• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

King of the Garden? (1 Viewer)

Jaff

Jaff

Registered Member
I was wondering who is the undisputed lord of everyone's gardens that nothing dares to try and bully, by which I don't mean raptors just which birds can eat in peace and not have to worry about other birds muscling in.

Here Blackbirds are pretty much king of the ground as they are more feisty than the Woodpigeons or Collared Doves. On the feeders the GS Woodies can usually see off most birds incl. starlings until that is a Jackdaw turns up, Jackdaws are the top of the tree as far as my bird feeders go.

Your turn. :t:
 
Greenfinches are pretty feisty here, though the arrival of a GSW will see them off.

On the ground, rooks seem to reign supreme - and they are getting onto the feeders too.
 
Um I would say in my Garden starlings don't like other birds feeding near them, and if there's fat balls out the starlings go in to mega defence any other starling who comes to have some, a fight breaks out!
 
Good question.

The Blackbirds cause the most hassle at the minute as the arrival of foreign birds have swelled the garden to a dozen or so and they all seem to be josling for territory so the disturbance is very high.

On the feeders the Greenfinch seem to be dominant

However the Coal Tits can nip in and take seeds in front of all species and not be given short shrift.

And ....... the Lesser Redpoll seem to be the most relaxed and dont seem to retreat at all when everything else has gone to safety

Isnt it great what we observe in the garden
 
After remembering 3-4 months ego I had a regular magpie visiting the garden every morning just eating everything, But while he was there the other birds didn't go near him. But to be honest I really enjoyed seeing the magpie having a good breakfast. As what lots of people forget they all need food as much as each other. Anyway; he hasnt been around for months.
 
Birds of different types tend to steer clear of one another, but today I saw a Magpie and a Herring Gull perched side by side on a TV aerial for a minute or more, neither bothering the other. In the daily ground-feeding garden melee, the Jays often hold sway, unafraid of the bodily larger Pigeons, although cheeky squawking Jackdaws easily swoop in with impunity. My Blackbirds seem relatively timid, seeking refuge in the border shrubs if the Pigeon hordes descend en masse. The trouble with Blackbirds is they're too busy fending off territorial rivals of their own kind, rather than trying to outwit or out-peck the host of pillaging Pigeons, who can hoover up food in seconds... now you see it, now you don't!
 
Juvi Starlings would peck at any Sparrow who got on the suet feeder last fall. In the Summer There was one Mourning dove who would chase other doves off the platform feeder and would chase away squirrels at their lunch box. I would say the king was the House Finch, actually the female was so bold she would land anywhere new and just eat, if a Sparrow started she would defend then eat again.
 
Definitely gulls. I've got both herring and glaucous-winged gulls bullying everything else at my feeder, and I wish they'd go back to eating fish! Gulls are the worst.
 
In my garden I'd have to say that the sparrows rule. Not so much for aggressive behavior but their overwhelming numbers around the feeders tends to crowd out the others.
 
We have very infrequent visits from a Jay, which put in an appearance this morning. At the time the feeders where quite busy with several Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Great Tit but they all scarpered as soon as the Jay arrived. Makes him the King I think!
 
I have a really dominant wood pigeon. When he is around there are no other wood pigeons, he sees of the magpies too. When he isn't there, there can be 7/8 woodies feeding quite happily together.

With the small birds, greenfinches trump the usual visitors.
 
I could write endlessly about my feeder birds' interactions. A number of them have a way of sticking up for themselves. The Stellar's Jays are raucous and rude, but they like to share with each other. Their animation and noisiness will intimidate other birds, less than any aggression I've seen though. The Northern Flickers are gentle, and very wary of people or predators; but I've seen them peck away other birds, Grosbeaks, Starlings, etc.. The Bushtits are tough in this way. They are little mobsters. They find safety in numbers. The one I admire most though, is the male Anna's Hummingbird here. I have seen them chase and harry much larger birds, not just each other. I will give the crown here to the Male, Anna's Hummingbird. Oh, it looks like he already has one.
 

Attachments

  • P1200641.jpg
    P1200641.jpg
    90.9 KB · Views: 68
I'd say that the bluejays are probably most dominant, but they don't bully any of the other birds. They have a whole peanut feeder that they can devastate in about 30 mins on a good day and only a couple of other birds want the whole peanuts. The tufted titmice love it and so do my red-bellied woodpeckers. Still, it's pretty harmonious.

The doves are kings of the only feeder with a platform, simply due to their sheer size. Once they're perched or nestled down on it, nothing else can land! They actually just lay on the platform near one of the feeding holes and gobble away.

Polly
 
Hi Jaff,

Of the smaller birds, In our garden, the King is without a doubt a Robin! As soon as he is on the scenes the others move away until he is done! :king:

I have tried to upload a pic. Hopefully I have done this correctly! ;)

David
 

Attachments

  • 2013-01 Robin King_800.jpg
    2013-01 Robin King_800.jpg
    67.9 KB · Views: 48
Warning! This thread is more than 11 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

M
Marks 2024 green list (on foot and by bicycle)
Replies
8
Views
809
Moo
M
O
Garden Birdwatch
Replies
0
Views
338
Original PaulE
O
intellectual
My Garden
Replies
6
Views
809
intellectual
intellectual
Troubador
Surprises Through my Zeisses: a Postscript
Replies
2
Views
1K
Troubador
Troubador
G
  • Article
2024: The Beginning
Replies
4
Views
542
Green Sandpiper
G

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top