That's actually very interesting! Thanks :t:
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Very busy at the bird feeder today! (19 Viewers)
- Thread starter Moraybirdlover
- Start date
That's actually very interesting! Thanks :t:
SPINNEYGAL
Well-known member
Every year about this time I order in some live mealworms and put some out each day.
I have noticed a few more sparrows than usual so I think some are young ones. Blackbirds and Robins are nesting at the moment. I have not seen any of the Tits nesting but appears to be only 1 LTT coming at a time. Female GSW is coming very regular at the moment.
I have noticed a few more sparrows than usual so I think some are young ones. Blackbirds and Robins are nesting at the moment. I have not seen any of the Tits nesting but appears to be only 1 LTT coming at a time. Female GSW is coming very regular at the moment.
Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
Redpoll return ...... just a single Lesser on the nyger this evening :t:
Brilliant
Brilliant
Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
Well we live and learn..... and actually very fascinating CC
bongofury
Well-known member
Strange spring visitor to a garden. Someone's got a good memory for food sources:t:
The Starlings are coming in their droves for peanut cake and they keep landing on top of the blue tit nestbox. I considered suspending putting peanut cake out, but its the only thing that brings the GSWs into the garden. Instead, I've relocated the feeder to avoid disturbance as the female BT looked uneasy with all the noise from the Starlings. Surprisingly, the first bird to find it in its new spot was Mrs GSW.
Azzy
Well-known member
Well done with the 2 new sightings Azzy :t: and welcome back
Oh I'm always here
Just a bit more lurky. That'll teach me to try keeping up with too many things Haven't been home for the last week so just stepped outside briefly this morning, saw some white-naped honeyeaters over in the neighbours yard (why always there and not ours?) I've never seen them in the yard before, but they were so close. Plenty of new-holland honeyeaters as well and there were 4 or so crested pigeons on the neighbours tv aerial as well, hoping for some sun I think.
Love the photos of the fledgling and adult robin. Really cool to see.
SPINNEYGAL
Well-known member
captaincarot
Well-known member
sparrow fledglings have now worked out how to feed them selves on the seed feeder, which they do perfectly happily right up to when a parent appears then they forget and have to get the parent to pick the seeds up and stuff them in their beak, this is funny.
p.s. we had a buzzard flyover
p.s. we had a buzzard flyover
captaincarot
Well-known member
we've just had our first great tit, rediculous considering we moved in in january
Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
Swifts, Swallows and House Martins all above the house this evening
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
No sign of any young for me yet
CB
CB
theconstantwalker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_constant_walker/?
House Sparrow juveniles all over my garden. 2011 looks like it's going to be a great year.:t::t:
Our feeders are crowded with adult and young House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbirds and Northern Cardinals. A bunch of Blue Jays has started visiting regularly, too. Adult Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers come in several times a day, although I was sad yesterday to find one adult female Downy dead in our backyard. Up to 25 White-winged Doves at a time cover our front lawn. We've also had several visits from birds that are common in our area but not in our yards: American Robins, House Sparrows and European Starlings. (We're hoping the latter don't stay!)
The only nesting I've seen so far at the college is by Northern Mockingbirds.
Last weekend we had a great time watching nesting Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills etc. at High Island. It was interesting watching the Spoonbills carefully turning their eggs and the Great Egrets feeding their chicks. I managed to get some decent photos, which I put on my blog.
Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com
The only nesting I've seen so far at the college is by Northern Mockingbirds.
Last weekend we had a great time watching nesting Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills etc. at High Island. It was interesting watching the Spoonbills carefully turning their eggs and the Great Egrets feeding their chicks. I managed to get some decent photos, which I put on my blog.
Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com
theconstantwalker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_constant_walker/?
Arrived home from work this evening and decided to top up the feeders before I got comfy.B
Back inside and as I washed my hands saw the sparrows tucking into the fresh fatballs...lovely:t:.
Five seconds later it all changed.......a Sparrowhawk arrived from nowhere and grabbed one of the sparrows straight off the feeder and landed with it's prey firmly grasped.:eek!::eek!:
What happened next really surprised me...a Woodpigeon that had been feeding under the feeders walked straight up to the Sprawk in quite an aggressive manor resulting in the latter taking off with it's prey.:C
Question? Was the pigeon being brave because it knew the hawk already had a catch or was it because only a few days ago I had a juvenile Wood in the garden (not seen since) that had been predated and the Woodpigeon was just totaly pi**ed off.
Me? I have just spent an hour wondering "what if I hadn't filled the feeders" but now I am just glad I managed to witness nature unfold in front of my eyes.
To witness one of my garden hoovers "Woodpigeon" face up to a bird that has him on it's menu was a moment I will cherish and he really appreciated the extra seeds on the patio......:king:
Back inside and as I washed my hands saw the sparrows tucking into the fresh fatballs...lovely:t:.
