Topic: Winter Bird Watching, what have you seen today?

[thifasmom]

It's good to see all the birds again after their notable absence the past few months.

This disappearance was explained last night on autumn watch. during the late summer months the adults molt their old feather and while they are growing in the new ones they are less able to fly well so keep themselves hidden so as to stay out of harms way.

but i have to agree its great to see them return :D.

[Flighty]

thifasmom thanks for that, I was watching it but the phone rang so only half heard what was being said.
I shall enjoy walking to the plot, which is only a few minutes away, most days over the coming months looking for blue tits, robins, wrens and all the other birds.

[norfolklass]

we get a huge variety:
sparrows, dunnocks, blackbirds, robins, chaffinches, starlings, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, collared doves, wood pigeons, jays

and more occasionally:
spotted woodpeckers, greenfinches, goldfinches, sparrowhawk, goldcrest, ducks!

yesterday morning I was in the garden when the long-tailed tits arrived for their 8:45 a.m. snack. I think they're my favourite, and if you miss them in the morning they're back around 6 p.m. ;D

[manicscousers]

We had about 3" of snow last night. I had to clear some of the feeders so the birds could get to the food this morning.  Had a fleeting visit from a Jay. A lovely bird with the bright blue flashes on its tail. Haven't seen one around here for ages.

3", good grief, whereabouts are you, gardengirl ?
we had about 2 cms  ;D

[Gardengirl]

We are in Hertfordshire manicscousers. Couldn't believe it when I saw it last night, coming before November :o  Really ruined some of our tall conifers which border our property, parts of them have completely collapsed under the weight of the snow, absolutely beyond repair :'(

[manicscousers]

can't believe it, hope it's melted now...shame about the trees  :(

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

our highlight of the year was a pair of reed buntings that came in the garden a few times

[thifasmom]

The birds are definitely becoming aware that there is a feeding station in my garden. At 7.45am there were a pair of collard doves and a magpie in the pine tree, swiftly followed by at least two female chaffinches and a male on the sunflower seed feeder and on the ground under the apple tree. They were joined by two female house sparrows and a male and female blackbirds who were eating spilt seed and discarded apple cores, the female also enjoyed a splash in the bird bath.

The blue tits were are also feeding on various feeders and Mr robin was also in attendance.

10.00am and in the last half hour the new visitors to the feeders have been a male house sparrow, two coal tits, two starlings and two goldfinches. There was sightings of a jay in the oak tree as well.

11.00 and I have counted three blue tits altogether and two robins which of course meant a fight for territory ensued!! Then a crow visited it walked around for a while then flew off. Though the crow population is good in this area they rarely land in my garden, I normally see and hear them in the surrounding oak trees and on the green in the front of my house.

At midday the girls and myself went to the river Lea to do some dipping for aquatic life. On the way there we saw jays, magpies, crows and a green woodpecker flying over head.

At the river we found fresh water shrimps, water boatmen and various nymphs. Just as we were leaving we saw a pair of mallard ducks male and female.

On arriving home the garden was alive with lots of bird activity. The chaffinch numbers were up to two males and two females, many house sparrows were feeding and the coal tits and blue tits were squabbling over the feeders. They also made us smile with their upside down acrobats on the homemade fat feeder which is made from a half a coconut shell.

A great day really even though i froze my fingers at the river ::).

[ninnyscrops]

The messiest feeders of all, nuthatches, came and had a good ferret on the feeders. Threw out all they didn't fancy until they got to that which they did!  Never mind, the ground feeders like the blackbirds had a good feast. Blue tits, great tits, coal tits, the bossy robin, a wood pidgeon who couldn't balance and gave up when the squirrel chased him off, all around today. Could hear the magpies and crows up in the oak but they rarely come down, and the starlings who usually nest in the fascia in front of the bathroom were pacing up and down checking out their winter quarters  ;D

Not seen any sparrows or dunnocks for ages now though  :(

Ninnyscrops

[thifasmom]

Yesterday morning i saw 5 goldfinches, two bluetits, a robin, a pair of collard doves, a male blackbird, approx 5 chaffinches (flew off before I could count them properly), approx four house sparrows and the gold crest has come back, it was seen foraging in the pine tree, which is it's usual haunt.

