No chaffinches or blue tits in my garden (1 Viewer)

[Birdy Trish]

Hi,
I put bird food out every day. I used to see chaffinches and blue tits in my garden every day. There seemed to be families of them.

Lately I haven't seen any visit. I don't know if it's because there is enough food in the countryside

Has anyone any ideas? I do have a lot of sparrows and they seem to have taken over the feeders - that couldn't be connected could it.

Any ideas welcome. Trisha

 

[Pete Mella]

Hi Trish,

As it's a damp, fairly warm summer there'll be an abundance of food in "the wild", which leads to fewer birds in gardens. Also, they'll be making fewer visits as the young will have fledged.

However some birds such as sparrows, starlings and magpies continue to enjoy the easy pickings of garden feeders, which sometimes leads people to come to the conclusion they must have somehow seen off the other species.

I wouldn't worry, and no doubt they'll all be back once the winter kicks in.

 

[David Smith]

Different species seem to 'come & go'. We have spells when we see e.g. dozens of LTT's-then nothing for weeks. Then Greenfinches appear for maybe 1 week & disappear again etc. Hopefully it's the same with your birds and they will re-appear just as quickly.

 

[citrinella]

Hi,
I put bird food out every day. I used to see chaffinches and blue tits in my garden every day. There seemed to be families of them.

Lately I haven't seen any visit. I don't know if it's because there is enough food in the countryside

Has anyone any ideas? I do have a lot of sparrows and they seem to have taken over the feeders - that couldn't be connected could it.

Any ideas welcome. Trisha

Don't worry Trisha,

There is at least one post on BF every year about this time asking the same thing Plenty food about is the reason. Meantime, enjoy the sparrows they tend to be very localized, don't move much. sounds like you have had good breeding this year.

Mike.

 

[Peewit]

Hi,
I put bird food out every day. I used to see chaffinches and blue tits in my garden every day. There seemed to be families of them.

Lately I haven't seen any visit. I don't know if it's because there is enough food in the countryside

Has anyone any ideas? I do have a lot of sparrows and they seem to have taken over the feeders - that couldn't be connected could it.

Any ideas welcome. Trisha

Hi Trish

As others have mentioned on this thread, it is to do with the weather, and the abundance of food.

We have moved around a bit from rural/farmland to built up and it does affect the feeding of all type of birds. Some are more regular visitors than others.

We are now living in a built up area in Bedford now, and we have an abundance of all Garden birds at the moment. While living farmland/rural it took a lot of time for the birds to come to the feeders.

Can I ask what type of food stuffs do you use at the feeders to entice them?

Kathy
x

 

[Birdy Trish]

Hi, Thanks for that information. I've been feeding birds for years.

The advice used to be not to feed birds in the summer. I used to enjoy having a bit of time off from putting bird food out!

I can understand that there is enough food in the countryside. It's just strange when one type of bird suddenly disappears.

We get a lot of rooks as well as we have a rookery nearby and they can be annoying. But they disappear into the fields at this time of year as well.

As you've gathered I live in the countryside.

I put out a variety of food. I also put out some cheese and apple as I get thrushes and blackbirds - even though the ground is OK for them to get at the worms etc. I put out mixed bird food. I've also got one feeder I only put millet in and that always has sparrows flitting round it.

Thanks for all the helpful information

Birdy Trish

 

[clayts]

Just to reassure you, Trish, my blueys disappeared for a couple of weeks, but they are now back with a vengeance. Indeed, as I type this there's a whole squadron of them sitting in the tree in the woods which rises above my garden, and they're on precision dive-bombing raids on my sunflower heart feeder at present - and very happy and healthy they look too.

I think they disappear to farmland for easier pickings during July and August, but I suspect the wet weather has driven them back to the woodland.

The great tits have been here all summer, and are also returning in their numbers.

My chaffinches, however, have virtually stopped visiting - one popped in the other day, but has not been seen since.

During the 'quiet tit' time, however, a friendly robin happily ensconced itself in a tree opposite my garden, and regularly visits several times during the day - prior to this, robins had always been a bit nervous for some reason, but now they own the garden !

 

[Birdy Trish]

Hi Clayts thanks for replying.

Glad there's good pickings for these birds this year.

I've seen a squirrel once or twice near the feeders so that could be another reason some birds stay away. I see the sparrows rise up out of the hedge when it's near.

Am going to have to make all my garden feeders squirrel proof.

Trisha

 

[carman]

My garden is full of chaffinches and every variety of Tit. We hardly ever see a sparrow. goldfinch, greenfinch, bullfinch but no sparrows

 

[Peewit]

My garden is full of chaffinches and every variety of Tit. We hardly ever see a sparrow. goldfinch, greenfinch, bullfinch but no sparrows

Hi Carman

Interesting what you have said here. :t:

We have all types of birds here including a Great Spotted woodpecker on our nut feeders this week. :-O

A resident robin, lots of sparrows, Blackbirds, Finches, Tits (other than the coal Tit), Collared doves, woodpigeons, Dunnocks, Starlings everything you can think of. The only thing that has changed is the Starlings are not so apparent as they where before, and have disappeared somewhere.

Kathy
x

 

[Birdy Trish]

Hi, It's nice to hear of gardens full of birds!

Carmen isn't it odd that you don't get sparrows and at the moment that is the main bird I'm seeing.

Haven't seen a chaffinch or tit for what seems like ages.

I see you live in North Yorkshire. I live in East Yorkshire.

I live in the countryside and it seems a lot of birds are getting enough food without coming to my birdtable.

I wonder if that's anything to do with the difference in birds that we are getting.

Birdy Trish

 

[Peewit]

Hi,* It's nice to hear of gardens full of birds!Carmen isn't it odd that you don't get sparrows and at the moment that is the main bird I'm seeing.Haven't seen a chaffinch or tit for what seems like ages.I see you live in North Yorkshire.** I live in East Yorkshire.I live in the countryside and it seems a lot of birds are getting enough food without coming to my birdtable.I wonder if that's anything to do with the difference in birds that we are getting.* Birdy Trish

Hi BT

I see my garden as a therapeutic place to be, and that is how I like it to be. I like to sit out and enjoy, and entice birds to love their foodstuffs.

A competition does not come to mind at all.

Kathy
x

 

[Birdy Trish]

Hi Kathy, good to hear from you again.

I think of my garden as thereapeutic as well.

I didn't mean it to be a competition between gardens. I just thought it interesting how different birds go into different gardens and how one area has blue tits and the other doesn't.

But maybe a competition would be a good idea. We could have our own little birdwatch over a few days!

I like to watch the birds from the kitchen window as they don't seem to bother if there is any movement near the window.
Best.

Birdy Trish.