Very busy at the bird feeder today! (17 Viewers)

[RICHAT]

Eventually two male bramblings showed up in the large garden tree this afternoon, one of which fed in the garden. These pics show both him and the friendly wagtail.

 

[JeffMoh]

Pleasant half-hour of birding at work today - on a beautiful, warm blue-sky morning. (Sorry, residents of Britain!)

Tons of Yellow-rumped Warblers and several other species I've seen recently: Eastern Phoebe, Brown Thrasher, Blue Jays, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Sedge Wren etc. But also some new (to the campus this year) birds: Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and Savannah Sparrows.

I'm not good at all with sparrows but this winter I'm hoping to see and ID at least 10-12 of the 17 species we regularly get here in the winter.

Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

 

[Bird spotter]

Just been outside to check the feeders to find the temperature has "plummeted "to -10.8 degrees C.

 

[RICHAT]

Just been outside to check the feeders to find the temperature has "plummeted "to -10.8 degrees C.

Wow thanks for that BS - wasn't planning on going out tonight but that's amazing. From where I sit in the lounge I can see icicles forming from the streetlamps, which I've never noticed before.

I just hope the sunflower heart order gets here soon as stocks plummet as much as the temperature.

 

[Bird spotter]

Gosh looks to be getting worse.
The temperature has now dropped to -12.1 degrees.
I have a sensor outside on the shed which transmits data to a Oregon Scientific weather station in the house.
Just hope the birds can cope in such cold conditions.

 

[redeyedvideo]

T'is might parky with the door open to let these pesky Great Tits in :-O

Bet you wouldn't mind if they were Pleske's Tits (or pure!)

Is the bird actually inside with the food, Dave,? Just thought it might be putting droppings on the seed?

A very good point there Mary, I've topped it up with husk-free and dug the lid out of the snow. That should stop the squirrel helping itself too.

First time this week I haven't seen Yellowhammer in the garden, not that I've had much time to look today, I'm sure they'll be back.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Bet you wouldn't mind if they were Pleske's Tits (or pure!)

A pure only 80 km from my feeders last weekend, I can only drool in anticipation.

 

[Busybee]

Temperature here in balmy Pembrokeshire is 8 degrees and it is torrenting down. Just got back from Scotland yesterday. Travelled through awful snow and sub zero temperatures. Feeders were in a mess and when my husband cleaned and refilled them we had all the usual visitors down but still only 1 goldfinch. We are up to 7 starlings and there is a very sneaky magpie who peeps around a corner to see if he can pinch anything, sees me and is off back round the corner. Funny to watch but I bet he had a ball while I was away.

 

[theconstantwalker]

My little garden in Northwich Cheshire. Photo taken just after i arrived home at 6.30pm tonight after my commute home from Manchester on the M56 in the snow with frozen water in the washer bottle and loads of salt on the windscreen...........great.

My garden is the size of a postage stamp but my feeders (probably too many for it's size lol) have had some lovely visitors. :t::t:

 

[Cheshire Birder]

I found it so interesting that Rich has the Parakeets that I looked it up. It's an old article from 2004 but it says, "The number of wild parrots living in England is rising at 30% per year, says an Oxford University research project." " Birdline UK's Parrot Rescue, which looks after abandoned birds, says parrots are now acclimatised to conditions in this country and are quite capable of living and breeding here
But this is causing problems for other native birds, which are being pushed out by the growing numbers of parrots. .":eek!:

Uh-Oh, that could turn into a serious problem.:-C Here's the full article in case anyone over there is interested.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3869815.stm

I understand they are becoming a bit of a pest now. Wonder if the RSPB & government will start a cull? :-O

Ring-necked Parakeets are long lived. We had one escaped bird on my patch which survived for c6 years in the early 1990's.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Never seen one before but have just had woodcock in the garden .went and sat under one of the small firs we have .just couldn't believe it first. Of course camera not properly available so only got poor shot

Congrats :t::t:. Woodcocks turn up in quite a few gardens when we get heavy snow falls.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Capdegat,

Wow a woodcock - I'd love to see one of those here.

Stop press: male brambling has just returned.B

If you have some woodlands near you try wandering off the track in this snowy weather and there's a good chance of finding one!

Bramblings are so nice to see.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Wow thanks for that BS - wasn't planning on going out tonight but that's amazing. From where I sit in the lounge I can see icicles forming from the streetlamps, which I've never noticed before.

I just hope the sunflower heart order gets here soon as stocks plummet as much as the temperature.

Are you not suffering in the heavy snowfalls down in Kent? I thought most of the county had several inches yesterday.

Gosh looks to be getting worse.
The temperature has now dropped to -12.1 degrees.
I have a sensor outside on the shed which transmits data to a Oregon Scientific weather station in the house.
Just hope the birds can cope in such cold conditions.

Birds cope a lot better than we do in these temperatures. We had -13.1C in Cheshire this morning but I think once the end of day figures are done it will be colder than that.

First time this week I haven't seen Yellowhammer in the garden, not that I've had much time to look today, I'm sure they'll be back.

Yellowhammers are an excellent garden bird :t:

Temperature here in balmy Pembrokeshire is 8 degrees and it is torrenting down.

Is that +8C or -8C? :-O

CB

 

[Busybee]

Hi CB, +8C and has just stopped raining

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Hi CB, +8C and has just stopped raining

Can we have some of that mild weather please!!

CB

 

[Bananafishbones]

love the Yellowhammer redeye

temp is a balmy +1 at 03.00am as I finished work, now its time for a perfectly chilled beer

 

[will562]

Some pics taken today showing male brambling, goldfinches and parakeet in the snow. Sorry about bad light and technique! Will try and do better!

Hi, another Droll Yankees fan I see. I have the Finch Flocker and want the Onyx too, but need to save some pennys first. Never seen a Brambling either.

 

[SPINNEYGAL]

I have been stuck at home for 2 days but what a 2 days. Thursday had a huge flock of Fieldfare land in the Hawthorn trees further down the garden and my Long Tailed Tits came back. Friday I topped up the peanut feeder the Jay has been going on and as I turned round about 8 LTT's landed 4 ft away on the suet pellets, looked up at the house an about another 8 were on the other feeder. Then 2 or 3 came on the nuts I had just put out only 2 feet or so from where I was stood and they stayed for a minute or two it was so exciting.

 

[RICHAT]

Thaw

This morning in West Kent has seen some of the snow melt thankfully.

 

[Shirley Roulston]

Your garden is not a postage stamp Andrew its a bird paradise.

The Yellow Hammer is fantastic and I too saw a Pied Wagtail in the garden bobbing along the paving stones.

No Redpolls here I don't think.

I love all the photos coming in to this thread.