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

[Bananafishbones]

62 - Lesser Whitethroat (only about the 5th garden record!!) feeding with the roving tit flock this morning.

CB

nice one CB

Its been a bit of a washout all day here in East Cheshire..... I didnt even venture out to fill the feeders up :storm:

Still got too many ferals... numbers are up due to 3 racing pigeons mixed in with them. I could do with a few more raptors tucking in

 

[roger1234]

anybody that buys fatballs,if you have a local wilkinsons near you,probably worth a trip,picked up a bucket of 50 on saturday for £5.99.RSPB £10.25 for 50,a local garden centre was charging £8.the house sparrows love them.:t:even the robin as come back and saw him enjoying the bait.

 

[SPINNEYGAL]

Our weather is much the same, rain, more rain and even more rain.

The birds have been very busy though. The Blue, Great and Coal Tits are feeding like mad. Chaffinches Goldfinches and Greenfinches are increasing in number also.

We had 2 firsts this weekend.

A family of 5 Magpies paid us a quick visit then went off into the trees down the garden.

And:gh:a GREEN WOODPECKER:-O I thought I was seeing things I was so excited, I could not get the bird book out quick enough to check.:t:

 

[Bananafishbones]

And:gh:a GREEN WOODPECKER:-O I thought I was seeing things I was so excited, I could not get the bird book out quick enough to check.:t:

Excellent garden record... keep us informed of any more sightings :t:

 

[catbasket]

And:gh:a GREEN WOODPECKER:-O I thought I was seeing things I was so excited, I could not get the bird book out quick enough to check.:t:

Brilliant! I've seen one in the fields opposite the house but never in the garden.

Checking the chilli plants in between downpours a few minutes ago I heard an alarm call as a biggish bird flew overhead. I turned in time to see a brown blur go into the trees (10-12m away), waited a few seconds and out came a sparrow hawk! It was an unsuccessful attack as far as I could see.

Otherwise - the usual suspects, with more and more juveniles :t:

 

[steve west]

I expect this has already been brought up somewhere on Bird Forum, but is it not possible that the reported rise in Sparrowhawk numbers in the UK in recent years owes more to the proliferation of bird feeders than to anything else? What I mean is a good supply of fat, little innocent and unwary birds tempted out of the protection of their forest habitat must be an excellent food resource for Sparrowhawks. Ey! - I'm not knocking the habit of feeding birds, I just wanted to know if this matter had been discussed and if any conclusions have been drawn.

Steve

 

[Bananafishbones]

I expect this has already been brought up somewhere on Bird Forum, but is it not possible that the reported rise in Sparrowhawk numbers in the UK in recent years owes more to the proliferation of bird feeders than to anything else? What I mean is a good supply of fat, little innocent and unwary birds tempted out of the protection of their forest habitat must be an excellent food resource for Sparrowhawks. Ey! - I'm not knocking the habit of feeding birds, I just wanted to know if this matter had been discussed and if any conclusions have been drawn.

Steve

Fair question... however My only discussion on the matter is two-fold:
1) I just wish they would take more Feral Pigeons
2) Sparrowhawks are cool birds and are more than welcome in my yard :king:

 

[roger1234]

I expect this has already been brought up somewhere on Bird Forum, but is it not possible that the reported rise in Sparrowhawk numbers in the UK in recent years owes more to the proliferation of bird feeders than to anything else? What I mean is a good supply of fat, little innocent and unwary birds tempted out of the protection of their forest habitat must be an excellent food resource for Sparrowhawks. Ey! - I'm not knocking the habit of feeding birds, I just wanted to know if this matter had been discussed and if any conclusions have been drawn.

Steve

i cannot see what conclusions can be drawn?
sparrowhawks are what they are,and nothing can change them,by the way,they are one of my favourite birds:t:

 

[Bananafishbones]

Now then after that deep discussion I have a big decision to make

"Johnie Walker Green Label or a Talisker"

 

[roger1234]

Now then after that deep discussion I have a big decision to make

"Johnie Walker Green Label or a Talisker"

Feral Pigeon washed down with a green label :t:

 

[Bananafishbones]

Feral Pigeon washed down with a green label :t:

Cheers Roger, Green Label it is

 

[steve west]

The reason I asked is that some people seem to get rather upset when they see a baby Blue Tit being whisked off in the talons of a Sparrowhawk. I imagine that more than one or two have phoned the RSPB to see what they can do about the "Sparrowhawk problem". Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought there might be some diversity of opinion and some informed souls in this thread.

 

[roger1234]

The reason I asked is that some people seem to get rather upset when they see a baby Blue Tit being whisked off in the talons of a Sparrowhawk. I imagine that more than one or two have phoned the RSPB to see what they can do about the "Sparrowhawk problem". Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought there might be some diversity of opinion and some informed souls in this thread.

what would you do about the "sparrowhawk problem",(indeed if there is one)i would be very interested in your views please?like i said,sparrowhawks are what they are,you cannot change them?i have never heard of anybody that has phoned the RSPB.maybe somebody out there has?

 

[Bananafishbones]

I havent seen many, if any negative responses on this thread over the years. We all have a personal preference as to what they should catch... mine being the nuisance Feral Pigeons! However it goes on in my garden, in tens of thousands of gardens and in the woods across towns.

TBH the rise of Sparrowhawks is a british success and the movement to more urban gardens has allowed alot more people access to these wonderful birds.

Again on a personal theme my feeders are situated in a part of the garden with a lot of trees which gives the feeding birds plenty of cover meaning the sparrowhawk attacks are often fruitless.

A Sparrowhawk visit still gives me a thrill when it comes to town....

 

[Bananafishbones]

Overhead in the last hour:

Cormorant, Kestrel (Hovering above the nearby school), LBB gulls, and plenty of Swifts

 

[SPINNEYGAL]

On the subject of Sparrowhawks.

We have recently been to Cornwall and whilst there we visited the Screech Owl Sanctuary and a Falconry Centre and one of them had on the wall an article which stated that the presence of a Sparrowhawk in an area means that there is a healthy population of Song Birds in that area.

Loved seeing your pics again Dave.

 

[catbasket]

The reason I asked is that some people seem to get rather upset when they see a baby Blue Tit being whisked off in the talons of a Sparrowhawk.

... I thought there might be some diversity of opinion and some informed souls in this thread.

Some people don't particularly like to see something like that but when I saw a raptor take a starling from our feeders I thought it was an amazing sight - and quite an adrenaline rush!

PS - Did you ever work as a mainframe computer operator/sysprog? (I worked with a Steve West once upon a time)

 

[captaincarot]

bugger jackdaw numbers hit 70 odd today

 

[Bananafishbones]

bugger jackdaw numbers hit 70 odd today

:-O

Sorry CC

I have my own issues with the Ferals, however the Jackdaw numbers are up also... feeding far too many young

 

[captaincarot]

:-O

Sorry CC

I have my own issues with the Ferals, however the Jackdaw numbers are up also... feeding far too many young

we've got up to 30 ferals as well hehe