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

[Bananafishbones]

Cheers Lewis
I think your right about the dark evenings, I may ressurect the notion in the spring :smoke:

I did the BTO garden Birdwatch for several years Dave. Gave up when work meant I seldom saw the garden in daylight. Its very easy, most birds only have to be counted up to 5+ seen at one time. You would have to say if you saw 1,2, 3-4, or 5+ of a particular species at one time. Unless its changed only House Sparrow and Starling have different numbers, 1-5, 6-10, 11-20 or 21+. Birds outside the most common top 10 don't have to be counted just logged as seen. Judging by the posts on this thread anyone on here could easily do it. All you need is to cough up the 15 quid annual fee. I've been thinking of joining again as I changed jobs a few years ago although at this time of year I still only see the garden at weekends.

Lewis

 

[Mary]

good updates:


I was going to look at joining the BTO garden survey project. However it looks more complicated than my simple and quick look and count method that I do on an irregular basis. Has anyone else done this or is anyone else doing it?
I thought that if I am keeping (of a sorts) a garden record it maybe worthwhile doing it properly to help with UK records.
Advice please :t:
Dave

Yes, I'm a GBW BTO addict!:-O You can enter your counts online now, so it's easy to do. As long as you do roughly the same amount of time each week, it doesn't matter if that's 8 hours a day or 2 hours a week. By keeping to a fairly regular amount of time each week, the numbers of birds in your garden can be compared from year to year, and then compared in the country as a whole. (Does that make sense?!) It means you're contributing to research that really is important in seeing, long-term, what is happening to our birds, and wildlife in general.( There is also the opportunity to add other species eg amphibians, butterflies, mammals etc to the form.) Do get in touch with the BTO and ask them to send you some info, I reckon you'd get addicted! Maybe Santa will get your first years subs for you! I wish they had a forum specifically for GBW - maybe one day! (Hint, hint -BTO:-O )

 

[Bananafishbones]

Hi, everyone. I'm back home in Texas after my Barcelona/Ebro Delta trip. Am posting early in the day because I'm up with jet lag.

Looks like you've all been getting lots of interesting sightings. Can't wait to see what's in our yards these days.

Welcome, Hobbes2.

Well done with the beaver, Amy. I've only ever seen one - in Utah.

We had less success than hoped for in the Ebro Delta. Perhaps a little early in the year? Also, maybe because of hunting, most birds seemed extremely skittish. Some spectacular sights, though, such as several thousand Flamingos on one lagoon and 100 or so Gray Herons in one flooded field. I'll update my blog later, when I'm fully awake.

I'm posting some photos for ID in the ID thread. Any help welcomed!

Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

Glad to be home Jeff? Are your feeders still in one piece?
I see you have some answers on your IDs, the Reed bunting is a female :t:

I will now catch up with your Blog
Dave

 

[JeffMoh]

Glad to be home Jeff? Are your feeders still in one piece?
I see you have some answers on your IDs, the Reed bunting is a female :t:

I will now catch up with your Blog
Dave

Thanks, Dave.

Seems there is some doubt whether one of the Wagtails I saw is a White or a Pied. Nice and entertaining bird, whichever it turns out to be.

All our feeders are up and, surprisingly, not empty. Can't have been many birds around while we were away. Only had a minute in the yard yesterday: Downy Woodpecker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Carolina Chickadees.

The college campus was quiet, I think partly because the Cooper's Hawk I photographed drying its wings in a tree before I left is still lurking around the Nature Trail. We had Common Grackles, Killdeer and European Starlings but no Sparrows. Plenty of Winter Wrens and a Sedge Wren. Several Yellow-rumped Warblers, Mourning Doves and White-winged Doves and a single Eastern Phoebe. Plus an Orange-crowned Warbler.

One pond had our usual Great Egret and Snowy Egret. As is often the case, they were only yards apart, even though there are two enormous ponds. They seem to like hanging out together, as their species often appear to do. They obviously don't compete for the same food and maybe they somehow help each other with fishing/hunting. The Great, of course, stands very still and catches what comes by while the Snowy tends to rush around in the water scaring up fish with its yellow feet.

