News Archive for 2011

• December 2011
  By the look of things, the colder weather is starting to push more species into our garden, though the actual number of birds is still quite low. Up to 3 Blackbirds are in the garden, though there are quite a few more than this in the area. A couple of Mistle Thrushes fly over quite regularly but have not been in the garden since October. There has been no sign of the Song Thrush that was here last month, though it was singing early one morning at the beginning of December. A couple of Blue Tits are usually in the garden, on the sunflower hearts feeder. A large mixed flock of Tits is often to be seen and maybe comprises up to about 30 birds. A couple of Blue Tits and a couple of Coal Tits are also regular visitors - the latter dashing back and forth, fetching and caching sunflower seeds. A solitary Collared Dove comes into the garden occasionally to eat some of the spilled seed, as do the Wood Pigeons, of which there are a great many though usually only one or two are in the garden at a time. The rather timid Dunnock is still about but not often seen. Nor, indeed, is the Wren seen all that often. There are a few more finches now; the occasional Goldfinch, Chaffinch and up to 8 Greenfinches. The Goldfinch usually sits eating sunflower hearts, the Chaffinch forages on the ground, and the Greenfinches perch for what seems like hours, munching away on black sunflower seeds. Visits from Jays, of which there are at least 3 birds, and a couple of Magpies are dwindling as we are offering fewer peanuts. The peanut harvest has been reportedly poor this year resulting in prices rocketing to £4 per kilogram and higher; in my opinion, this is too expensive and there are alternative supplementary foods and ample natural foods, as yet, for adaptable birds like the crow family. Most mornings, a Robin is heard singing from quite early and is often seen in the garden, feeding on suet or sunflower hearts. A handsome male Sparrowhawk has spent a lot of time in the garden during the first week of December, no doubt because it is hungry but I suspect also the wet and windy weather has made hunting quite difficult and tiring. As yet, I am paradoxically pleased to say he has been unsuccessful in pursuing the smaller birds in our garden. The sudden blast of winter on 14th brought snow and a Goshawk to the garden. This bird remained in the garden for several minutes before flying away empty-handed.
• November 2011
  So far the month has a surprisingly low number of birds visiting the garden, perhaps because it has been relatively mild and there is still ample natural food available in the woods, etc. Up to 3 Blackbirds are still visiting the garden quite regularly, mainly during the first few hours of daylight. A Mistle Thrush has been seen flying overhead a few times but not in the garden for a while. A gorgeous Song Thrush has been in the garden on a few occasions, possibly eating holly berries but we cannot be certain. No more than 5 Greenfinches at a time are feeding on black sunflower seeds and only a couple of Goldfinches have been seen on the sunflower hearts. A solitary Blue Tit, a couple of Great Tits and two Coal Tits are visiting the feeders in the garden. Indeed, the latter are by far the most frequent visitor - grabbing a sunflower seed and dashing off to hide it somewhere. Most days the Robin can be heard singing from the branch of a neighbour's elder tree and it is seen occasionally in the garden, though I suspect it spends much more time in it than we are aware. A Dunnock is seen occasionally, flitting about among undergrowth. A Wren was also seen darting from the garden one day. One House Sparrow has been seen briefly on the sunflower hearts. Three Jays continue to visit the garden throughout the day. A Grey Wagtail has been seen on a neighbouring road, so we have our fingers crossed!
