Topic: Birds on allotment

[Svea]

Dunno if this has already been covered, but i was wondering what birds you get on your allotment site (apart from the usual pidgeons, crows and blackbirds).

My balcony overlooks our small allotment site so whenever i am sitting out there i watch the birds flitting in and out of shrubs and trees, as well as pinching some of the produce :)

I am very pleased to have spotted quite a few robins, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, starlings, swallows and even a hawk (nesting on a large chimney).
i am especially happy to see the sparrow as i think they have been getting rarer and rarer in the urban environment (i am in central london). they used to be so frequent everywhere...

[Mrs Ava]

Our lottie gets alsorts, much to the distress of some of the 'older' allotmenteers who worry about their crops.

We get pigeons, magpies, jays, blackbirds, robins, wrens, starlings and sparrows.  There are woodpeckers nesting, and crows in the trees making a right old racket!  We have ducks, moorhens and herons thanks to the huge private lake in the farm next to the plot.  There are lots of other birds, but I am not a birdie expert, even with my new bird identification book, however, I can say we get loads and loads of different birds on our plot, but I guess that is the advantage of being surrounded by farms and thick hedgerows.

[Robert_Brenchley]

All the common small scrubland birds - robin, wren, blue, great and long-tailed tit, etc. greater spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, kestrel, sparrowhawk, heron, magpie, jay, there's a long list.

[Merry Tiller]

I could do with a Sparrowhawk or 2 on my plot >:(

[osprey480]

I will swap one of your robins for 6 of my pheasants ok haha ;D

[beejay]

We get the occasional parakeet flying over. I hope we don't get lots moving closer as I believe they are very destructive.

[wardy]

My mate and I were pulling spuds on the plot yesterday when a sparrowhawk swooped down and plucked a low flying blackbird and flew off with it.  It took the struggling bird to a nearby tree.  My mate and I crept after it for a closer look when suddenly the bird broke free and fell onto the ground in front of us.  The hawk dropped onto it immediately and again flew back into the tree with it.  The hawk was beautiful and had wonderful tail markings.  It was such a wonderful sight to see at close quarters.  Shame about the blackbird though.  I never would have thought it would have taken such a large bird

[Carol]

Hi Wardy
The sparrowhawk take quite a lot of Collared Doves as well.  I think they struggle with a Woodpigeon, though they have been known to try...   It is unfortunate they can take the blackbirds/thrushes etc. 

[wardy]

I have a bird table on my plot but my lotty Sec has told me not to put food on it because of the sparrowhawk taking off with birds.  I have had thrushes nesting in my hedge on my plot so would hate for anything to harm them or their babies.  Wouldn't mind the hawk nabbing a few flaming woodies though.  They are shredding all my cabbages  ;D