Can't see a previous note on this?
Why, please, do they feed in waves? Not one for hours & then they are fighting for it.
And, to some extent, the same with days. = Tim
I think when they feed they are in extra danger of attack, so they tend to do it in large groups for safety? Not sure, but it sounds right!
Have read Tim,also, they spot each other..as in a buzzard feast..I know birds perch high to observe several gardens at a time and once they are down this alerts others.
8)Noticed they feed more at certain times of day, morning and early evening. Like Ken I'm sure they watch out for each other, I've seen blackbirds rush over to sparrows feeding, to see what they've got, a case of one down all down. ;D
Yup, there has been a slice of toast and peanut butter and a piece of bread on the lawn all day, not a birdy bothered, but now, starlings everywhere squabbling over it! Always the same, always at the kids tea time, whether it is crows, starlings, robbins or sparrows.
'My' birds have a feeding pattern which revolves around me going out with the food before 7.30 am. If those bird tables are not loaded on time then I hear complaints! The robins are jumping around and giving me a telling! Unfortunately, the sparrow hawks are wise to all this .......
Likewise FOC as I feed ours about 7 AM,they are out there waiting and rush in,especially the pheasants who almost push me aside to get in.
Other birds do flock.The sparrows,long tailed tits,yellowhammers and goldfinches especially seem to be there in numbers together.I love it that often when I am preparing the evening meal there seems to be another rush so I can watch them out the window! Toots ;D
Oh I wish we had that many eager birds! We have fairly regular sparrows and blue, coal and great tits, and some greenfinches, but having a lot of "natural" land around they aren't knocking down the door to get to the food! I would love to have a "resident" robin but he seems to have wandered off now. And I haven't seen the wren for ages.