Topic: Siskens

[Carol]

Had quite a day with the bins. watching the birds.  I spotted little birds up in the silver beech trees and sure enough, the pair of birds which landed  on the nuts were the Siskens.  I know they usually turn up in my garden every year around this date.  They are neat little birds and tend to eat hanging upside down.

So I have had all my winter visitors now.  Roll on april when I welcome the arrival of the Swallows.  My eyes will start looking for them from the first week in April but it is usually around the 28th april when I see them in the village.

[busy_lizzie]

Carol, Saw swallows today at my allotment in Whitley Bay.  They were such a lovely sight.  I love the way they swoop and the chattering noise they make, they always look as though they are having such a nice time.  ;D busy_lizzie

[Carol]

That is early BL.  I looked up the BTO site for any reports of the arrival of the Swallows and there has been one sighting so far in Northumberland.  So I would say you have been lucky in seeing the swallows so early and if you are a member of the BTO please let them know.

[kenkew]

Siskins are around all year long, but prefering pine woods they're not a bird we can all enjoy seeing. If you want to help them consider what they make their April/May nests from; wool, moss, lichen covered twigs, plant fibre, grass, hair and thistledown.

[Gardengirl]

We have had loads of Siskins visiting our garden for a number of weeks now.  We have alot of conifers on our property so do you think they would be nesting in them Ken?

[kenkew]

They love pine and if they're in your area and can find the stuff to make nests, why not? One give a-way to nesting is to watch the male bird fly really high, almost straight up and followed by the female. To a sisken that's heavy courtship.