• October 2011
  The month has started with the garden looking a bit livelier than last month with greater numbers of birds visiting. By far the biggest surprise at the beginning of the month was a singing Chiffchaff in the garden, though it spend more time searching among the plants for insects. There are 4 Blackbirds visiting the garden quite regularly. Before daybreak, they are often to be seen as dark silhouettes on the lawn, looking for earthworms and chasing one another. A Mistle Thrush has paid a single visit to the garden, spending some time on the lawn. Finches have increased in number. Up to 8 Greenfinches are feeding on black sunflower seeds and a couple of Goldfinches on sunflower hearts. There are 3 Blue Tits, a couple of Great Tits, two Coal Tits visiting the feeders in the garden. The Coal Tits are up to their usual antics - grabbing a sunflower seed and dashing off to hide it somewhere. Most days the Robin can be heard singing from the branch of a neighbour's elder tree and it is seen occasionally in the garden, though I suspect it spends much more time in it than we are aware. A Dunnock is seen occasionally, flitting about among undergrowth. A Wren was also seen darting from the garden one day. Up to 4 House Sparrows have been seen so far in October. A couple of Jays have again started to visit the garden quite regularly. There have also been a couple of Magpies visiting the garden, though they are more often seen upending from the guttering on houses, looking for spiders, etc. On a couple of days a Collared Dove has paid brief visits, as has a Wood Pigeon.
• September 2011
  The beginning of the month saw children go back to school and, it seems, most of the birds to disappear from the garden. There are at most 3 Blue Tits, one Great Tit, two Coal Tits and a handful of Long-tailed Tits visiting the feeders in the garden, which is a huge reduction compared with the large mixed flock that was visiting a short time ago. There have been no House Sparrows seen so far in September. A couple of Dunnocks are still seen occasionally, flitting about the undergrowth. Three Blackbirds are often in the garden, albeit rarely together. Two are males and one is a juvenile which is now moulting into a young male's plumage. Finches are quite scarce too - just a couple of Goldfinches and Greenfinches have been seen. A female Sparrowhawk plunged into the shrubs in pursuit of small birds one day. As usual, it was unsuccessful and lost a wing feather in the process. A couple of Jays have again started to visit the garden quite regularly.
• August 2011
  There are up to 3 Blackbirds visiting the garden, though rarely at the same time. One of them is a juvenile, still looking more rufous and spotty than a female. A large flock of mixed Tits is in the area. There are up to 21 Blue Tits, comprising adults and yellower juveniles, are visiting almost daily, feeding on the sunflower hearts. There are also three Great Tits, a couple of Coal Tits and 5 Long-tailed Tits visiting occasionally. The latter feed on the suet balls, while the others usually eat sunflower hearts and black sunflower seeds respectively. There are often 2 Bullfinches in the garden, most often a pair but sometimes a male and a juvenile. They will perch for many minutes at a time feeding on the sunflower seeds. A Collared Dove and up to 3 Wood Pigeons are sometimes in the garden - one of the Wood Pigeons is a juvenile, one of the many that the pair in the neighbour's tree have reared this year. A couple of Dunnocks are in the garden most days. One is an adult, the other a juvenile - this has a large cyst just behind its right eye, though it doesn't seem to bother it. The number of finches visiting the garden has dropped again, no doubt because of the abundance of fruits and seeds in nearby scrub, hedgerows, parks and woodlands. A couple of Goldfinches and up to 3 Greenfinches are seen now and then. An amazing 11 House Sparrows have been in the garden - it's been a long time since we have had this many visit! A solitary Jay and Magpie venture into the garden from time to time, but there's not really any supplementary food for them at the moment. They often have a quick drink of water from the bird bath though. On a couple of occasions a male Sparrowhawk has swooped into the garden, but never caught anything. A Wren is seen, or rather heard, some mornings, shortly after daybreak.
• July 2011
  So far, July has seen similar levels of activity as last month - not too many birds, but a few species each being represented by both adult and juvenile birds. There have been two families of Blackbirds nesting in neighbours' gardens and the males have been squabbling all day long, from dawn until dusk for much of the month - the racket has wearisome! We've now seen two sets of fledglings and the noise has reduced! A handful of Blue Tits and half a dozen Great Tits are quite regular visitors to the feeding station. Occasionally, a party of Long-tailed Tits descend en masse on to the suet balls - a delightful sight. There are a couple of pairs of Bullfinches that are regular visitors, though rarely here together. A single male is also sometimes accompanied by a juvenile. Up to 3 Greenfinches, adults and juveniles, are visiting and we have started to see a few more Goldfinches again too. At least one Dunnock is often in the garden, singing and foraging among the shrubs. There is at least one adult Robin and one juvenile Robin visiting - the latter is still speckled but just starting to show red on its breast. A diminutive Wren has been seen once so far this month. No House Sparrows have been seen for a while. A male Sparrowhawk has made one fleeting appearance, which flushed all the birds but saw him leaving empty handed.
