Topic: Feeding the Birds in Autumn

[telboy]

With regard to 'where have all the birds gone'.
They are nesting again thanks to the very mild weather.
In other words, they're 'sh*gin!

[Carol]

Really, have you seen the nests then?  What silly birds   ;D ;D ;D

[lorna]

After a quiet spell on the feed station the birds have come back in droves. Still only got sparrows, collared doves, greenfinches starlings. They are certainly getting through the food now. Living in hopes of getting more finches this winter. Did think of asking my son to make a sign pointing to the feeders ;D
Lorna

[Garden Manager]

After a quiet spell on the feed station the birds have come back in droves. Still only got sparrows, collared doves, greenfinches starlings. They are certainly getting through the food now. Living in hopes of getting more finches this winter. Did think of asking my son to make a sign pointing to the feeders ;D
Lorna

LOL, lorna. Perhaps I should do the same!

Still pretty quiet here, though havent put any food out for a while. Whats out still isnt being eaten very quickly. I guess now i will have to get rid of whats there soon and put some fresh out. Still I guess the pigeons and doves will eat what the spadgies have ignored.

I wish i could talk to them and they to me. Then they could tell me whats wrong. I feel like a chef in a restaurant where the food isnt selling but none of the customers will tell me why they dont want my food!

[Carol]

 
Many thanks for your enquiry.
 
This year we have had a very mild autumn and a prolific berry and seed crop. Birds of all species have natural behavioural patterns over the course of the year. At this time of the year their instincts are steering them towards feeding up for winter. This results in them abandoning their breeding territories and feeding in loose flocks where there is adequate food to go around. This natural bounty is far more prolific and accessible than anything we can provide. I have witnessed the same as you, gardens just are not the place to be for blackbirds at this time of year. They are still around on the reserve here though, taking advantage of the yew berries that have just come into season. This trend is true for other areas with berry bearing hedgerows, trees and shrubs being the major attraction.
 
Feed the birds day is not just about providing food in the garden for the birds, it is also about getting involved with nature, watching bird behaviour and improving our garden habitats for the benefit of wildlife. Birds are dynamic creatures which keep us guessing all the time which adds to their charm. Do not worry, they will return to gardens when the food supply runs low later in the winter, until then it may be worth going to your nearest nature reserve or local oak woodland as that should be a good place to track down flocks of awol garden birds.
 
Yours sincerely
Ian Hayward

Wildlife Enquiries


This was my answer from the RSPB about the lack of wildbirds feeding in our gardens just now. 

Will see if they all turn up tomorrow  which is FEED THE BIRDS DAY.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

[angle shades]

robin food put out yesterday,and guess what I got in the garden today?

yes, a robin :) how did it know?!!! :P/shades x

[flossie]

Hurrah - the birds have come back to our garden today - the sparrows are having a wild time on the feeders and the black birds are rooting in the flower beds :)

[Tulipa]

I have been in the garden all day with a robin keeping me company, he's gorgeous. :)  I have just cleaned out all my feeders and put fresh in though as they had all gone mouldy, I have never seen this before, even the fat balls and fruit/seed block.  Just shows how little the birds have been feeding combined with the warm and wet weather.  I did see some Greenfinches yesterday though so hopefully the birds will be back soon. :)

T.

[Garden Manager]

Woke up yesterdy morning to find the feeders virtualy empty and a female blackbird busy feeding on pyracantha berries outside the conservatory.

I refreshed all the feeders and put stuff out on the tables, that afternoon and guess what? Not a sign of a bird near them today!

[Yellow Petals]

Many thanks for your enquiry.
 
This year we have had a very mild autumn and a prolific berry and seed crop. Birds of all species have natural behavioural patterns over the course of the year. At this time of the year their instincts are steering them towards feeding up for winter. This results in them abandoning their breeding territories and feeding in loose flocks where there is adequate food to go around. This natural bounty is far more prolific and accessible than anything we can provide. I have witnessed the same as you, gardens just are not the place to be for blackbirds at this time of year. They are still around on the reserve here though, taking advantage of the yew berries that have just come into season. This trend is true for other areas with berry bearing hedgerows, trees and shrubs being the major attraction.
 
