Where have all the wee birds gone?

Discussion in 'Wildlife Corner' started by tommyrot, Aug 9, 2024.

  1. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    63,497
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +123,820
    Lots of small birds here plus blackbirds in profusion and our resident woodpeckers. the usual pigeons, crows, doves, magpies and our resident pheasant (who will sometimes eat out of our hand if we don't move suddenly) and our resident Red Kite.

    We only have hanging feeders, on a multi section pole, and a squirrel guard on the pole. The feeders have sunflower hearts and a mix of other seeds. One feeder has just shelled peanuts and it has a spring loaded cover that comes down if anything heavier than a woodpecker tries to use it.

    The bigger birds and the squirrels keep the ground under the feeders clean as the smaller birds are messy eaters. The feeders are within 6ft of plenty of cover which makes them feel safer. They are fed all year round but this time of year they don't come as often to the feeders. Particularly as they are harvesting the fields now.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
    • Escarpment

      Escarpment Super Gardener

      Joined:
      Mar 14, 2024
      Messages:
      595
      Gender:
      Female
      Location:
      Somerset
      Ratings:
      +2,383
      Why would a blackbird hang around in my garden when the nearby hedgerows are groaning with blackberries? They'll be back.... meanwhile the jackdaws are eating all the early-ripened rowan berries.
       
      • Like Like x 1
      • fairygirl

        fairygirl Total Gardener

        Joined:
        Oct 3, 2020
        Messages:
        2,596
        Occupation:
        retired
        Location:
        west central Scotland
        Ratings:
        +5,568
        I don't use peanuts at all as they only encourage squirrels.
        The young male blackbird had all the berries from the rowan at the back of the garden here a while ago, because all the native rowans have berried up extremely early - normally later this month for that. They're even ahead of the hawthorn in that respect. Brambles are ripening early here @Escarpment, but are still a bit sharp, as I discovered the other day ;)
        We have a large stand of them at a junction not far away, that borders a little wild area and a small park. There's some of those 'boxes' put in by phone companies right next to some of them. They're definitely further on, and when you walk past them and feel the heat from them, it's not surprising...
        I think the bullfinch has had all the developing berries on the Amelanchier. I only realised that last week when I noticed there weren't any, and I'd taken a pic of him in there a while back. I'm glad, because it means the pigeons can't try to get in at them, and break young branches like they did last year. :sad:
         
        • Like Like x 2
        • Sheal

          Sheal Total Gardener

          Joined:
          Feb 2, 2011
          Messages:
          36,104
          Gender:
          Female
          Location:
          Dingwall, Ross-shire
          Ratings:
          +54,299
          Did you know that Magpies pair for life?

          I moved into a village location a couple of weeks ago to a house that had been standing empty for a while. Only on the fifth day a few birds started to return to the feeders but numbers are slowly increasing. So far Siskins, Blue Tits, a couple of Chaffinches and a lone Coal Tit. A Blackbird and scruffy Robin are taking berries from shrubs. This despite the abundance of cats here.
           
          • Like Like x 4
          • DiggersJo

            DiggersJo Head Gardener

            Joined:
            Mar 14, 2024
            Messages:
            1,014
            Location:
            West Yorkshire....
            Ratings:
            +1,581
            Feeder with double wire net for the last 2-3 years and the squirrels have never even tried this year and/or possibly last year. Previously with a single wire feeder they bit through it - don't know how they see the difference!
             
            • Informative Informative x 1
            • tommyrot

              tommyrot Gardener

              Joined:
              May 17, 2024
              Messages:
              36
              Gender:
              Male
              Location:
              Oxford
              Ratings:
              +25
              Thanks to everyone for weighing in with reports of what birds you have around you at present. At first the smattering of comments from people based in the north of the UK led me to wonder if there was something regional amiss in the south this year, but the number of subsequent posts has pooh-poohed that theory. It all seems very random. On my morning constitutional strolls it's the same picture for neighbouring roads – all pigeons and magpies. Not a small birdie in sight. Magpies perched on chimney stacks like portentous sentinels.

              (For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not anti-magpies. It was suggested that the lack of small birds was on account of the magpies, so I'm trying to validate the theory. Although a magpie did dig up my newly laid gravel probably because of a glinting pebble. I'd also like to know why magpies bicker so much. What an almighty racket!)

              One half-success is that my new bird bath has become much visited by the local pigeons. (That'll have to do until the small birds return.)
               
            • Tidemark

              Tidemark Gardener

              Joined:
              Jun 5, 2024
              Messages:
              435
              Occupation:
              Long retired
              Location:
              Near Buxton
              Ratings:
              +979
              Can anybody tell me why pigeons always bring their talc with them to the bathroom? They always leave the water covered in a thick layer of the stuff and I have to give the whole thing a good rinse out after they’ve visited. :th scifD36:
               
              • Funny Funny x 1
              • NigelJ

                NigelJ Total Gardener

                Joined:
                Jan 31, 2012
                Messages:
                6,771
                Gender:
                Male
                Occupation:
                Mad Scientist
                Location:
                Paignton Devon
                Ratings:
                +23,007
                Why are you washing your pigeons in the bath, try them in the shower and ring forming talc will go straight down the plughole.
                 
