My Back Garden (1 Viewer)

[ChrisKten]

I get up at 6 every morning and this morning, just as it was light, I heard a Jay's alarm. Actually it could have been a Squirrel's alarm as I wasn't awake properly.

So I looked out the kitchen window, and saw one of the regular Squirrels walking about, and on the fence, not 6 feet from it, was the female Sparrowhawk. I'm not sure if it had just taken a drink from the bird bath, or if it was after the Squirrel. She ignored me until I threw some nuts out, then flew off.

Early afternoon the male Sparrowhawk swooped into the tree, just missing a Starling. He chased it around the tree for awhile, then flew off with empty talons.

I've always had Sparrowhawks visiting, but lately my garden seems to have become even more popular. I suppose with more 70 birds at a time in the garden, it had to happen.

 

[ChrisKten]

Just an update on the Sparrow Hawks, the female has taken another Collard Dove. I've attached some pictures of her, and of an interaction between her and a Squirrel. It was interesting to see her puff herself up to look bigger as the Squirrel got too close.

The video was taken through the kitchen window, so clarity is not good again. I've only got about 50 seconds of video, as I wanted her to finish her meal rather than kill another bird. It took her about an hour to reduce the Collard Dove to feathers and a few bones.

 

[ChrisKten]

Here's 2 more captures, these are from the end of the sequence after the Squirrel left. You can see she is no longer feeling threatened.

 

[Bananafishbones]

Two garden firsts today in my Cheshire Garden:

Redpoll (nearly missed it as it was mixed in with aload of Goldfinch)
Song Thrush

Tree creeper 2 days ago

 

[ChrisKten]

The Sparrowhawks are still visiting my garden; I accidentally saved the life of a Starling the other day. I happened to pull back the curtain just as the Sparrowhawk was covering the Starling with it's wings. The Starling was making a horrible shriek and fighting back; it flew off safely in the end.

I also had another visit from the Goshawk, at least I'm pretty sure it was a Goshawk. I heard all the birds fly off in a panic so went to the kitchen window, and at first, saw nothing. Then I realised I was looking straight at a Hawk perched on the fence. It was probably twice the size of a female Sparrowhawk, and more brown in colour. As soon as realised I was actually looking at it, it flew off.

The Hawk's camouflage was so successful as the fence it was perched on is made of wood. It was the biggest Hawk I've ever seen, and I was within 20 feet of it, albeit safely behind the window.

One day I'll get it on video if I'm lucky.

 

[ChrisKten]

The last few weeks have been very entertaining. I now have 5 Jays, 3 Crows, and about 8 Squirrels, and all are competing for the peanuts in shells.

It's funny, I look out the window and all I see in the garden are the Starlings, Sparrows, Collard Doves, Tits, and Pigeons. Then I throw out a handful of nuts and Jays and Squirrels appear from nowhere in an instant. The Jays bounce off of walls and fences and half fight each other, at the same time the Squirrels come charging in from all directions. It's a mad rush to see who can get the nuts first. Then the Crows appear on the fence and frighten off the Jays. But the Jays don't give up and swoop down and get a nut almost without touching the ground.

As I said, very entertaining, also very expensive trying to keep them all happy.

 

[ChrisKten]

I thought I'd mention that one of the Pigeons is trying to bully me, in fact he's treating me like another Pigeon.

The last few days he's started landing on my shoulder when I go to fill up the feeders, he stays there until I come back into the house. If I ignore him he pecks my left ear until I feed him. If I stop feeding him and carry on filling the feeders he threatens me. He makes the rumbling cooing noise that Pigeons make when they warn other Pigeons off food, or before and while they fight.

I know most people will think "so what, it's only a Pigeon", but to me all the Wildlife is fascinating.

 

[ChrisKten]

I thought I'd post a couple of video captures of a wet female Sparrowhawk. She was on the fence looking a little sorry for herself. I wasn't sure if she was sick or wet, so I posted in the ID sub forum first.

It's actually the first time I've seen a Hawk wet and fluffed up and got it on video.

 

[Jonathan Hare]

I got up yesterday to see snow falling and noticed a bird stood on the ground in the garden covered in snowflakes. Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was a Sparrow Hawk, and it was eating a small bird it had captured. Why couldn't it have took a pigeon?

Will sort out the pics later this evening when I get back from work, if I have the time.

 

[ChrisKten]

I've seen the male Sparrowhawk take Starlings, Sparrows, a Dunnock, and a Great Tit. I've seen the female take a few Starlings, and a few Collard Doves.

As I've posted previously, I've got more than 40 Pigeons in the garden yet none have ever been taken. The main threat to the Pigeons (apart from traffic) seems to be Gulls. There are many that swoop down at the Pigeons when they are on the roof of my house. I don't know whether or not they have taken any, but they certainly appear to keep trying.

But I actually like Pigeons, well all wildlife, so the less I see taken the better. I know how it goes now, I've seen the Sparrowhawks attack, cover, kill, and eat prey many times in my garden. I don't want to see it more than I have to.

 

[ChrisKten]

I've seen a Goldcrest in the tree a few times for the last few days. I'm lucky if I see one a couple of times each year in the trees, so it was a pleasant surprise.

It wasn't interested in any of the feeders or trays, just looking for insects, I think.

 

[mattsharps]

Well, my Goldfinch was back today after a 3 month abscence. Went straight for the nyger!

 

[ChrisKten]

Well, my Goldfinch was back today after a 3 month abscence. Went straight for the nyger!

You are lucky, I've only seen a Goldfinch once in the garden this year.

I'd better mention that, within about an hour and a half of my posting about the Chaffinch, I had another visit from one of the female Sparrowhawks. I guess it's good to say I've seen it, but it wasn't a pleasant experience really.

