Wintering Blackcaps (1 Viewer)

[Alex_HJ]

Year after year, I have 1-2 Blackcaps returning to the garden. After watching the birds, they seem extremely agressive towards other birds and basically stands its ground and attacks every other bird either a similar size or smaller than itself. This has been happening every year since i've been at the house (10 years).

Does anyone else experience this behaviour from Blackcaps? Obviously they're very terrortorial birds but I end up with no birds apart from the blackcap! |!|

It can be quite frustrating at times, but I have learnt to space the feeders out across the length of the garden to try and minimise the problem that seems to be working so far :bounce:

He's even got that look in his eyes that he's up to no good!!! :eek!:

Cheers, Alex

 

[mary99]

You are lucky having Black caps, I've not seen one yet and had hoped for a garden visitor but I'm not so sure now!!

Nice pic,
Mary

 

[theconstantwalker]

Had my first Blackcap in the garden yesterday. A male who just had a quick view of my garden from the rose arch then onto the fence and off before I could get a photo.|=(|

 

[Shirley Roulston]

Last winter I had one Blackcap on my feeder and was he a bad tempered thing, his beak was pointed at the end and was stabbing at the little birds. He stuffed himself for about three days and then cleared off.

 

[bethan.nature18]

I had a Blackcap in my garden for the first time today! Yay! New bird for my garden. Looks like 2011 is shaping up to be a great year with 2 new species already in my garden.

 

[turkish van]

We have one or two males all day every day at the moment, they don't seem to have any issues with the other birds. Seeing a blackcap and brambling dining at the same fat feeder is a nice sight! If they spot each other though, it's a completely different story.

 

[Southwatch]

We had a problem with a Blackcap but he's Ok now as made him a table on his own. Delighted the other day when 3 came, but now there's only one again as he probably chased them off! No, they are not very sociable. |=)|
Besides soft apple think it's also taking ground-up sunflower hearts?

 

[Cheshire Birder]

I've heard of some Blackcaps being quite aggressive when feeding at bird tables, while others are fairly placid.

CB

 

[Trisha]

A friend has a blackcap visiting the garden every day and this one's quite aggressive. It doesn't stop the other birds coming down though.

 

[Alex_HJ]

Since starting this thread, my Blackcap has calmed down which is a first for years, could be a different bird maybe?! I have counted 3 birds present at any one time (2 males and a female). One think that i've done is literally dedicated a feeder to him and spread all the other feeders out across the garden to give him some space :t: seems to have done the trick though.

But replying to what you said Southwatch, it seems that Blackcaps have quite a diverse appetite feeding on the sunflower hearts, peanuts, apples, suet and mixed grain. You wouldn't think of it as a warbler would you!

Alex

 

[Southwatch]

Blackcap on new table mentioned taking 'Tit & Woodpecker pudding' now. Fairly solid mix of ground-up dried mealworms/sunflower hearts/peanuts, added oats and fat with a touch of non-salty peanut butter.
Tipped it down here all day so no photo yet.

Alex said ''You wouldn't think of it as a warbler would you!'' No, and think seems nearer to the Robin family somehow.
Very good Kimmel Bay Snowbuntings on your Blog, we know the area quite well.
|=)| |=)|

 

[BryceM]

Hi Alex,

We have the same problem this year. A female Blackcap appeared a week or so ago (photo attached of it in our prunus bush)
For the first few days it fed happily with the other birds. However now it has become EXTREMELY aggressive and will not allow any other bird of it's size on the feeders at all. It has attacked the robins, seen off a flock of at least 7 Long Tailed tits, attacked Bluetits, Great Tits and even had a crack at some Starlings. It is a real problem.
Any ideas to deter it would be good. It seems addicted to the fat balls so we tried removing them but it still stands guard over the feeders. It is amazing really - it will sit in the bush next to the feeders or on the feeder all day just watching for approaching birds.

 

[Stevie babe]

A pair of blackcaps in our garden on 3rd Jan for the first time ever

 

[paulwfromtheden]

Year after year, I have 1-2 Blackcaps returning to the garden. After watching the birds, they seem extremely agressive towards other birds and basically stands its ground and attacks every other bird either a similar size or smaller than itself. This has been happening every year since i've been at the house (10 years).