Feed the birds day is not just about providing food in the garden for the birds, it is also about getting involved with nature, watching bird behaviour and improving our garden habitats for the benefit of wildlife. Birds are dynamic creatures which keep us guessing all the time which adds to their charm. Do not worry, they will return to gardens when the food supply runs low later in the winter, until then it may be worth going to your nearest nature reserve or local oak woodland as that should be a good place to track down flocks of awol garden birds.
 
Yours sincerely
Ian Hayward

Wildlife Enquiries


This was my answer from the RSPB about the lack of wildbirds feeding in our gardens just now. 

Will see if they all turn up tomorrow  which is FEED THE BIRDS DAY.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

Thanks for that, Carol.  Useful information there.  At least I know I haven't been abandoned by the little blighters!  Infact, I can hear the blue tits out there now lol

[lorna]

My little friends are visiting every day. Only thing I am a bit concerned about is that today (at last) a friend came armed with chain saw and cut all my conifers down, the blackbirds have nested in them for years. Have left the ones across the back of the garden. They were too near the greenhouse, so my blackbirds will probably nest in them now. I hope so.
Lorna

[angle shades]

:)

as stated in earlier posts, as soon as it gets cold, all our chums come back ;D

lots of blackbirds,sparrows,starlings,dunnock,long tailed tits,robin,pigeons back today after last nights frost/shades x

[Garden Manager]

I seem to be having a bird feeding contest with my neighbours. They feed the birds just as regularly as I do, and recently I have noticed the birds have prefered their feeders to mine for some reason. Their feeders always seemed to go down quickly and mine weren't touched.

I guess a case of too much food maybe. However since the weather has got colder, the birds have been about more and feeding from both sets of feeders. Today was even more interesting, the neighbours forgot or werent able to fill up their seed feeders, and the birds had to come to us instead. Still they havent really got as 'stuck in' to our food as much as I thought they would.

[telboy]

Echo that RB.
Would love a resident sparrowhawk to nail the 'bloody' skyrats that are my personal enemy.

The garden was full of birds this morning, the starlings have found the fat balls - so that's that! The tits have devoured all the table food & the black birds are trashing amongst the fallen leaves. Bliss!

[telboy]

Oh! and there is a robin every day. I wave to him, he looks at me & I look at him.
He cheeps - yes I know, early Alzeimers!

[Kea]

I find that if I put out peanuts and sunflower seeds the birds turn their beaks up at the cheaper peanuts and they rot in the feeder.
This weekend is supposed to be colder so have the feeders refreshed ready.

[norfolklass]

We have a local sparrowhawk that appears from time to time. The first sign that she's around is all the sparrows  disappearing into the safety of the hawthorn hedge, clustering together and making panic calls. She walks about on the top of the hedge trying to scare them to make a run for it. The last time I saw her was a couple of weeks ago in the morning, circling over the garden but being seen off by a crow. The crow was flying underneath her then flying up towards her, feet first. Ten out of ten for bravado but no match for manoeuvrability! The crow eventually won and she swooped off down the hill. I haven't seen the hawk catch anything yet though.

[Garden Manager]

I am not happy! Despite puting out food our birds still dont want to know. Wehave gotten into a viciouscycle now. Food gets put out, some gets eaten but most doesnt, food starts going stale and old and birds dont fancy it and go elsewhere and so on. i appreciate its still mild and there must be natural food around still, but its still a bit upsetting to have your kindness thrown back in your face.

[Toadspawn]

Birds have started increasing in numbers in the last week or so - up to 13 goldfinches, greenfinches, sparrows, bluetits, starlings, robin, great tits, chaffinches, jackdaws, magpies, great spotted woodpeckers (male and female), nuthatches, dunnock and the first two blackcaps. The blackbirds have just started on the Pyracantha berries. No siskins yet.

[angle shades]

all hell broke out in the garden today, I'm walking up the path,putting raisins in tubs being followed by blackbirds etc ... think Snow White ;D when Mrs Sparrowhawk swoops across the garden right in front of me into the holly tree to try and catch a sparrow off the feeders. I don't know who jumped most, me or the birds, its taken them an hour to come back, though that could be 'cause the chap next door is on the roof taking his chimney pots down on top of a bloody great big crane ::) :P/shades x