                • Funny Funny x 4
                • JWK

                  JWK Gardener Staff Member

                  Joined:
                  Jun 3, 2008
                  Messages:
                  32,392
                  Gender:
                  Male
                  Location:
                  Surrey
                  Ratings:
                  +49,804
                  The small birds seem to have suddenly disappeared here. Even the, usually abundant, magpies and ring necked doves have gone. I'm really missing the blackbirds too usually they serenade us on warm evenings like this. No robins, wrens or tits. Can't see any swallows or hear the sky larks in nearby fields.

                  There has been no dawn chorus for a couple of weeks.

                  All we have are wood pigeons and crows.

                  Anyone else noticed or got an explanation?
                   
                  • Informative Informative x 1
                  • DiggersJo

                    DiggersJo Head Gardener

                    Joined:
                    Mar 14, 2024
                    Messages:
                    1,014
                    Location:
                    West Yorkshire....
                    Ratings:
                    +1,581
                    No change here John except the "flyers" the (swallows, swifts & house martins) left here about 1-2 weeks ago - normal for here. Had blue, coal , long tail and great tits all over the garden this morning. Only a robin or two and a single wren and no blackbird, but he was around yesterday.
                     
                    • Like Like x 2
                    • Obelix-Vendée

                      Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

                      Joined:
                      Mar 13, 2024
                      Messages:
                      1,121
                      Gender:
                      Female
                      Occupation:
                      Retired
                      Location:
                      Vendée, France.
                      Ratings:
                      +2,997
                      Magpies and a few collared dove still around but none of the usual suspects. Haven't seen a chaffinch, robin or woodpecker for weeks. The sparrows and tits that feed and nest up near the house have disappeared in the last few days so I'm assuming they local birds are moulting after all the parenting and getting new feathers to get thru winter.

                      Still a few swallows and sand martins swooping about but they'll be gone soon enough.
                       
                      • Informative Informative x 2
                      • On the Levels

                        On the Levels Super Gardener

                        Joined:
                        Mar 17, 2024
                        Messages:
                        757
                        Ratings:
                        +1,733
                        One lonely long tail near the feeders today but more heard in the garden.
                        A great viewing of house martins and swallows over the house last night.
                        One swift.
                         
                        • Like Like x 1
                        • fairygirl

                          fairygirl Total Gardener

                          Joined:
                          Oct 3, 2020
                          Messages:
                          2,596
                          Occupation:
                          retired
                          Location:
                          west central Scotland
                          Ratings:
                          +5,568
                          That seems very early for swallows etc to leave @DiggersJo . They don't leave here for at least another month - usually early October. I wouldn't have thought they'd be so much earlier where you are. All the ones along the road at the farm were swooping around as usual on Monday when I went past.
                          Not seen the little willow warbler for a week or so, but hopefully it'll be back. All the usual visitors have been in, in large numbers, although the wee nuthatch has been absent again. Love them, so it's always good to see them in. Robin was in too, and it seems to be one of the two youngsters we had earlier, so they must have sorted out their territories after some argy bargy!
                           
                          • Friendly Friendly x 2
                          • Obelix-Vendée

                            Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

                            Joined:
                            Mar 13, 2024
                            Messages:
                            1,121
                            Gender:
                            Female
                            Occupation:
                            Retired
                            Location:
                            Vendée, France.
                            Ratings:
                            +2,997
                            I was on chook duties this morning and the sparrow flock that lives in the chicken shed roof is definitely present and busy. The house flock is still quiet.

                            Only ever hear our willow warblers @fairygirl. Shy little birds with lots of cover here.
                             
                          • fairygirl

                            fairygirl Total Gardener

                            Joined:
                            Oct 3, 2020
                            Messages:
                            2,596
                            Occupation:
                            retired
                            Location:
                            west central Scotland
                            Ratings:
                            +5,568
                            I don't see them in the garden very often @Obelix-Vendée , but I had two coming in briefly a while ago - maybe last year, but this single one had been coming in regularly for the last month or so. There was something very tasty in the clumps of fennel, because that was where it spent most of it's time. You can always tell when they're youngsters, as you can with many creatures and birds.
                            We have loads of suitable habitat around here for them, but it isn't always easy to spot them in amongst that.
                            It took a while to narrow down the exact type, as there seems to be so many warblers that are similar, but @strongylodon kindly confirmed it for me. :smile:
                             
                          Loading...

                          Share This Page

                          1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                            By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                            Dismiss Notice