• June 2011
  After an extraordinarily quiet May, bird activity has increased quite a bit in June. Eight Great Tits fledged from our nest box and since then up to 10 Great Tits have occasionally visited the feeders in the garden - whether these are the young and their parents is difficult to know for certain but it is nice to think they are. A couple of Blue Tits and a solitary Coal Tit are also seen quite often. Long-tailed Tits are seen occasionally too - sometimes just a single bird, other times up to 8 in party on the suet balls. Up to 4 Blackbirds, adults and the much spottier, redder young, have been in the garden. A pair of Bullfinches are regular visitors but we have also had at least one juvenile in the garden. A couple of Goldfinches and Greenfinches are also regular visitors to the niger and sunflower seeds respectively. A couple of Dunnocks are seen foraging in the undergrowth most days. There are only a few House Sparrows this year - three being the maximum we have seen at any one time, and so it seems very likely that they will soon disappear completely, as they have in some other parts of the UK. A Jay and a couple of young Magpies have been seen in the garden. A pair of Collared Doves have visited briefly. One day, early in the month, a Swallow flew low through the garden, but has not been seen again.
• May 2011
  With breeding well underway and plenty of natural foods available, there are very few birds visiting the garden. A Blackbird is an occasional visitor, usually for a bathe in the water bath later in the afternoon. There are a couple of Blue Tits and Coal Tits visiting now and then - the Blue Tits usually taking sunflower hearts and the Coal Tits suet. The young Great Tits in one of the nest boxes started to fledge and will probably be gone on 30th May. A solitary Goldfinch, Bullfinch and Greenfinch make rare visits to the feeders. Two Collared Doves have visited the garden a few times.
• April 2011
  The number of birds visiting the garden has fallen sharply but this is to be expected as most are now at various stages of nesting, whether just building their nests, incubating eggs, or feeding their young. A pair of Blackbirds have nested in the garden, so we see these throughout the day and with the occasional skirmish when another neighbouring Blackbird strays into the garden. One or two Blue Tits are visiting the garden. A couple of Coal Tits are also regular visitors - these, I believe, have nested in a neighbour's garden. A real surprise, mid-month, was a pair of Great Tits deciding to occupy one of our nest boxes and the female is now incubating 9 eggs. A pair of Bullfinches continues to visit. The number of Goldfinches and Greenfinches has dwindled to just the odd one or two birds. There are a pair of Starlings visiting too - the male and female distinguishable by the colour of the base of their bills. A Robin has put in a brief occasion, once, but the Dunnocks are around for much of the day - they must be nesting somewhere nearby, but we've no idea where.
• March 2011
  At last, it seems spring has arrived, or at least the crocuses and birds seem to think so, and there is increasing bird song and courtship. Alas, this also means there is invertebrate food available for birds like thrushes and tits, so fewer of these are visiting the gardens. Seed-eaters however are still struggling in the natural habitat and so continue to visit the feeding stations. Just 3 Blackbirds are visiting the garden now. A Song Thrush visits in late afternoon most days and the Mistle Thrush is heard singing occasionally. House Sparrows are still few in number with no more than 5 birds seen at any one time. There are now 3 Dunnocks visiting, with lots of "wing flicking" and chasing taking place. A pair of Blue Tits, a pair of Great Tits and a small party of up to 6 Long-tailed Tits are regular visitors. The Blue Tits and Great Tits usually feeding on peanuts or sunflower hearts, and the Long-tailed Tits on suet. A pair of Bullfinches are on the black sunflower seeds several times each day. The number of Greenfinches has also reduced to typically 3 birds on the black sunflower seeds. Goldfinches have also reduced to just a handful of birds. A couple of diminutive Siskins, which were visiting the nyger seeds, have not been seen for about a week. Up to 2 Jays and 1 Magpie visit regularly. One Robin is a regular visitor, in fact, it is almost resident in the garden, and its heard singing from about 6AM until the evening. A couple of Wrens have been seen, one chasing the other. The even smaller Goldcrest has also been seen feeding on the suet balls several times.
