Very busy at the bird feeder today! (1 Viewer)

[Bananafishbones]

along came a lesser Redpol which arrived with and fed with some Goldfinches. Is this normal behaviour does anybody know?

Yes they mix together very well Roger

I get both Redpolls and Goldfinch on the same feeders without any squabbling at all :t:

It got a bit blustery this afternoon so has gone a little quiet.... unles the Sprawk is hiding close by

 

[roger48]

Thanks for the response Banafishbones (love the username) it is nice to learn something new. I will look out for Redpoll when I next have a bunch of Goldfinches on the feeders.

The GFs are funny, they seem to empty the sunflower seed feeders so quickly and drop half the contents on the ground, much to the delight of the woodies and Blackbirds.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

CB I did think about posting but the pics are terrible and my description is sketchy! It could have been a few different birds when I checked my guide!

I have a feeling from the pic it is a Dunlin. Did you only get the one shot?

News for today - A pair of Long-tailed Tits in the front hedge (have seen them most days this week) appear to be nest building just yards from last years nest. Also heard Treecreeper (my first in the garden this year I think).

Went looking for my local LSW but no sign this afternoon. Weather is due to be calmer the next couple of days so fingers crossed.

CB

 

[Disneynut1973]

CB - The other shot is just as bad - i've attached! Dunlin was one of my possible id's. Plus from the the Yorkshire thread I know some there were these about. It just means i'll have to go back and try and spot them again!

Hobbes, I started off with just a couple of Goldfinch and now regularly have up to a dozen, once word gets out... :t:

Roger, a little jealous of the Redpolls, another bird I have yet to see.

The garden stayed nicely busy today, though i've not seen the Coal Tit or LTT's in a few days now.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

CB - The other shot is just as bad - i've attached! Dunlin was one of my possible id's. Plus from the the Yorkshire thread I know some there were these about. It just means i'll have to go back and try and spot them again!

Might be worth posting on the id forum to see what the consensus is, although you may not get a defintive answer.

CB

 

[JeffMoh]

Hope the parents were impressed, Pam!

I'm always impressed by your yard lists, Dave.

No garden sightings to report here because we were at the coast over the weekend - El Franco Lee Park, Galveston, Bolivar Peninsula and Anahuac NW Refuge.

Fitted in 5-6 hours of birding and did pretty well. No lifers but 75 species including 8 new year birds. (My first spring warbler, a Black-and-white, and first Barn Swallow.) Great views of a Possum, too; and some dolphins and a handful of alligators. Best sighting 1,000-2,000 American Avocets. Beautiful birds, especially in breeding plumage!

Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

 

[Hobbes2]

<snip>
The GFs are funny, they seem to empty the sunflower seed feeders so quickly and drop half the contents on the ground, much to the delight of the woodies and Blackbirds.

Hi Roger, having read your post, I watched the 2 Goldfinches this morning on the Sunflower feeder and observed they did the exact same thing. One of them literally kept poking its head in, getting a seed, dropping it on the floor, going back in again, getting a seed, dropping it on the floor etc etc. A Blackbird and House Sparrow were underneath hoovering up the offerings, lol.

The weather is glorious today and the return of the Goldfinches made my morning, along with the appearance of a female Blackcap in the scrub at the back of the garden. Yesterday I observed her some way behind my fence line but today she's come right into the garden. I hope she becomes a regular.

CB, I hope you get a chance to see the LTT nest once its finished being used. Amazing little things and I can imagine the baby LTTs are beyond cute :t:

Pam, thanks for the tip on the Goldfinches. I hope they do 'tell their friends'.

Jeff....you got a superb haul for 5-6 hours birding. Nice to see the photos too. Avocets are one of those birds I'd really like to see but never have.

Attached is a record shot of the female Blackcap - more for my own satisfaction than anything else

Hobbes

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Following on from my LTTs yesterday, I spent the day wandering around cheshire and they seem to be everywhere. Checked my records - Treecreeper is a garden yeartick!!!

Also added Glaucous and Med Gulls to my yearlist today!!

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Fitted in 5-6 hours of birding and did pretty well. No lifers but 75 species including 8 new year birds. (My first spring warbler, a Black-and-white, and first Barn Swallow.) Great views of a Possum, too; and some dolphins and a handful of alligators. Best sighting 1,000-2,000 American Avocets. Beautiful birds, especially in breeding plumage!

Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

Lovely birds, the American Avocets are.

Attached is a record shot of the female Blackcap - more for my own satisfaction than anything else

Hobbes

Congrats on the Blackcap shot. Still waiting for my first one of the year up here.

