Very busy at the bird feeder today! (29 Viewers)

[StarsAreFixed]

Today: 2 collared doves (new!), 2 greenfinches (new!), 2 goldfinches, 4/5 redpolls, 2 wood pigeons, 3/4 blackbirds, 2 female blackbirds, 8 starlings, 2 crows.

 

[will562]

will562 good job on the Reed Bunting and Marsh Tit. What does the Marsh Tit feed on?

HI Dan

Thanks, you can see a video of our resident Marsh Tit here - it likes sunflower hearts for sure!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp46NbJG16Q

Regards

Will

 

[SPINNEYGAL]

In 2009 we regularly had male and female Bullfinches on our seed feeders. This year we only had a single female on the Rowan Berries late in the year. We also had Redpolls but they too have deserted us.

Over the last couple of weeks we have only had a couple of Green finches and maybe 3 Goldfinches, this is usual in winter for us though.

Still getting the Tits, Robins and Blackbirds in large numbers, even the |ong Tailed Tits are about 12 - 15 in number when they flock in. Nuthatch and Woodpecker still come, only seen the Jay once. Waiting for weekend again to see if tbe Treecreeper comes again.

In spring 2010 we had both Song and Mistle Thrushes in the garden. The Mistle thrush bred and always came down for the sultanas and raisins. Now it lands in the trees but does not come down to feed as I have noticed. Only seeing the Dunnocks and no House Sparrows. though.

 

[Dan123]

A cold and wet morning here today with Snow forcast for tomorrow. The weather on the turn again. A bit more activity has resumed in the garden this morning with:

Greenfinch 9 (still don't see anymore increase than from last 2 days), Chaffinch 4, Dunnock 2, Robin 2, Magpie 1, Woodpidgeon 4 ( 1 juv from last year), Collard Dove 1, Goldfinch 2, Blue Tits 4, Great Tits 2, Coal Tits 2, Starling 1

Am pleased to say the Goldfinch has found the new Nyger feeder and fed for quite a while. Both of them were on for a good 3 mins at least, then 1 flew off and the other stayed for a further 2 mins. Managed to see it before work, well chuffed ||

Does the Woodpidgeon count as first juv of the year? hehe

 

[Missyburd]

Collared Dove today, new for this year! Off shopping tomorrow hopefully for yummy bird provisions so who knows, next week could be even better!

 

[Zukn]

Day off work, so far off to a great start. The regulars, house sparrows, starlings, 2 wood pigeons, chaffinches, green finches, gold finches, ltt, blue, great and coal tits a robin and a nuthatch. No dunnocks, wrens or GSW yet but 2 NEW garden birds for me a female brambling and a siskin, yay!

 

[Jos Stratford]

Kitchen table mob getting bigger and bolder by the day - today six Great Tits, one Blue Tit and one Nuthatch all in the kitchen together, one Tree Sparrow on the doorstep pondering membership of the indoors club.

Outside in the garden, Crested Tit still on the peanut feeders, he'll be a corker to get on the table.

 

[turkish van]

Kitchen table mob getting bigger and bolder by the day - today six Great Tits, one Blue Tit and one Nuthatch all in the kitchen together, one Tree Sparrow on the doorstep pondering membership of the indoors club.

Y'what, all at once? That's mad! Do we have photographic evidence?


From my end of the world, a newsflash: Blackbirds and Fieldfares like bananas. I put one out yesterday for the first time and it was gone when I got home, put another out this morning and it was gone in a couple of hours. Whatever next?

Stan the Starling and the Bramblings are still ever-present.

 

[The30something]

Lots of Fieldfare around today, so I threw some extra apples out and within 5 minutes, bingo!

 

[Jos Stratford]

Y'what, all at once? That's mad! Do we have photographic evidence?

Yep, all at once, though the Nuthatch prefers the floor and today was just hopping about looking the peanuts I was slinging down.

 

[Missyburd]

From my end of the world, a newsflash: Blackbirds and Fieldfares like bananas. I put one out yesterday for the first time and it was gone when I got home, put another out this morning and it was gone in a couple of hours. Whatever next?

Funny, I discovered this just this week too, put a couple of overripe bananas out and the blackbirds seem to like it. When I put new things out my birds appear to be a bit slow on the uptake but eventually they come round to the idea!

 

[Jaff]

Great Tit today was the first in a long while, don't know where they all are, the blue and coal tits are here frequently.

Here's a better pic of the Woody doing his party trick.

 

[Missyburd]

What a fantastic photo Jaff! Really does this beautiful bird justice, wish my camera did that!

 

[jpscloud]

Funny, I discovered this just this week too, put a couple of overripe bananas out and the blackbirds seem to like it. When I put new things out my birds appear to be a bit slow on the uptake but eventually they come round to the idea!

I put a banana out in the big freeze, and.... it froze.... solid! The birds didn't even look at it.

 

[theconstantwalker]

Great Tit today was the first in a long while, don't know where they all are, the blue and coal tits are here frequently.

Same in my garden. Plenty of Blue, Coal and Long-tailed but I have only seen one Great Tit in the garden this year.:t::t:

 

[Jaff]

What a fantastic photo Jaff! Really does this beautiful bird justice, wish my camera did that!

Well if you spend a stupid amount of money on it like I have then it would. Kind thanks. :t:

Same in my garden. Plenty of Blue, Coal and Long-tailed but I have only seen one Great Tit in the garden this year.:t::t:

So has anyone else found this? I wonder if Great Tits are also struggling of late.

 

[Jos Stratford]

So has anyone else found this? I wonder if Great Tits are also struggling of late.

Great Tits are the default member of the tribe out here. At my feeders, the pattern is approximately the same every year - at the winter's beginning, Great Tits outnumber Blue Tits by about 25 to 1, gradually dropping to about 4 to 1 by winter's edge.

This changing ratio is largely due to Great Tits arriving on bulk right from the beginning of winter (almost 60% of the winter's birds are already in by end of October), whereas Blue Tits show a steady arrival throughout the winter.

Incidently, at both my main feeding sites, I get daily populations of about 400 tits of the two species, 70-80% of which will be males, the females having largely migrated out.

 

[Missyburd]

So has anyone else found this? I wonder if Great Tits are also struggling of late.

We have what I can only assume is a pair of Great Tits in the garden, never see more than two and it's the same with the Coalies. Plenty of Blues though, they never fail to amuse me though! Did you know a Blue Tit has to spend about 85% of its day feeding just to survive the night? Eeee they have it tough!

 

[earleybird]

Great Tit today was the first in a long while, don't know where they all are, the blue and coal tits are here frequently.

Here's a better pic of the Woody doing his party trick.

thats a fabulous picture jaff . Could i ask you what the exif data is and what camera and lense?
I am really struggling to get a good image with my current camera and I'm wondering if it is due to low light levels and the resultant low ISO (800) at high magnification (720mm):-C.

 

[Jaff]

There seems to be always a few knocking about the garden in the summer but this winter I can't actually recall if I've seen one in the garden before now they've been that scarce. They used to be more regular, doing as the other tits do by darting in and out again after the sunflower hearts. I suppose I needn't worry as I see a lot of them in the nearby woods but it's just strange how you notice something more by it's absence than it's presence (I've had Brambling, Tree Sparrow and Reed Bunting more than them!).

Kit used on the Woody was my 1DMK3 300mmf2.8 IS and a 2xTC taken through the bedroom window. I was hand-holding at ISO 800, f5.6 and 1/200. And I've just noticed what a mess they've made at the base of that feeder, I would clean it off tomoz but I suspect the incoming weather will do it for me.