Very busy at the bird feeder today! (25 Viewers)

[roger1234]

Turtle doves have now moved on but stayed a month more than last year,hope to see them again next year,the robins must have had a good breeding season as I have had 3 juveniles in the garden, 3 more than last year,plenty of coal, blue and coal tits also the long tailed tit appeared again today,male and female bullfinches feeding well and quite a few sparrows around,good pics dave,hope you had a nice holiday.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Turtle doves have now moved on but stayed a month more than last year.

Maybe they found somewhere to nest. When was the last date you saw them?

CB

 

[warren30]

today I watched feeders for 25mins in evening
a pair of bullfinches feeding one young first bf young I seen
11 goldfinches
2 greenfinches
2 woddies
been having a silver ringed male Siskin coming to feeders with female taken pics can't get one with first digits only last two,havent seen it in few days hopefully will return

 

[The30something]

The Wrens have moved on (after moving in around April), looks like they successfully catered for 2 broods as well! Here are a couple of snaps I managed.

 

[Bananafishbones]

a nice suprise this morning and a garden record count of 9 LTT

 

[Ratal]

A very good bird to have around the garden:t:

Seems she has taken a liking to the ambush site. Sat last night with the male on a lower branch, sheltering from the rain.

Today's feeding birds are a swarm of blue, great, coal and long tailed tits, and in the lower gorse is a pair of warblers.

 

[catbasket]

One compensation for the wet weather here is daily visits from GSWs. Mostly we see the juvenile male or the adult female but for the last few days a female juvenile has been visiting. Today she stayed long enough for me to get some footage.

YouTube link

At first she looked spooked


Then she ate some peanuts


Then she really surprised me by eating sunflower hearts from the seed feeder


First time I've seen that!

 

[roger1234]

Maybe they found somewhere to nest. When was the last date you saw them?

CB

15th july,they are usually in every day,maybe, but i have my doubts,however i will live in hope

 

[bongofury]

One compensation for the wet weather here is daily visits from GSWs. Mostly we see the juvenile male or the adult female but for the last few days a female juvenile has been visiting. Today she stayed long enough for me to get some footage.

I've never been able to separate sex the juveniles. What should I be looking for?

 

[Cheshire Birder]

My local male Pheasant had a lucky escape yesterday when it was nearly attacked by one of the local cats.

CB

 

[catbasket]

I've never been able to separate sex the juveniles. What should I be looking for?

The male has a larger red cap than the female.

Which is something I only discovered recently. This Birdforum thread pointed me in the right direction. Being lucky enough to have both male and female juveniles at the feeders this year really helps see the difference -

M: F:

M: F:

Looking back at the last two years' pics it seems this might be the first female juvenile in the garden :t:

Juve male and adult female have both already visited this morning.

 

[bongofury]

The male has a larger red cap than the female.

Which is something I only discovered recently. This Birdforum thread pointed me in the right direction.

Thanks a lot - I must have missed that thread. Looks like this year's juvenile is a male then. I'll need to keep an eye out for him, but I'd deffo say a fuller cap of red.

 

[Socar MYLES]

I am envying the woodpeckers: how lovely they are! Lately, I have been getting mostly house sparrows at my feeder, eating up all the sunflower seeds and scattering thistle seed over my entire balcony. I'm out there sweeping up after them every day! I used to get a lot of pretty little house finches, too, but I think the sparrows were bothering them too much.

I was thinking of putting out some suet, to see if I can get some wrens or woodpeckers, but would such birds visit a 5th floor balcony? I have seen woodpeckers (northern flickers, and something else that had a similar shape, but was larger--it was too dark to see its markings) sitting on the roof across the courtyard, so I know they exist in the area. I'm just not sure how willing they are to get that close to people; they seem a little shy.

 

[Bananafishbones]

a large movement of gulls just gone past, flying at height and in some sort of formation: 60+ Black headed and 20+ Lesser Black Backed

 

[earleybird]

I was thinking of putting out some suet, to see if I can get some wrens or woodpeckers, but would such birds visit a 5th floor balcony? I have seen woodpeckers (northern flickers, and something else that had a similar shape, but was larger--it was too dark to see its markings) sitting on the roof across the courtyard, so I know they exist in the area. I'm just not sure how willing they are to get that close to people; they seem a little shy.

hi and welcome to the thread.:t:

I would say that suet was an ideal food to entice a wider variety of species to your balcony.
I'd be interested to hear how sucessful you are, as a balcony that high up must be a bit of a challenge.

 

[stilt]

A first, blue jays drinking from my bird baths!

 

[stilt]

Drove by my former house, I left my feeders and food and the renters assured me they would feed the birds. I had lived there 8 years and had a lot of regulars. Sadly they have removed the feeders.... Hope they were not to dependent on me....

 

[wildlifelove]

Had loads young house sparrows the past month! The starlings haven't been around to much, but as soon as I start feeding fat balls they will be back! I will proberly start putting the fat balls out around the end or mid september..

Does anyone else stop feeding fat balls in summer months?

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Grey Heron is bright sunshine today had me grabbing my bins, unfortunately it didnt turn into the hoped for Egret.

CB

 

[bongofury]

Had loads young house sparrows the past month! The starlings haven't been around to much, but as soon as I start feeding fat balls they will be back! I will proberly start putting the fat balls out around the end or mid september..

Does anyone else stop feeding fat balls in summer months?

The Starlings here disappear from the feeders during the summer months, although I see them a street away on the neatly manicured lawns.

I continue with my peanut / lard concoctions all year round.