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Very busy at the bird feeder today! (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Moraybirdlover
- Start date
Plenty of House Sparrows including some handsome males. Juvenile Greenfinches, Chiffy, Blue Tits. A handful of Chaffies, a Nuthatch and a cracking Jay just flew in.
Rich
Rich
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DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
Maybe it has to do with what kind of trees are in your neighborhood??
We have plenty of House Sparrows and Tree Sparrows, but they don't keep the Greenfinches and Chaffinches away, and they certainly don't keep the Hawfinches away!
We have plenty of House Sparrows and Tree Sparrows, but they don't keep the Greenfinches and Chaffinches away, and they certainly don't keep the Hawfinches away!
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
Had a couple of Crossbills flyover my parents garden at the weekend - a new garden tick!!
CB
CB
Hi again all, I've been notable by my very long absences but hope to change that - I've renewed my interest in birding this summer and have started visiting some reserves.
I'm still a garden watcher though, and am enjoying a very busy feeding station again this year.
Today I watched half a dozen or so blue tits, three goldfinches, more than 10 house sparrows, two dunnocks, a smart and very cheeky magpie stealing fatball pieces, a blackbird and two possible redwings. I don't think they were thrushes, but I couldn't really see orange flanks - and is it too early for redwings yet? They were yumming up sunflower hearts on the ground.
Edit: forgot to mention fourteen starlings and a woodpigeon!
I'm still a garden watcher though, and am enjoying a very busy feeding station again this year.
Today I watched half a dozen or so blue tits, three goldfinches, more than 10 house sparrows, two dunnocks, a smart and very cheeky magpie stealing fatball pieces, a blackbird and two possible redwings. I don't think they were thrushes, but I couldn't really see orange flanks - and is it too early for redwings yet? They were yumming up sunflower hearts on the ground.
Edit: forgot to mention fourteen starlings and a woodpigeon!
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N00bBirder
Member
My feeder has been almost completely neglected (apart from Collared Dove and Wood Pigeons) for the last month or so. I'm in NW England and not sure if it's the time of year or maybe my food isn't tasty enough. What do you recommend as food? I have nyger seed for goldfinches, mixed seed and fat balls (a cheapo tub of 50 so nothing special). I live in the middle of a housing estate and calling my garden a garden is a bit laughable as it is approx. 5x5 square flags, what can I do to encourage the birds to come to my "garden"?
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blog of a new birder in NW England: http://n00bbirder.blogspot.co.uk/ any ID correction always appreciated!
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blog of a new birder in NW England: http://n00bbirder.blogspot.co.uk/ any ID correction always appreciated!
I'm in NW England too, NoobBirder - I fed sunflower hearts only for a few years, and that seemed to attract a wide range of birds including goldfinches, siskins and various tits. That's when the local sparrows adopted my bamboo as their roost as well.
I find the goldfinches will eat nyger seed but often go for the sunflower hearts first. It got very expensive feeding only sunflower hearts, so I started adding a fatball feeder and letting the sunflower hearts run out occasionally, but still kept the nyger going.
Sure enough, the sparrows became fatball eaters (and now prefer them) and the goldfinches were happy tucking into nyger seeds. I put one sunflower hearts feeder, two nyger seed feeders and two fatball feeders out - in winter I scatter peanuts on the ground (and after dusk in summer/autumn, for the hedgehogs) and sometimes a few sunflower hearts as well.
So after blithering a bit (sorry!) I'd definitely try sunflower hearts, they seem to be the food of choice for garden birds.
I find the goldfinches will eat nyger seed but often go for the sunflower hearts first. It got very expensive feeding only sunflower hearts, so I started adding a fatball feeder and letting the sunflower hearts run out occasionally, but still kept the nyger going.
Sure enough, the sparrows became fatball eaters (and now prefer them) and the goldfinches were happy tucking into nyger seeds. I put one sunflower hearts feeder, two nyger seed feeders and two fatball feeders out - in winter I scatter peanuts on the ground (and after dusk in summer/autumn, for the hedgehogs) and sometimes a few sunflower hearts as well.
So after blithering a bit (sorry!) I'd definitely try sunflower hearts, they seem to be the food of choice for garden birds.
I found feeding only sunflower hearts crazily expensive too bongofury. Fatballs are much cheaper!
I haven't had redpolls since the two severe winters, and I've never had chaffinches - I'd love to see them in my garden.
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
We have been feeding only sunflower seeds (whole) and we have a steady swarm of:
Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, an occasional Crested Tit, House and Tree Sparrows, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, who never come to the feeder but cluster around the base picking up what the Sparrows flick down, many Hawfinches, though fewer of late, Nuthatches, some Woodpeckers, mostly Middle Spotted, two Wood Pigeons, whom we scare off, and a Squirrel now and then. Right out our dining room window. Who needs TV? A couple of scoops of seeds before meals and we have constant entertainment.
Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, an occasional Crested Tit, House and Tree Sparrows, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, who never come to the feeder but cluster around the base picking up what the Sparrows flick down, many Hawfinches, though fewer of late, Nuthatches, some Woodpeckers, mostly Middle Spotted, two Wood Pigeons, whom we scare off, and a Squirrel now and then. Right out our dining room window. Who needs TV? A couple of scoops of seeds before meals and we have constant entertainment.
Kits
Picture Picker
The garden has been buzzing today! Visitors (so far) include huge numbers of great tits, blue tits, coal tits, long tailed tits, chaffinches, three juvenile magpies, two young jays, a gold crest, robins, two collared doves, wood pigeons galore, a nuthatch in several times, a great spotted woodpecker and a male pheasant.
N00bBirder
Member
thanks for the advice, I never bought sunflower hearts before but have now got a big bag ordered as well as some new feeders and a little store to keep it all in outside. Looks like Saturday I will be doing some building and hopefully I can soon start having something to report in this thread! 
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
A Goldcrest! Cool. In all the years we have been living here I have only seen one! I was pruning high up in the top of an apple tree when one landed almost within reach to check me out and see what the hell I was doing. Stayed for over a minute. Since I don't normally have my camera with me when I prune apple trees, you will just have to take my word for it.
Cute little guy....
Cute little guy....
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To my old pair of birdfeeder poles I've added a home-made feeding station made of a tripod of branches, and put a branched log on the ground. Both have been used immediately.
I'm feeding nyger, sunflower hearts, fatballs/suet blocks in hanging feeders, with peanuts, sunflower hearts and mealworms on the ground.
So far today has been the best garden birdwatching day I've ever had!
Magpie x 2
Collared Dove x2
woodpigeon x 1
Goldfinch x 4 and 2 juvenile
Coal tit x 2
Blue Tit x 6-8
Great Tit
Long tailed Tit x 7 or 8
House Sparrow x 8 (and more)
Robin, adult and juvenile x 1
Blackbird male x 1 female x 2
The male blackbird seems to have a small white feather or two over his right eye, which makes him look like he's raising an eyebrow at me. Haven't been able to get a picture yet, but will keep trying!
Yesterday was a good day for flyovers, three buzzards and a group of swifts (presumably in transit, the ones that stayed for summer here left a couple of weeks ago).
I'm feeding nyger, sunflower hearts, fatballs/suet blocks in hanging feeders, with peanuts, sunflower hearts and mealworms on the ground.
So far today has been the best garden birdwatching day I've ever had!
Magpie x 2
Collared Dove x2
woodpigeon x 1
Goldfinch x 4 and 2 juvenile
Coal tit x 2
Blue Tit x 6-8
Great Tit
Long tailed Tit x 7 or 8
House Sparrow x 8 (and more)
Robin, adult and juvenile x 1
Blackbird male x 1 female x 2
The male blackbird seems to have a small white feather or two over his right eye, which makes him look like he's raising an eyebrow at me. Haven't been able to get a picture yet, but will keep trying!
Yesterday was a good day for flyovers, three buzzards and a group of swifts (presumably in transit, the ones that stayed for summer here left a couple of weeks ago).
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babycakes
Well-known member
Bird feeder today -
Loads of H. Sparrows
5 blue tits
2 Great tits
Starlings 20
2 Robin
5 Dunnocks
4 Collared Doves
3 Wood Pig'
5 blackbirds..some are looking rather rough Aww bless. Usually have loads more , but they have decided to go to the nearest woods for the berries etc I don't blame them..:king:
3 But the Alpha blackbird will come back hopefully in late Autumn, Winter and expect his Sultanas..And in the Spring sing his heavenly tunes..o His singing is adorable..
Loads of H. Sparrows
5 blue tits
2 Great tits
Starlings 20
2 Robin
5 Dunnocks
4 Collared Doves
3 Wood Pig'
5 blackbirds..some are looking rather rough Aww bless. Usually have loads more , but they have decided to go to the nearest woods for the berries etc I don't blame them..:king:
3
But the Alpha blackbird will come back hopefully in late Autumn, Winter and expect his Sultanas..And in the Spring sing his heavenly tunes..o His singing is adorable..Can't count "mine" bongo, but I think at least that many are roosting in my bamboo and using the feeders throughout the day.
Plenty of birds again today:
Magpie
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon
House sparrow
Goldfinch
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit (about 8 I think)
Robin
blackbird
raiding party of starlings
No coal tits so far today, and still no dunnocks for a week or so.
Plenty of birds again today:
Magpie
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon
House sparrow
Goldfinch
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit (about 8 I think)
Robin
blackbird
raiding party of starlings
No coal tits so far today, and still no dunnocks for a week or so.
