Winter residents (1 Viewer)

[billsbirding]

I don't know if there has been a thread on this before but I find it amazing how, every year, the same birds seem to find their way back to my garden. Every winter, we get large numbers of Chaffinches in the garden, and I had my first sighting of one this winter today. They then migrate to the woods a few miles again and I don't see them till next winter! A Song Thrush also appears every winter and leaves in March. A pair of Blackcaps winter in the garden... but last year only the male turned up :-C

Anyone else want to share sightings of their own garden residents that turn up exlusively in winter? :t:

 

[Marmot]

We used to get only the odd Chaffinch during summer but this year some days we were getting about a dozen so hopefully this number should be even greater.

At the moment we have all the normal visitors BT, GT,CT, Wren, Blackbird,Dunnock, Chaffinch, Sparrows,Collared Dove and even our semi resident Sparrowhawk. Last year at winter we had a suprise visit off a Goldcrest, About 15 LTT, 3 Siskin and a female Blackcap and to show us that winter was going and spring around the corner a Chiffchaff.

So fingers crossed that this year will be as great.

 

[billsbirding]

We used to get only the odd Chaffinch during summer but this year some days we were getting about a dozen so hopefully this number should be even greater.

At the moment we have all the normal visitors BT, GT,CT, Wren, Blackbird,Dunnock, Chaffinch, Sparrows,Collared Dove and even our semi resident Sparrowhawk. Last year at winter we had a suprise visit off a Goldcrest, About 15 LTT, 3 Siskin and a female Blackcap and to show us that winter was going and spring around the corner a Chiffchaff.

So fingers crossed that this year will be as great.

Wow, your garden certainly gets in the birds! Last year we also had a surprise visit from a female Siskin that stayed just long enough for a positive ID before getting chased away by the Greenfinches :-C Well done with the Chiffchaff, we've only ever had Blackcap, but I know they winter in the local woods.
Today there was a lot of activity, 1 Chaffinch, 2 Goldcrests chasing each other, a Robin chasing a Dunnock, 3 Redwing, a pair of CT and all the usuals. Surprisingly, I've only ever seen a Sparrow in the garden on 3 occasions, even though they breed in a house opposite to ours!

Thanks for replying! :t:

 

[Marmot]

Do you have any fat balls in the garden as our Sparrows love these. In fact at the momet they seem to prefer this over the sunflower hearts.

I use this type of feeder and take them out the bags and hang it up in a bush/tree
http://www.selections.com/GF7910/kingfisher-suet-fat-ball-feeder/?utm_source=googlebase&%24%24tid=X8qxr7FCjRVeG7ezPcXwsKaPzAKZJ_jqB94577f55g2LCWFtk2tO1-u6IIaYPXSl

 

[billsbirding]

I used to, and one of the 3 glances I got of a Sparrow was feeding on some fat balls (which are now in the shed somewhere). Thanks for the advice

 

[malph]

As only a very part-time birder, I don't think I've seen a Blackcap in the garden before, but spotted a female this morning amongst the usual visitors to our table and fat balls.

 

[Marmot]

Had 2 first evers in the garden today due to the weather conditions of 4 inches snow and temprature just below zero.

A female Bullfinch and a Redwing! Also had 2 Song Thrush in as well which we have not had for months.

 

[upstarts1979]

High count of Blackbirds

No rarity but I have never had so many Blackbirds in my garden before (previous highest 19 Jan 2009)

Today I had 27 Blackbirds in my garden amazing to see them fighting for their bit of territory. My garden is only 66 foot x 36 feet. I feed the birds throughout the year and at this time I put out the normal seeds,fat balls etc but plenty of cheap sultanas, raisins and apples thrushes love them. There are still a few pyracantha and catoneaster berries that they are feeding on. The majority 18 or so are males the rest are females or 1st winter birds.
Over the last few days there as also been 5 Redwing, a Song Thrush, Bullfinch, Blackcap, 5 Goldfinch, Coal tit, 60 House Sparrows, 9 Jackdaws plus the commoner species.

Just wondered if anyone else has seen an obvious increase as a result of the icy/snow conditions

cheers John

 

[billsbirding]

Thanks Malph, Marmot and John for replying. Well done with the Bullfinches, Marmot. I'm still waiting for them but I did have my first Redwing of the year drop in the other day. John, I've had never seen so many Redwings anywhere, let alone my garden, before today. 35 dropped in (yep... I counted them!) to feed on the garden Pyracantha. Also had a record number of Song Thrushes... 2! I'm pretty sure this is the result of bad weather bringing them in.

 

[billsbirding]

Hope everyone is having a great christmas! I woke up this morning to the sight of a Woodcock that wizzed through our garden and dived a couple of doors away. This is a first for the garden and most certainly a result of the cold, wintery weather. Absolutely over the moon about it and it couldn't have come at a better time! Anyone else had any goodn's in the garden in the last few very cold days?

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Bovine Juice]

I had my first green parakeet this week. Plenty of them around here in South East London but first time I've seen one at my feeders. Also one of the peanut feeder was destroyed recently - I wonder now if it was the parakeet rather than the usual squirrels that did it.

 

[Marmot]

Also got the male Bullfinch, some Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush.

