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

[Carol]

Ooo I had the sparrowhawk as well, caught the lady flying off.  It has been very quiet in the garden the past couple of days.  Maybe she has paid quite a few visits and has spooked them again. 

 >:(

[thifasmom]

A jay visited to day :D

[betula]

I am mainly seeing Robins at the moment,the occasional blue tit.Where are they all?

[thifasmom]

yes i know what you mean cause although I'm seeing birds every day its no where the number i was seeing last year and i started feeding at approx the same time ie last weekend of Oct.

nor am i seeing the variety i was seeing last year either ???.

[pippy]

We have blackbirds and sparrows chirrupping in the hedgerows at the moment.  In our garden the trick is to spot two robins at the same time (yes - it does happen quite often in winter!).  My favourite visitors are the long tailed tits.  I love the way they do acrobatics from the tree branches!!

... and we get flocks of goldfinches at ths time of year too!

[betula]

The bird box in my mums garden had two blue tits going in and out of it yesterday.

Strange for this time of year???

[Mr Smith]

I hav'nt seen one today but in the past over at Rutland Water I have seen the Osprey's,

[Carol]

Hectic feeding today.  Temp is still at -3  midday.   Have had all the tits calling, dunnocks, 3 robins and not fighting today,  10 blackbirds at least going for the apples I have put out along with the cheese.  Woodies, collared dove and ONE goldfinch, now that is sad after last year having loads.  No Tree sparrows yet and not seen a house sparrow either.  Plenty Starlings and a pheasant sat on my front door step this morning.  Quite wintery out there with the frost hanging on the trees and bushes.  Oh and I saw a few greenfinches and half a dozen chaffinches.  Winter is here!!!

[hopalong]

You are lucky Carol. Nothing in my North London garden today except my friendly robin, the occasional blackbird and the usual pigeons, collared doves and magpies.

A magpie got trapped under a car outside my house last night and some well-meaning people chased it out and took it away in a box - it seemed much the worse for wear after they had caught it.

[thifasmom]

So Carol its you that have all my birds, well give em back!! >:( ;) :D

[Carol]

No way hosey, I like me birdies.  I could spare a blackbird but they are locally reared see, so maybe they would get lost down your way.   ::) :)

[thifasmom]

 ;) :D

[hellohelenhere]

Small birds are still looking thin on the ground here, but I'm glad to say that I do have a resident robin, and very magnificent he/she is, too - also very tame. Turns up whenever I'm out doing stuff in the garden.
However, other than that, I've only seen one blackbird, and one wagtail. I think that the bushes and trees round here are just too few. I'm really going to have to work hard to entice birds here, and get some bushes so they'll feel a bit more secure. I was thinking of putting up nesting boxes on the cherry tree, in the hope they might use them for roosting, but not sure they'll like it with no leaf cover. Might try to make a few little roosting boxes and shove them into the conifer hedge. Plus I'm going have to get mealworms I think, or other major bribery for the bird table.

[Flighty]

It's cold, wet and windy here so all I saw this morning when I refilled my plot feeders were a couple of magpies and a crow.

Hellohelenhere once your garden gets established during next year you'll find that more birds will visit. A robin is always a welcome gardener's friend.

[Carol]

Well, I have had a busy day feeding the birdies.  Again temperature never got above -3c here so they were all cold cold.  I bought stale buns yesterday and topped up the usual feed with that and managed to de frost a couple of watering places.  My extra visitor today was 1 Bullfinch.  But, i seem to have an excess on Blackbirds, they were everywhere today and for once weren't chasing each other about.  Too cold for that, they just wanted food and water. 

[Paulines7]

No way hosey, I like me birdies.  I could spare a blackbird but they are locally reared see, so maybe they would get lost down your way.   ::) :)

.....And they can play the bagpipes too!   ;D ;D

[Ninnyscrops.]

Mr & Mrs Nuthatch in residence today  :)

I've moved all the feeders up to the penthouse apartment now so the squirrels will have to work for their peanuts!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/DSCF1461.jpg

[SamLouise]

^^ Blimey, look at that!  The birds must love you and be queuing around the corner  ;D

We've had our blue tit couple in the garden most mornings this past week and this morning whilst sitting in bed, I could hear a grouple of long tailed tits in the bushes outside the front of our house (I couldn't see them though!) Other than that, all quiet on the western front.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I was walking round the site the other day when I saw a bird I didn't recognise at first. It was brown, the size of a large thrush, and was flying wrongly for any of the expected species. It went past not ten feet away, and it was only when I saw the long beak that I realised it was a woodcock.

[cornykev]

A Kestrel at work today, it was doing a lot of talking today, keeps the winged rats away from my work area.  ;D ;D ;D