvenile Jackdaws.

[Cheshire Birder]

Originally Posted by GlesgaBirds

Collared dove on another recce mission this morning, hopefully be feeding by the end of the day.

Not seen goldfinches in the garden for weeks now.

Anyone else's disappeared, apart from CB who had them this morning !

Funily enough thats the first Goldfinch sighting i've had for a while.

CB

[Ratal]

This is the eighth straight evening where the Peregrine has used the pines at the back of the garden to terrorise the neighbourhood.

The poor Bullfinch under foot was happily passing across the fields heading our way when out of the clear blue dropped its nemesis.

Siskins, Gold Finch and a commune of Green Finches on the feeder through the morning.