The Blackbird count here got up to 21. but on checking the feeders 2 days ago found we had a casualty of a Blackbird that looks as if the weather had been too cold for it.

 

[hectorzaza]

We used to have a Grey Wagtail that came to our garden every winter she"d arrive late nov and leave early march.she came three years on the run then stopped probs just passed away or became Sparrowhawk dinner we missed her when she never came back we got used to her coming my wife named her Millie sentimental I know but such is us humans

 

[billsbirding]

Thanks for the replies. Well done with the Parakeets, Bovine. We used to have a couple that would appear in the winter down here in Surrey, sometimes in 10s or 20s! They would absolutely destroy the peanut feeder as they use their beak to manouvre themselves around the feeder, which in turn bent the mesh until it finally fell apart!

That's sad news about the Blackbird, I wouldn't have expected a plump Blackbird to fall prey to the cold conditions? ... But good news about the Bullfinch and Fieldfare, brilliant birds to have in a garden. Today we had our first Mistle Thrushes of this winter pass through with a group of Redwing. Haven't seen them outside of the winter period but I think they nest in a big tree down the road.

It's funny you should mention Sparrowhawk predation, Hectorzaza, as yesterday I was amazed to look out the window to a Sparrowhawk which had made an almightly crash as it took a Redwing from the Pyracantha! Very few birds came back for the rest of the day and the garden has been very quiet since! You must have a great garden for birds if a Grey Wagtail picked it as a safe winter haven for 3 years!

Happy New Year everyone!

 

[hectorzaza]

It"s only a small garden by small I do mean small,. but there is plenty of cover that we have planted.Also we have managed to fit a birdtable in with three feeders with everything from peanuts,mixed seed.sunflower seed and niger seed hanging from them then you have the leftovers that we put out.that is what kept her coming back for more.Oh I almost forgot the fatballs and suet blocks,if I was a bird I don"t think I"d stray to far from our garden either.

 

[billsbirding]

It"s only a small garden by small I do mean small,. but there is plenty of cover that we have planted.Also we have managed to fit a birdtable in with three feeders with everything from peanuts,mixed seed.sunflower seed and niger seed hanging from them then you have the leftovers that we put out.that is what kept her coming back for more.Oh I almost forgot the fatballs and suet blocks,if I was a bird I don"t think I"d stray to far from our garden either.

That's a lot! All we have is 2 feeders and a load of fat inside a coconut! However we do have a lot of bird friendly plants, especially in the way of berries etc that come out in the winter ready for the arrival of birds. They all eat the berries in the Pyracantha, especially the Thrushes and Tits. A female Chaffinch which has appeared the last two winters also has a go at them sometimes. Do you have a pond or anything similar, as this can attract Grey Wagtails, or do you live near a river or stream? I'm jealous :t:

 

[hectorzaza]

Hi Bill,we have a small pond in the back garden we get frogs in it in the spring but it"s not really big enough to keep a wagtail happy,what it prob is that about 1/4 mile down the road is the Greenfield Valley Heritidge Park in it is a series of 5 large ponds linked together by a stream, they get quite a few Grey Wagtails down there also I used to see Dippers down there aswell but saying that have not seen a Dipper for couple of years.so for the wagtails it"s only a small flight to our house.

 

[billsbirding]

That explains it! We've just had our first garden visit by a Fieldfare. It arrived with some Redwings and stayed all day. Almost totally demolished the whole of the berry bush! I think I'm going to start placing apples and other fruit on the ground for them, as the berry supply is running low. Here are a few shots I took of the Fieldfare...

 

[Staysee]

That explains it! We've just had our first garden visit by a Fieldfare. It arrived with some Redwings and stayed all day. Almost totally demolished the whole of the berry bush! I think I'm going to start placing apples and other fruit on the ground for them, as the berry supply is running low. Here are a few shots I took of the Fieldfare...

Gorgeous pictures!

We too got our first Fieldfare this morning, first time i've ever seen one aswell! Was working his/her way through the fruit in our garden, always lots out cos our blackbirds eat them and so do the starlings, i had to go work but parents said he/she stayed all day. Had quite a few tiffs with our resident blackbird.


Also we have a Bullfinch which normally comes in mid morning for a drink, in the summer he appeared about 3 times from april-ish time, about 10days ago, wheres he's in almost everyday

Then, apart from the Goldfinches and song thrush, every other bird we get come all year round....house sparrows, tree sparrows, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, chaffinches, greenfinches, blue tits, great tits and starlings

Recently too, over the past month or two one yellow wagtail has appeared and at first one pied wagtail, now we got two pieds coming in everyday


Heres some pics i took of the fieldfare!

 

[billsbirding]

Thanks Staysee, and well done with your Fieldfare! Ours visited again this morning, couldn't resist an easy meal. Do you know what the Fieldfare is feeding on in your photo, I put a pear out for it but at the moment the Blue tits seem to be enjoying it more than anything else! Had a Blackcap and Song Thrush as well this morning, both extreme rarities in our garden. The major decline Song Thrushes are having is really beginning to show as this is the first bird I have seen this winter. Anyone else noticing a shortage of Song Thrush?