Where Have my Birds Gone (1 Viewer)

[macwolfelee]

I normally have to replace the bird food (peanuts, sunflower seeds, fat balls and suet block) outside my window every 2 or 3 days because of the numbers feeding, but in the past 3 weeks, they've all disappeared! I've seen one great tit and one nuthatch in the past week. The lack of birds is eerie. What could have happened? My only neighbour hasn't started feeding them, and it's never happened before.

 

[Mono]

Several things happen at this time of year.

There is a lot of wild food available, particularly berries, garden birds will disperse into the wider countryside to take advantage of this.

Migration is happening. Many birds we think of as UK residents can actually be short range migrants. Birds in the northern Britain will move to the south, Scandinavian birds will move over to the UK. These movements are not coordinated, it is possible that "your" birds have headed south but haven't been yet replaced by the Nordic birds.

Birds gang up. Many birds become less territorial in winter and will form multi-species flocks that will roam round the local area en-masse.

 

[Euan Buchan]

I’ve had this problem for weeks now I had been feeding them sunflower hearts and had one spell in August/September when my feeders were full of birds Blue, Great Tits, House Sparrows, Gold & Greenfinches. I had to refill them several times but then I ran out of sunflower hearts. I went to my local B&M shop were I usually get my bird food but noticed regular seeds were on offer so I got them instead and filled up the feeders and they’ve remained full ever since not seen any birds at all.

 

[macwolfelee]

Several things happen at this time of year.

There is a lot of wild food available, particularly berries, garden birds will disperse into the wider countryside to take advantage of this.

Migration is happening. Many birds we think of as UK residents can actually be short range migrants. Birds in the northern Britain will move to the south, Scandinavian birds will move over to the UK. These movements are not coordinated, it is possible that "your" birds have headed south but haven't been yet replaced by the Nordic birds.

Birds gang up. Many birds become less territorial in winter and will form multi-species flocks that will roam round the local area en-masse.

Yes, I had considered these things too. But for them all to disappear at once - blue, great, coal tits, chaffinches, GS woodpeckers, robins, nuthatches, blackbirds, thrushes etc., seems unlikely. Also, when I'm up in the forest near here there is total quiet - not a bird to be heard. The silence is eerie. The only birds I'm hearing at the moment are distant corvids and the occasional owl. Also, AFAIR, this hasn't happened in previous years.

 

[Charles13]

That’s definitely odd. I’d guess it might be down to the breeding season – in spring and summer, birds tend to visit feeders less because they’ve got natural food sources and are busy with their young. Also, if there’s a lot of insects around, they might have shifted their diet. Sumetimes, weather changes or an increases the predators in area can push them elswhere.

Its worth waiting a bit, though, as younger birds oftten start appearing at feeders after the breeding season. Another possibility is migration – some birds might be moving on now. Hang in there, the birds should return soon!

 

[AvidReader]

Same where I am. Last two weeks it's been like Heathrow with the amount of birds on the feeding station & table, was getting through food at a fast rate of knots, now apart from the odd pigeon it's eerily quiet. Never noticed this happen before.

 

[Harry Stottle]

Perhaps you have had a Sparrowhawk visit for too long.
Normally, if a Sparrowhawk does a quick flyby (whether successful or not), the birds return to feed soon after it has left.
However, if the Sparrowhawk has remained in the garden whilst waiting for a kill for a long period of time, the birds will stop using that feeding station for several days. They seek out other places to feed. If they find the new site has more or better food than yours, they remain there.