Very busy at the bird feeder today! (21 Viewers)

[Ratal]

Has any one ever seen a blackbirds 'play dead' when caught out in the open? Reason I ask is yesterday a sparrow hawk hopped the hedge and the blackbirds flopped Dow, head back wings spread playing possum.

 

[earleybird]

Has any one ever seen a blackbirds 'play dead' when caught out in the open? Reason I ask is yesterday a sparrow hawk hopped the hedge and the blackbirds flopped Dow, head back wings spread playing possum.

thats an interesting observation.! pity you couldn't get some video of that .
I think we amateurs can and do add lots to current scientific knowledge of bird and animal behaviour :t:

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Further additions this afternoon included GSW and Coal Tit.

CB

 

[michael23]

Good to see this thread still going strong :t: Been ages since I last popped in. Had a big surprise a few weeks back, popped into the garden late evening for a look around and I heard a Goldcrest, which is not a very regular visitor to my garden at all. Then within seconds I hear and explosion of bird call and I counted 4 adult goldcrest (2 pairs) and around 8 young, these were doing a circuit through the garden for about 30 minutes or so! That has to be the best sighting in my garden ever!

 

[captaincarot]

:-O don't sugar coat it CC tell it how it is lol:-O

sorry to hear you've been in hospital....

not as sorry as i was only went in to see the specialist for a routine appointment, came home 8 days later :eek!:


have a safe journey BFB

 

[captaincarot]

nice addition to the garden list today with a flyover from a common tern

 

[bongofury]

nice addition to the garden list today with a flyover from a common tern

Very good sighting:t:

 

[captaincarot]

Very good sighting:t:

it helped by calling just as it got there and it actually being warm enough to have the back door open, other wise i wouldn't have seen it o

 

[Cheshire Birder]

nice addition to the garden list today with a flyover from a common tern

Well done CC!!

CB

 

[bongofury]

The sunflower hearts and nijer seed is taking a pasting. Every day I'm filling them up - unheard of for July.

 

[squidge]

I had a count of 47 House sparrows today in my back garden. There were young birds being fed by the parents. There seemed to be two different groups.
Its hard to keep going with the bird feed as I also had families of Great,Blue and coal tits visiting. Plus pigeons, collared doves the odd chaffinch and had a willow warbler for the first time last week.

Ger.

 

[roger1234]

The sunflower hearts and nijer seed is taking a pasting. Every day I'm filling them up - unheard of for July.

Likewise bongo,however today seems to have settled down a bit and the feeders do not seem to have gone down much,probably due to the warm weather,summer at last!

 

[EK_Birds]

Put a packet of scones out last night, had very little effect at the last house, see what happens this time !

Sparrows were avoiding them this morning, if they're gone or at least been touched when I get home tonight, will buy more for the weekend.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

First Nuthatch for a few weeks yesterday.

CB

 

[bongofury]

I seem to be getting a lot of visits from Dunnocks in the last few days.

 

[earleybird]

Put a packet of scones out last night, had very little effect at the last house, see what happens this time !

Sparrows were avoiding them this morning, if they're gone or at least been touched when I get home tonight, will buy more for the weekend.

Lucky you don't live next door to me or them scones would be gone by the morning yum yum :-O
We tried hanging some millet recently and they just used it to hang on whilst they waited for the feeders to come free :C

 

[Newky]

First Nuthatch for a few weeks yesterday.

CB

Sweet!

 

[Goyter]

Extending the feeding station

I've "planted" a dead tree to attract birds mainly for photo opportunities - hoping they will perch and pose!
So far is working well with Siskin Redpoll Nuthatch Blue and Great Tits Chaffinch Robin Goldfinch all posing well.
I'm waiting for the Great Spotted Woody which is knocking around to make its move onto the tree - not happened yet.
All in all highly recommended if you have the space to do it

 

[Goyter]

2 photos from aforementioned tree

 

[earleybird]

excellent idea goyter:t:

It might be worth fixing a few sprigs of foliage over the top of the branch to provide the birds with some aerial cover and protection from predators.

A lot of the smaller birds like the Tits are likely to feel too vulnerable to feed out in the open .

If they feel protected they are more likely to stay on the branch to feed as apposed to fly in grab and eat nearby in a tree or bush.

We found the Woodpeckers love to 'walk' up the boles of our trees seeking out insects in the bark so we drilled a few 1/2" dia holes in the bole of some trees and filled them with suet and hearts and the Woodpeckers feed there for up to 5x minutes at a time now.

Birch is probably the best dead wood to use :t:

Lovely images well done