Jeff

 

[captaincarot]

watching my table today has been hilarious, though i do have to feel sorry for one of the squirrels.

i put out some monkey nuts they help keep the squirrels off the feeders so the birds can get a look in, shortly after 2 of the squirrels started a fight which is usual and began chasing each other round in circles frantically.

the third one was having none of it industriously working away picking up a nut, then running off and burying it in the grass behind the neighbours garden.

unfortunately for him there were 2 magpies sat in the tree above and every second nut that he buried would be swooped on dug up and taken up the tree by one or other of the magpies who then ate it. so at least half of his hard work was for nothing.

when he'd finally got through burying the nuts he set about having a good feed of the cheese and raisins that i have also put out for the birds but mid munch the other two who are still having a fight half an hour on ran straight through him so he's run off to join the fight.

we've also had a visit fom a small flock of assorted tits and a couple of colared doves are mopping up the spilled seed. so a rather interesting morning so far.

 

[JeffMoh]

New at work

More birds are arriving at the college. This morning I spotted FOS Lincoln's Sparrows, American Robin and American Goldfinches. The solitary Savannah Sparrow that was hanging around just before I left for Spain is now one of a dozen or more.
Jeff
www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com

 

[Bananafishbones]

Jeff
Your latest blog pic is stunning!!

Mary,
I think I will give it ago!! Trouble is I dont do that much watching in the winter days, but dont stop during spring and summer. I guess I have to find a happy medium and only report on certain days etc. Do you have to record what species is eating what food type?

Again off topic.... but saw this handsome devil today at Leighton Moss as well as the Bearded tit (another handsome Devil).

I have added some more pics to my gallery <if you fancy a peep >

Dave

 

[karpman]

Jeff
Your latest blog pic is stunning!!

Mary,
I think I will give it ago!! Trouble is I dont do that much watching in the winter days, but dont stop during spring and summer. I guess I have to find a happy medium and only report on certain days etc. Do you have to record what species is eating what food type?

Again off topic.... but saw this handsome devil today at Leighton Moss as well as the Bearded tit (another handsome Devil).

I have added some more pics to my gallery <if you fancy a peep >

Dave

Hey guys had no time to watch anything! Dam work is a couple of the words that spring to mind....

Great Photos mate that Bearded Tit is blooming marvelous! :t: :t: :t:

all the best

karpman

 

[Bananafishbones]

Cheers Karpster.

Roll on weekend eh

 

[captaincarot]

Cheers Karpster.

Roll on weekend eh

i know but bird fair for us on saturday for a mooch round. though your pics and story of today at leighton moss is giving me an i must go back again soon feeling.


back to the feeders today. after the fun with the squirrels we had another flock of mixed tits, this time about 50% long tailed tit, with 3 blue tits on the fat feeder at the same time which is a garden first for us. getting pics in low light with my camera is a non starter though unfortunately and by the time i'd run round the house to find bornwilds camera the long tailed tits had scarpered.

 

[JeffMoh]

Jeff
Your latest blog pic is stunning!!

Dave

Thanks, Dave. It almost made up for the site being closed for birding.

That Tit photo is incredible. What a bird!

Jeff

 

[jasperpatch]

just echoing the praise for the bearded tit shot - beautiful beautiful bird and great photo.

 

[Mary]

Jeff
Your latest blog pic is stunning!!

Mary,
I think I will give it ago!! Trouble is I dont do that much watching in the winter days, but dont stop during spring and summer. I guess I have to find a happy medium and only report on certain days etc. Do you have to record what species is eating what food type?

Again off topic.... but saw this handsome devil today at Leighton Moss as well as the Bearded tit (another handsome Devil).

I have added some more pics to my gallery <if you fancy a peep >

Dave

Hi Dave
No, you don't have to record which species eats which food, but there are 'tick boxes' for the type of food you put out. There is also a box for 'comments' so you can keep your own brief records of weather, food, behaviour etc if you wish. Go for it!
Beautiful pic of bearded tit, would love to see one.