CB

 

[Disneynut1973]

CB, very nice to get a Treecreeper in the garden, I saw one in my parents garden years back. My LTT's appear to have gone missing after visiting almost daily for a while?

Jeff, my Mum is always impressed with the Goldfinch, I think they are her favourite and she got to see quite a few in the garden! It sounds like you had a good weekend!

Hobbes, fingers crossed for the Blackcap becoming a regular!

 

[JeffMoh]

Jeff, my Mum is always impressed with the Goldfinch, I think they are her favourite and she got to see quite a few in the garden! It sounds like you had a good weekend!

Unfortunately, our Am Goldfinch have left for the north. They'll now be replaced by lots of other good birds, though. I saw my first Barn Swallow on Sunday and my first spring migrant warbler. Other warblers will be following, along with Orioles, Tanagers and Buntings.We probably won't see any of those birds in our gardens but we should have Ruby-throated Hummingbirds soon - They're always a joy to watch and have been spotted just a few miles away.

Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

 

[captaincarot]

nothing much in our garden at the moment.

we did get 17 jackdaws, 1 rook and 8 magpies at the same time yesterday other than that there's just a couple of the usual birds in at any one time

 

[hectorzaza]

Up at our new bunglow(moving in shortly)we were enjoying the sunshine in the back garden while waiting for the carpet fitters to finish when we heard kronk kronk and looked up to see 7 Ravens flying over.most we"d ever see together never mind in our back garden..

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Up at our new bunglow(moving in shortly)we were enjoying the sunshine in the back garden while waiting for the carpet fitters to finish when we heard kronk kronk and looked up to see 7 Ravens flying over.most we"d ever see together never mind in our back garden..

An excellent record for a garden. I bet not many have them on their garden list!! :t:

CB

 

[Bananafishbones]

Up at our new bunglow(moving in shortly)we were enjoying the sunshine in the back garden while waiting for the carpet fitters to finish when we heard kronk kronk and looked up to see 7 Ravens flying over.most we"d ever see together never mind in our back garden..

Mega great start to your new garden list:t:

I cant beat your Ravens, but did get a wonderful display from a Buzzard against the crisp blue sky over the house this afternoon.

Pretty quiet though on the feeders

 

[hectorzaza]

we all get different birds and numbers of birds in our gardens thats why this thread is so interesting and goes on and on,Dave you have had redpolls in your garden this winter we don"t tend to see them here in greenfield that often.we had one pair last march and that was a first,non this year so well done with them.We have not started a list for our new place yet thought wait till we are in and feeders are up.when we"ve been their seen.Blue Tit,Blackbird,Crow.Magpie,Woodpigeon,Jackdaw.Dunnock.Robin.Buzzard.and pheasant.

 

[Hobbes2]

CB - congrats on your Treecreeper year tick. Great little birds and even better to have it in your garden! Thanks for your reply on the Blackcap appearance. She has returned daily now and this morning even came to drink at the bird bath, much to my joy! Unfortunately, the battery in my camera had died so no photos.

Jeff - glad to hear Spring is coming to your part of the world too.

CC - 17 Jackdaws!! That's one noisy bunch of birds, lol.

hectorzaza - glad the house move is going along ok and you had the excitement of the 7 Ravens. Great stuff.

Dave - you can't beat the sight of birds against a deep blue sky.

My garden has been an absolute delight over the past few days. Apart from the returning female Blackcap, the Blue Tits are very active and obviously in courting mode. The Goldfinches are drinking from the bird bath now and I had the pleasure of watching a tiny little Wren sunbath yesterday on the fence rail next to my patio doors. She looked as snug as a bug in a rug and stayed there for quite some time preening, bathing and generally looking totally cute, lol.

Hobbes

 

[roger48]

Blackcap

Hi Hobbes,

Nice to hear about the Blackcap. A female appeared in the garden in January and has been a regular visitor ever since. Have also seen a male but not as often.

Here is mine, a real feisty bird.

I did post it before but I cannot remember where.

 

[Bananafishbones]

Brilliant stuff on our GARDEN WATCH!!
Treecreepers and Blackcaps (great picture Roger) both quality and as Jeff stated we will have a change of species to look forward too.

I have just had a friend around to see the Redpolls, these are on his life list.... oh no they let me down! he did get stonking good views of a Female Reed Bunting that has been here all afternoon.

Sparrowhawk through the garden and Buzzard over are the other highlights today
Dave

 

[captaincarot]

1 half eaten collared dove corpse.
no head so i suspect cat
bugger all else.

the catapults comin out it can put a boilie 100 yards if i really push it i'll teach cats to kill my birds