Five seconds later it all changed.......a Sparrowhawk arrived from nowhere and grabbed one of the sparrows straight off the feeder and landed with it's prey firmly grasped.:eek!::eek!:
What happened next really surprised me...a Woodpigeon that had been feeding under the feeders walked straight up to the Sprawk in quite an aggressive manor resulting in the latter taking off with it's prey.:C
Question? Was the pigeon being brave because it knew the hawk already had a catch or was it because only a few days ago I had a juvenile Wood in the garden (not seen since) that had been predated and the Woodpigeon was just totaly pi**ed off.
Me? I have just spent an hour wondering "what if I hadn't filled the feeders" but now I am just glad I managed to witness nature unfold in front of my eyes.
To witness one of my garden hoovers "Woodpigeon" face up to a bird that has him on it's menu was a moment I will cherish and he really appreciated the extra seeds on the patio......:king:
Last edited:
Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
top stuff Andrew..... tis a big bird the woody.... and probably not scared of much to be honest.
Just reminded me that after hearing the young (still to fledge sparrows) a few weeks ago, I saw my first this evening
Just reminded me that after hearing the young (still to fledge sparrows) a few weeks ago, I saw my first this evening
catbasket
Well-known member
Congrats Andrew on what must have been quite a sight.
I think we missed the first local house sparrows fledging as there's an awful lot of young about at the moment - presumably they account for the sudden increase in sunflower heart consumption. But yesterday I saw my first sparrow fledgling of the year, being shown the food source by dad.
Haven't seen a great tit in maybe two weeks, blue tit visits are very rare and often for nesting material rather than food. Nuthatch visits are well down on usual and our regular robin is also off doing other things.
Gold and green finches are still visiting, as are collared doves, wood pigeons and starlings.
Nests - four maybe five house sparrow nests at the front/side of the house, at least one of which has chicks in. Also one starling nest under the rear eaves with some very noisy chicks in. Under the eaves at the front it seems the sparrows got in first - every other year we've been here starlings have nested there. But now there seem to be starlings and sparrows going into the same entrance hole ... possibly there are two entrances but I can only see one?
Our previously mostly ignored bird bath has become far more popular in the last two months - it's only taken a year! I saw a female house sparrow chase and catch a flying insect near it a couple of days ago, close enough that I could see the insect the bird was chasing. Then she flew up towards the nest sites ...
Other news - we seem to have a pair of green woodpeckers nesting in a tree just 50 yards away and visible from the front of the house. They haven't been anywhere near the garden unfortunately.
Phew! Hopefully future updates will be more regular (and shorter!).
I think we missed the first local house sparrows fledging as there's an awful lot of young about at the moment - presumably they account for the sudden increase in sunflower heart consumption. But yesterday I saw my first sparrow fledgling of the year, being shown the food source by dad.
Haven't seen a great tit in maybe two weeks, blue tit visits are very rare and often for nesting material rather than food. Nuthatch visits are well down on usual and our regular robin is also off doing other things.
Gold and green finches are still visiting, as are collared doves, wood pigeons and starlings.
Nests - four maybe five house sparrow nests at the front/side of the house, at least one of which has chicks in. Also one starling nest under the rear eaves with some very noisy chicks in. Under the eaves at the front it seems the sparrows got in first - every other year we've been here starlings have nested there. But now there seem to be starlings and sparrows going into the same entrance hole ... possibly there are two entrances but I can only see one?
Our previously mostly ignored bird bath has become far more popular in the last two months - it's only taken a year! I saw a female house sparrow chase and catch a flying insect near it a couple of days ago, close enough that I could see the insect the bird was chasing. Then she flew up towards the nest sites ...
Other news - we seem to have a pair of green woodpeckers nesting in a tree just 50 yards away and visible from the front of the house. They haven't been anywhere near the garden unfortunately.
Phew! Hopefully future updates will be more regular (and shorter!).
EK_Birds
Well-known member
We had a blue tit landing on various parts of the front of the shed last night. Not sure if he was picking off insects or trying to get inside.
Fairly sure he was a fledgling, as he was extremely brightly coloured. Had a quick check in the shed later, but no sign of a nest.
Quite surprised to see him on his own, but definitely no sign of a parent in the vicinity.
First fledgling I've seen
Fairly sure he was a fledgling, as he was extremely brightly coloured. Had a quick check in the shed later, but no sign of a nest.
Quite surprised to see him on his own, but definitely no sign of a parent in the vicinity.
First fledgling I've seen
Still crazily busy in our yards - and yesterday we had the first significant rainfall in two months. More exciting, though, I looked in at a local lake on my way to work and saw two new life birds: Hudsonian Godwit and Bobolink. I've been hoping for Bobolink for years and so was well chuffed.
BTW, the Blogger site is down at present, so I'm sorry if anyone went to my blog and couldn't see the post I mentioned. Here's a couple of photos of Roseate Spoonbills and Great Egrets from our weekend trip.
Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com
BTW, the Blogger site is down at present, so I'm sorry if anyone went to my blog and couldn't see the post I mentioned. Here's a couple of photos of Roseate Spoonbills and Great Egrets from our weekend trip.
Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com
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