Later in the day my daughter called me to look out her bedroom window to see a female green woodpecker on the green in the front of the house :D.

[norfolklass]

Not seen any sparrows or dunnocks for ages now though  :(

they're the bird we get the most of, up to two dozen in the hedge on the bird feeders sometimes! despite the national decline people talk about, they seem to be doing very well in Norwich :) and as long as the sparrows keep coming, the sparrowhawk keeps strutting up and down the top of the hedge trying to flush them out - I actually saw her catch one a few weeks ago.

[hopalong]

Not seen any sparrows or dunnocks for ages now though  :(

they're the bird we get the most of, up to two dozen in the hedge on the bird feeders sometimes! despite the national decline people talk about, they seem to be doing very well in Norwich :) and as long as the sparrows keep coming, the sparrowhawk keeps strutting up and down the top of the hedge trying to flush them out - I actually saw her catch one a few weeks ago.

Norwich is a very special place.  You're lucky to live there (speaking as an ex-Norwich boy).

[manicscousers]

our sparrows are back , noticed them this morning, noisy lot, perched on the peanut feeder  ;D

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

our biggest success with wildlife is persuading the house sparrows from the front of the house to come in the back garden. The cheep cheep cheeping is just such a lovely sound

[Paulines7]

I counted at least 30 sparrows in my garden this morning.  They come to my feeders but also fly in and out of the chicken house hatch to eat the layers pellets.

[thifasmom]

09.00 to 09.30am the feeding station was visited by a dunnock ground feeding (nice to see him back), four wood pigeons were also eating spilt seed, they were joined by a male and two female chaffinches. On the feeders there were two great tits, a blue tit, three goldfinches, a robin and a male house sparrow. Then just before moving from the window two squirrels and a male blackbird appeared.

Just around lunch time I disturbed at least three longtail tits that were foraging in and around the plants in the flower beds, later I saw a wren (another regular who has returned) scampering up and down the apple tree trunk. The goldfinches numbers got up to five for the day.

[thifasmom]

What a wet day its turned out to be but the birds aren't put off.

08.05 and on the feeders there are 5 goldfinches, they were quickly followed by house sparrows 3 males and one female, a robin and some blue tits.

the rest of the very wet day the garden was visited by woodpigeons and a dunnock feeding under the apple trees. A great tit and coal tit also visited the sunflower feeder a lot.

The squirrel has been up to his usual destructive self and has caused the wastage of yet another feeder full of seed arrgh!! It attracted a magpie though. blackbirds also were about.

[thifasmom]

With just the regular visitors to the feeders and the garden, there wasn't much to report, but this morning a female great spotted woodpecker was also here on the apple tree trunks searching for a meal. We normally see a male and sometimes a female during the winter months, so it was nice to see the female as she is much shyer.

[thifasmom]

Sunny clear blue skies with mild temperatures to start the day.

Lots of birds in the garden this morning: blue tits, up to six goldfinches, greenfinches, house sparrows, starlings, collard doves, a dunnock and a robin, blackbirds, wood and feral pigeons, great tits and a goldcrest. when i went to top up feeders, i also saw a pied wagtail on the roof :D.

the coal tit and a chaffinch has just made an appearance.

[honeybee]

Lots of activity on the feeders as per usual this morning, so far seen a family of eight goldinches and ten or so greenfinch,and chaffinch. The coal tits are active and the robin adores his little basket tray with his special supply of food that I supply just for him but he thinks hes the boss of the garden!  ;D 

The blue tits have moved back into the box on the side of the house that they raised their family in, in earlier months, its good to know they are all safely tucked up for the winter.

We also have blackbirds and songthrush who tend to viist together and are quite happy in each others company