Does anyone else experience this behaviour from Blackcaps? Obviously they're very terrortorial birds but I end up with no birds apart from the blackcap! |!|

It can be quite frustrating at times, but I have learnt to space the feeders out across the length of the garden to try and minimise the problem that seems to be working so far :bounce:

He's even got that look in his eyes that he's up to no good!!! :eek!:

Cheers, Alex

Rules the roost on my feeders!! A lady as well!! She stands no nonsense and chases everything off.
Do female Blackcaps suffer from PMT?

 

[Alex_HJ]

Thanks Southwatch...|=)| Like you said, they are more robin-like. I would definately agree, because robins can be highly agressive as well as having the same type of character as a Blackcap.

Hi BryceM,

Nice pic. Exact same seems to happen in my garden where the first few days, the blackcap feeds quite happily for the first few days and then adopts a hatred for everything in sight. I've had this problem every winter and i've tried different methods of moving feeders and taking food down.. its had very little effect until this year and they havent been present as much (but at times still been very agressive) - possibly different bird to previous years or may stand control of another garden nearby.

It really is a difficult one and many years I've just sat it out and ended up with very few birds by March when the Blackcap finally goes. I know blackcaps take sunflower hearts but I think they ignore black sunflower seeds- food that tits and finches will happily feed on. They also ignore nyjer seed which finches will feed on. But as long as there is something that the blackcap will feed on like peanuts, it will more than likely stick around. :C

Does anyone else have any ideas? or know of any foods Blackcaps ignore?

Cheers, Alex

 

[Mary]

Thanks Southwatch...|=)| Like you said, they are more robin-like. I would definately agree, because robins can be highly agressive as well as having the same type of character as a Blackcap.

Hi BryceM,

Nice pic. Exact same seems to happen in my garden where the first few days, the blackcap feeds quite happily for the first few days and then adopts a hatred for everything in sight. I've had this problem every winter and i've tried different methods of moving feeders and taking food down.. its had very little effect until this year and they havent been present as much (but at times still been very agressive) - possibly different bird to previous years or may stand control of another garden nearby.

It really is a difficult one and many years I've just sat it out and ended up with very few birds by March when the Blackcap finally goes. I know blackcaps take sunflower hearts but I think they ignore black sunflower seeds- food that tits and finches will happily feed on. They also ignore nyjer seed which finches will feed on. But as long as there is something that the blackcap will feed on like peanuts, it will more than likely stick around. :C

Does anyone else have any ideas? or know of any foods Blackcaps ignore?

Cheers, Alex

Do you have any apples out? They love them, so maybe putting one or two away from the feeders will give the other birds more opportunity.

 

[yew]

I had my first male one last winter and he was fine and I never noticed him cross. I would love to see a female though. I knew the beautiful sound of it the minute I opened the window or door and I am still putting out apples daily this winter hoping for it to return. The apple pieces disappear anyway ...... but I believe I have heard a couple on the way to work in the morning though. That is a gorgeous picture.

 

[nuthouse]

I have a few here that vist my feeders this winter its hard to get a pic of more than one at he feeders, heres a pic of a house sparrow,blacked capped chickadee

 

[Southwatch]

It seems our male Blackcap if the same one mentioned last week, has changed character for the worse and taken-over a table on the ground. Photo. Trying to keep him there, I've buried small mealworms inside a partially hollowed-out apple. The core of the apple is left mostly intact to hide worms from any birds that may have the nerve to enter his 'arena'. |!| |=)|
A couple of days ago positioned a small table attached to an old garden fork, about 7ft (2mtrs) from the window hoping the Blackcap's too shy to get this close, will have to wait and see?
So far only the Robin, a Goldcrest and some Tits have used it. This is first time tried Thumbnail pics.

 

[Festa]

We have a very aggressive male blackcap who chases away most of the other birds using our sunflower and fatball feeders. I have tried removing the feeder for a week, but he was soon back. I am thinking of siting another feeder in the garden, and wondering how far away it should be.