Author Topic: Lack of birds  (Read 4692 times)

Froglegs

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Lack of birds
« on: February 05, 2012, 19:01:24 »
With all the snow we've had this weekend I thought the birds would be going mad for the food I put out,not a bit of it!! been very quite on the feeders today, anybody else had a lack of birds?

Obelixx

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2012, 19:09:39 »
NO.  Very busy on the feeders today and in the garden in general.  -15C overnight and no warmer than -9C today so they need all the easy food they can get.
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Carol

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2012, 19:58:59 »
Birds in my garden have been coming in surges.   I look out and there are loads and loads, look again and gone.   I feer the sparrowhawk has made numerous calls though so that could be the reason.  No surprise visitors this weekend though.   #

tricia

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2012, 23:40:53 »
I don't know where the goldfinches have gone - they usually empty four feeders in two days but I filled four new feeders last Wednesday and they are still almost full!  I wonder if they sensed the cold spell on its way and have made for warmer climes?

I have another feeder back near the hedge which the blue, coal and great tits empty in two days - helped by three female chaffinches and a robin.

Tricia

shirlton

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2012, 07:21:16 »
I reckon we have all the sparrows in Birmingham feeding in our garden. Hamstead Heath is welcome to some of them seeing as how they don't have them anymore down there
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goodlife

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2012, 08:16:09 »
And what sparrows haven't flown into Shirton garden..we have them.. ;D Such a racket every morning!..I have to rush to thaw their bath and pour hot water for their morning bath.. ::)
Other morning I was watching them through window..the water was still steaming..and two sparrows decided to bravely venture into warm water..both of them had quick drink first, almost like test the water and then they walked in.. ;D ;D..and they didn't start bathing straight away..just stood there for long while.."ahhh, that feel good...my legs are almost frozen but this will sort them out".. ;D ;D...then they did the proper washing rutine and allowed other birds to try the water too.. ;D I would have only had video camera..I could have edited some 'talking' on the picture.. ;D ;D
Last few days we've had flock of redwings on lottie too..there must be about 3 dozen and they come for the over ripe apples that I keep throwing out from shed on the lawn.
Feeders we fill couple of times a day..they are soooo hungry now..bit it is the water that really brings them nearby..being so cold it freezers so quickly so I'm on watering duty with my can while weather is like this..cant do any work neither so I might as well.

lorna

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2012, 19:02:34 »
Lack of birds in my garden as well. I had to throw away the seed in 3 feeders because it hadn't been touched. Washed all feeders, filled with fresh seed still no birds. The only birds visiting are starlings and blackbird. Usually I have gold finches and sparrows. Oh and yesterday I had one collared dove in the garden.

lavenderlux

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2012, 19:14:47 »
Lots of birds in our garden over the past few days and on the feeders.  Have now started putting out 'cat biscuits soaked in water to soften them' for the Blackbirds again and these quickly disappeared today so must remember to soak some overnight ready to put out in the morning

star

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2012, 23:54:47 »
Fits and starts here too, lots for a time, then all disappear and then reappear. We get all the Tits, Goldfinches, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks, Wood Pigeons and occasionally a Woodpecker. We even had a couple of Field fares today! The first sightings so close to home this year, they are such pretty birds :)
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goodlife

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2012, 12:22:58 »
Whoaa..my lottie is like scene from film 'birds'.. :o Other day we had big flock of redwings visiting. Now its fieldfares.. :o Yesterday I counted at least 100 perching on apple trees and not only on mine but neighbouring trees this morning..at least douple amount again.. :o
The word must have gone around where there is food. I've been tidying up my apple stores..and although hardly any has gone off yet..but they are ripe and I will never ever be able to up them all in time...so I've been chucking more on them on lawn. Yesterday tipped whole big basket full of smaller cooking apples only saving the biggest ones for easier peeling for myself..there is such a feeding frenzy going on. Nice to see though..when you have black cloud of them taking off to air, I'm definately not able to keep it quiet that it's me who is bringing all the birds to the site.. ;D ;D Luckily its not those sort that will damage winter crops..and once the food is gone they will move on.

pumkinlover

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2012, 12:36:42 »
 We had the Field fares and Redwings in the garden last year, but only seen them in the countryside this year. Love to see our exotic Scandinavian visitors ;D ;)

goodlife

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2012, 13:01:35 »
Don't know about being exotic..and some of them do come here to stay.. :-X ;) ;D

lavenderlux

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2012, 14:41:21 »
Duly put out the 'cat biscuits' this morning - a male Blackbird was there before I'd even got back into the house, also had a Thrush eating them today.Wood pigeons - eight of them - also in the garden this morning, one trying to cling on and eat from the fat ball holders.
There is a 30ft high Christmas tree at the end of our garden - but growing in that of a neighbour and this is fantastic for birds of all types, often there's a flock of long tailed tits there;  The tree has been there around 50 years but sadly the person who now owns the property is going to take it down, it really doesn't get in his way as its planted again the fence so is half in our garden and is at the end of his long narrow garden but he says he doesn't like trees.  For the first time ever it has masses of very attractive cones at the top of the tree.

lisaparkin

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2012, 15:21:22 »
We have not had as many birds this year as usual, I thought it was because the winter has been mild up to this last week with the snow and frosts, but even now with snow on the ground there's still hardly any, couple of wood pigeons, 2 robins, 2 greenfinch a blackbird and a handful of sparrows and starlings.   ???

claybasket

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2012, 15:50:48 »
For the first time we had a woodpeaker ! It was black and white with red at its head it was bashing like mad on the oak tree,I was well chuffed :D

grannyjanny

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2012, 19:56:48 »
OH has taken to morning duties. He goes out to let the chickens out who immediately become very noisy demanding their porridge. The birds are up in the trees waiting for the bird feed to be scattered on the ground for them. We have blackbirds, starlings, wood pigeons, collared doves, tits, finches, a couple of reed warblers. Today there was a stranger, a black & white bird & I can't find it in any of our books. It was about yesterday but was in our garden today.

star

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #16 on: February 08, 2012, 00:51:58 »
Did you get a pic Grannyjanny? Sounds interesting......there's a possibility its a Blackbird, I dont know the terminology when they get white on them.  ;)
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grannyjanny

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #17 on: February 08, 2012, 20:44:47 »
Sadly I didn't gat a photo. It was quite a lot bigger than a BB. I also got a name wrong. It was reed buntings not warblers, silly me ::). Also we had lots of sparrows too.

grannyjanny

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2012, 20:55:20 »
Star you are correct. It's a pied blackbird. I know that thanks to Flighty ;D.

star

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Re: Lack of birds
« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2012, 19:07:33 »
Mystery solved... ;D

Sorry to hijack this thread, there is a Gumtree ad heading this page selling dogs and other animals and birds. It needs boycotting. So many of these anomals are from puppyfarms, or other questionable origins. They are even allowing animals to be swopped for household items.

Dont buy live animals from Gumtree........adopt.

I was born with nothing and have most of it left.

 

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