Just before 10 in the morning I heard a Starling screeching, it's one of those noises that is obviously a bird in distress. I looked out of the window to see the Sparrowhawk with her talons in the Starling while the Starling thrashed about. The Hawk was all over the garden trying to restrain the Starling while it fought and attempted to escape.

After about 5 minutes all was quiet and the Sparrowhawk began eating her meal, that was now dead. At least I though it was dead, ten minutes later the screeching started again, and the partially eaten Starling was fighting again. The Sparrowhawk covered the Starling with one of her wings to stop it escaping and continued eating, a few minutes later all was quiet again.

She took 2 and a half hours to eat the Starling, in what appears to be a favourite spot, at the back of the garden under one of the trees.

I know that it's nature, and I know I mustn't interfere, but on this occasion doing nothing was very difficult and quite unpleasant. Still, if I provide food for the Birds the Sparrowhawk shouldn't be an exception.

As I said, very unpleasant just sitting on my hands watching. But at least I let the Sparrowhawk have her hard earned meal. I guess in time I'll start to feel less guilty about doing nothing.

 

[ChrisKten]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just add to my old one.

Something odd has been happening lately; I noticed more holes appearing in the garden. The holes are wider than holes dug by the Squirrels, and messier. I couldn't work out what was making the holes, until today. The holes are being dug by Pigeons, maybe dug is the wrong word, they are pecking and swinging their heads from side to side, forming the hole. It wasn't until I saw one get a nut that I worked it out.

The Squirrels break open some of the Nuts In Shells and bury each nut individually, others they carry off whole, or eat. Well some of the Pigeons have witnessed the actual burying of the nut and have accidentally found a few. This is a just blind luck as they are just digging in the general area.

Anyway, I now have many shallow holes in the garden made by Pigeons. Other Pigeons have learned from the diggers, so it's a regular occurrence now. I'm wondering if this is a new learned behaviour, or something they do naturally.

Like I've said before, Pigeons are much smarter than people think.

 

[clayts]

Hey Christken - you seem to have developed a mole/pigeon hybrid there

Incidentally, I tried out the monkey nut necklace routine on the squirrels. I had to hang it in the woods, though, as some of the neighbours were grumbling about the volume of furry grey missiles hurtling along the top of their fences on their way to my back garden.

Sadly, they cracked the code in my absence (I feed them at midday in the woods everyday - day 1, unsolved, day 2 - gone !), but I hope it kept them amused for a few minutes anyway.

Once the garden starts growing again, I may just smuggle a few monkey nut necklaces in amongst the branches of a shrub, and watch the squirrels wrestle with them...

 

[ChrisKten]

Hi clayts, funnily enough a few days ago I saw a Jay work out the strings of Monkey Nuts. He perched on the branch the string was attached to and gathered up the string with his beak. When a nut was within reach he cracked it open and ate the nuts.

I'll try and video it if I catch him doing it again.

Assuming you have Jays locally, it might be something worth keeping an eye out for.


One thing with Birds and Squirrels, you never get bored.

 

[mattsharps]

Big day today!

Goldfinch is back, and (touch wood) will hang about a bit longer than last time! Bought a few of his 'golden boys'8-P but just had a little stare from the tree and flew off. Ruddy Starlings!

And... Long-Tailed Tits back! Was wondering where the fat balls were going, just thought the dunnock was fattening up!

AND... Quite possibly the best thing of all (And the RSPB will be happy), Back have come my darling House Sparrows! Don't have a clue where they went, but witnessed their return today. They have used the 6 metres worth of hedgerow in my garden every year, producing as many as 30 chicks (at least) with many families and many broods. We have precisely 4 males and 4 females so looking good!

And the usual Blue Tits, Great Tits, greenies, Blackies, Robin, Dunnock etc. Still waiting for the return of our Great Spotted Woodpecker Flincher (Fondly named due to his sudden statue-ness on the sunflower hearts at the slightest movement of the tiniest wren near by. Speaking of Wrens, they've not turned up either...

I'm starting to get very annoyed by everyones postings of Blackcaps, Bramblings and Thrushes. I always look forward to an overseas arrival every year. And not one ruddy thing! Ah well, perhaps one of my Blackbirds might be from Brittany...

I'm babbling on a bit now!

MattSharps

 

[ChrisKten]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Matt, maybe the Goldfinches will be back in force tomorrow.

Also great news about the Sparrows, yes the RSPB would be pleased. I'm hoping their numbers will have climbed when this years Big Garden Birdwatch count comes in. Don't forget to add them to your Counting Sheet.

If the Sparrowhawks aren't too busy next week I might be able to add 10+ House Sparrows to my count. All being well I might count a few more than last year.

You are lucky you get Long Tail Tits, I've not seen any in my area, and I've only seen Green Finches a couple of times in the garden.

 

[ChrisKten]

I mentioned a while ago that I see a Goldcrest in the trees, but only rarely. Well for the last week or so that's changed.

I've seen a Goldcrest every day for over a week, and a few times each day. I get a really close look at it, which I have to say is amazing. It's been looking for insects, but it's also started eating crumbs that fall from the Scraps Feeder (it could be eating insects on the crumbs). The bread crumbs collect in a V where a branch connects to the tree.

There's one other thing it did that I wish I'd have caught on video, it flew into the Fat Feeder. Yes, into the feeder, pecked at a fat ball, and flew out again.

I can't help being fascinated watching it, they are so small, and they never keep still. I'm in awe of the little thing almost as much as I am the Sparrowhawks, but for totally different reasons.

I'll try and get some video and maybe post some captures. I didn't want to jinx it, I thought if I go to video it I'd never see it again.

 

[ChrisKten]

Seeing as I can't remember the last time I saw snow, I thought I'd post a picture.

Here's one I took this morning of 3 Collard Doves in the snow: