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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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.