• February 2011
  The milder weather has seen the numbers of birds dwindle but there is still plenty of activity, and more bird song each day. As many as 7 Blackbirds are visiting, but then chasing one another around the garden. There are 2 Song Thrushes visiting and they continue to be bullied by the Blackbirds; a Song Thrush is singing from just after 4AM. Suet treats are the main attraction for these birds. There are still relatively few House Sparrows about; no more than 4 birds. A couple of Dunnocks are continuing visitors, though tensions are rising and one usually ends up chasing the other away. A pair of Blue Tits and a pair of Great Tits are regular visitors to the peanuts and sunflower hearts. Three Long-tailed Tits have also been feeding from the suet balls. A pair of Bullfinches are often on the black sunflower seeds. The number of Greenfinches has also reduced - just 9 birds at any one time on the black sunflower seeds. There are at least 12 Goldfinches visiting the niger and sunflower heart feeders. A very pleasant surprise was a threesome of Siskins on the niger seeds! A couple of Chaffinches also continue to visit but much less often than earlier in the year. A solitary Collared Dove and Woodpigeon have been foraging for spilled seed. Up to 2 Jays and 1 Magpie have been visiting, both taking peanuts from the open-topped feeder. One Robin is a regular visitor, in fact, it is almost resident in the garden, and its heard singing from about 6AM until the evening. A couple of Wrens have been seen, one chasing the other.
• January 2011
  Although the snow has gone, the continuing cold conditions, which have frozen the ground, have ensured a good selection of species continue to visit the garden. As many as 8 Blackbirds are in the garden, strategically positioning themselves to go on the ground feeder but then chasing one another around the garden when one tries to. There have also been up to 4 Song Thrushes, which are tolerant of each other but usually bullied by the Blackbirds. A solitary Redwing has continued to visit very occasionally. A solitary Mistle Thrush has also visited a few times. Two Dunnocks have been seen - sometimes foraging among the undergrowth but also feeding on sunflower hearts from the hanging feeder. There are still relatively few House Sparrows about; no more than 4 birds. There have been up to 3 Blue Tits and a pair of Great Tits are fairly regular visitors to the sunflower hearts. A couple of Coal Tits are dashing backwards and forwards, taking and storing black sunflower seeds. Four Long-tailed Tits have also been feeding from the suet balls. A pair of Bullfinches are often on the black sunflower seeds. The number of Chaffinches has dwindled; just a couple are seen now, feeding on spilled food around the hanging feeders or ground table. The number of Greenfinches has also reduced, though there are still up to 10 birds at any one time. There are at least 4 Goldfinches visiting the hanging seed feeders - both niger and sunflower hearts. Three Collared Doves and 2 Woodpigeons have been foraging for spilled seed. A Great Spotted Woodpecker has been feeding on suet cake and peanuts. Up to 3 Jays and 2 Magpies have been visiting, both taking peanuts from the open-topped feeder, though the Jays are more agile and successful. There seems to be just the one Robin now. A single Starling is a fairly regular visitor, usually in the afternoon. Two Wrens have also been seen darting between snow-covered shrubs and trees. A Goldcrest has been feeding on insects among the Cotoneaster and other shrubs in the garden and also from suet balls on a few occasions. A male Sparrowhawk has visited several times, failing to catch any prey each time.