 

[jasperpatch]

Day 19 at the birdfeeder - and at last the birds have found it! Whilst hanging out the washing a friendly chickadee came to watch, sat on the pumpkin on the balcony, he swooped over to the feeder - hooray!
Managed to get a clear photo.....was baking peanut butter cookies at the time - good old peanut butter!

 

[Bananafishbones]

Very Very Quiet in the Garden

I can feel the calm before the storm (in birding terms, not weather reporting)

I only have about an hours descent light after work this week but it has been quiet with only a few Blue tits and Coal tits around the feeders.

Carrion & Magpies taking the airspace and not much else...... so what about the weekend? You never know.... isnt it about time Redpol, Siskin etc started to build up in numbers.

The suet / fat balls have hardly been touched, the winds dont help I guess.

Just wanted to add another picture from yesterday, this time the female Beardy

Thanks for all the kind comments :t:

 

[Bananafishbones]

Day 19 at the birdfeeder - and at last the birds have found it! Whilst hanging out the washing a friendly chickadee came to watch, sat on the pumpkin on the balcony, he swooped over to the feeder - hooray!
Managed to get a clear photo.....was baking peanut butter cookies at the time - good old peanut butter!

Hey jasper well done!

I would love to watch a bird such as a Greenfinch feed at a window box like yours. They sit and peel seeds and eat some more, where as the tits (are the chickadees similar in behaviour?) fly in and out quicker than a blink of an eye.

Anyhow good picture

 

[karpman]

Nice pics as always! "i say that to much for sure"

My feeders are getting flogged to death at the minute with the black husked sunflower going daily..
I have been toying with camera ideas on and off digiscoping bought a superzoom that was coming from china fz/35/38 mix up / stocks long story for sure!

Now i have took a dive an bought an a dslr a nikon d50 to be exact why?
Gotta start somewere! Will need a longer lense etc for sure but hey i am moving in the right direction even if me credit score ain't!

cheers!

karpster

 

[JeffMoh]

Day 19 at the birdfeeder - and at last the birds have found it! Whilst hanging out the washing a friendly chickadee came to watch, sat on the pumpkin on the balcony, he swooped over to the feeder - hooray!
Managed to get a clear photo.....was baking peanut butter cookies at the time - good old peanut butter!

Nice photo, Amy. Is that a Black-capped Chickadee? We don't get them here but I saw some earlier in the year, in Colorado, if I remember right.
I like your window feeder, too. I may have to get one of those!

Jeff

 

[captaincarot]

not at all a good day for me started off with empty feeders this morning.

though i did drive past large flock of unidentifiable bird species on my way back from thirsk most of the rivers seem to be out of their banks and the fields are full of birds making the most of it. but couldn't get more than a glimpse of any of them due to fighting against the silly winds blowing the car all over the place.

then coming back over the woodhead pass a small lorry a hundred yards in front of me was blown right off the road and finished upside down in the ditch by the side of the road. so had to call the emergency services into the scene.

 

[jasperpatch]

Wow, I'd heard that the weather was bad back home but thats very dramatic, hope no-one as hurt.

Yes Jeff, I am pleased with the feeder now, though must admit I have been dobting my choice for the last fortnight while I waited for the birds to come. It was a cheap option at my local hardware store.....the seed has kept remarkably fresh considering how long it sat being ignored. Oh and yes its a black-capped, its the one bird you can pretty much rely on seeing on a daily basis.

Banana: I agree that it will be nice to get some birds that hang around, maybe the house finches will be tempted. It is fun watching the chickadees lining up though - although when one landed on the washing and started pecking at the buttons on a shirt I wasn't so chipper! I would love a nuthatch, we have them in the garden, but again they are in and out so quick that I'll have to keep my fingers crossed......
thankyou for the photo compliments - goes without saying that this is the best of a fair few! focusing through the glass not as easy as it should be!