fighting birds...

hello all

A few months back I put a bird feeder with those suet balls (3) up in my garden, for weeks nothing much happened, a few birds here and there which was quite nice to watch especially with my young daughter.

However over the last week or so I have noticed up to 15 birds fighting over the feeder (ive counted as many as 18 once and at this very moment there are 8 of them), all day long and they are eating up to 3 balls in a couple of days! They arent however touching the peanuts.

I dont really know birds but I know for sure there are a couple of magpies giving the birds a hard time, there are several (they are the biggest number) stirlings or blackbirds permenatly fighting over the food and used to be some much smaller birds (tits maybe).

Now I am happy that my garden is attracting birds but its got a bit out of hand! All you hear all day is birds fighting which isnt as pleasant as them just singing and its starting to scare my daughter a little!!

Is it normal that so many birds are around? Should I put less food out?
Any advice welcome! Dont want to stop them from coming all together....??!!

(sorry long post - hope it makes sense!)
Thanx
Ellen

 

Hi ellen, you will find that the adult birds are feeding their young at this time of year and there is a noticable increase in bird activity around feeding stations. I tend to put the fatballs out every other day,rightly or wrongly, just so that the young learn to look in other places for food and dont become dependent on my fatball supply. :thumb:

 

I feed the birds all year round - there is greater activity at the moment and occasionally the board gets mobbed by jackdaws which try to teal everything in one go. At quieter times we get plenty of the little birds (the greenfinches are very argumentative as well).

 

i dont know one bird from the next... whats a jackdaw?
thx

 

a black crow like bird!

 

ahhh... now im not so sure what birds were fighting over the food! Heres a picture i managed to get, not great quality as had to increase brightness after taking them but should see a handful of the birds. Am I looking at black birds, Starlings or even jackdaws???

Either way they have now emptied the feeder and with it a little peace and quiet as no more screeching birds in the garden and i wont refill till friday! :D

 

Starlings and their young ellen.

These birds tend to come in mob handed all year round although there are more at the moment with them feeding their young, they will get fewer as the days/weeks go on.

 

thx!
its so interesting! Im certainly going to be paying more attention from now on!
Thank you again!

 

Nice pictures ellen, get yourself an observers book of garden birds you will find it very rewarding and be amazed just how many birds you can attract in the garden.

 

hello
have just been to the local "works" cheap book shop and found a "complete british wildlife" book!
Haver started taking a look in there and it is amazing! so many different species of everything!
Being a city girl originaly I have never been much of an animal fan but its incredible the hundreds of "animals" in my garden! Especially birds and the insects around veg patch (although some of them i would like to see leave! :D)