Allotments 4 All

Am I just lucky? Is this common?

I feed the birds all the year around and on average in the winter 13-20 different bird species visit every day. 
Since September last year approximately 10-20 Goldfinches have been daily visitors. However, on one day last week 50 turned up at one time and today there are about 25-30. About 25 Siskins visit at one time every day and 8 Pied Wagtails appeared at one time once. When the snow was on the ground 30 Blackbirds were in the garden early in the morning.
It is nice to see all the different birds every day but it costs a fortune in food. I buy it in bulk.

Yes you're lucky and no it's not common, you can thank the prolonged cold weather for seeing more birds and species.
Sadly in such weather many small birds will die if they can't find up to half their body weight in food to eat every day.
Porridge oats is a really good all-round garden bird food, and is relatively cheap especially if bought in large bags. I mix this with bird seed and crushed peanuts to scatter out the back.
I'm sure that I don't have to remind you that putting water out for them is important as well.

As you say it's nice to see such birds every day, and I reckon well worth the cost!   :)

My hedge has been hosting redwings this year...they're enjoying the cotoneaster berries.

Aren't you all lucky to get Siskins, Goldfinches etc!! We haven't had them for years, mainly since the road at the bottom of our drive was widened and takes a load more traffic.
One bonus of the new BNRR is that they took down a load of ancient Oak trees >:( >:( >:( and the birds made their way down to us, so we now get loads of Nuthatches and Long-tailed Tits that we never had before.  Regular visitors to hubby's vegplot include a family of Pheasants, needless to say, he's not impressed!!

I had a yellowhammer perching in my garden a few days ago and I studied him for a long time through my binoculars.  However, when I drew back my curtains this morning there were about 10 yellowhammers in the field adjoining my garden.  They moved out of sight as they were feeding feeding and then ten minutes later about 25 to 30 yellowhammers flew across my garden and landed in the apple tree.  They are such beautiful birds and I feel honoured to have seen so many.

Paulines 7 lucky you, I've never seen a yellowhammer! The highlight among the birds feeding out back this morning was a lone chaffinch.  :)

Wow, yellowhammer envy here too, I have never seen one so to see that many is amazing :o :) :)

Saw a couple of long-tailed tits this afternoon. They're very vulnerable to the sort of freeze we've had, and there definitely aren't as many as usual, but at least they've survived. Over the winter I saw long-tailed tits and goldcrests on the trees outside the window, where I wouldn't normally see either. They were probably brought in by the slightly warmer temperatures in the city.

After taking Pauline's advice for a seed mixture to try and get a robin to visit my garden, this morning looked out kitchen window and yipee a robin was feeding!! He was feeding from the ground feed that I put down for the blackbirds, maybe he will find the bird table where the mealworms are. Hope he comes back.

Lorna that is good news, and fingers crossed that you see a lot more of him. :)

Change of bird, but we had 3 hawks just beyond the back garden yesterday, never seen that before. hope not to see it again.... wish they would leave the dove alone...

we have lots of finches,, red ones, yellow/golden ones and the common brown ones., qahtan
also had a few of these red winged blackbirds

Had a bit of a shock after I finished moving my strawbs.
There was a Green Woodpecker in the garden just above me head.
Not seen one of those close to houses before.

They're more birds of scrubland than big trees, so you can find them anywhere there are trees and bushes. I've seen them all round the allotments, while the Greater Spotted stick to the trees around the edge of the site.

We have a resident lesser spotted in the garden and always getting the food from the table and feeders.
Still cannot get used to the Pheasant that came in for a look see.

We had two thingy pheasants amicably strolling round the garden this morning, investigating the compost heap together - civil partners, maybe?

No further sign of the Pheasant,
Nut to my amazement, my daughter pointed out that we have a pair of Blackbirds starting to create a nesting home for their future little ones.
I hope that the local felines leave them alone this time.

Excuse me?  Thingy pheasants?  Not what I wrote....this hasn't happened to me before.... Can I say  male pheasants?   That'll teach me to watch my language.

We have a lot of goldfinches too.  They are eating the petals on my pansies and primroses.

Quote from: Digeroo on March 22, 2010, 17:30:43
We have a lot of goldfinches too.  They are eating the petals on my pansies and primroses.

We have loads of Goldfinches as well.I took this pic last year

We live near fields and sometimes get visits from pheasnts.  One (female) popped in yesterday and hung around looking hopeful until I scattered the bird nuts out of the feeder onto the ground for it.  A few years ago a male pheasnt knocked itself out on the bird bath  as it flew into the garden.  I was very relieved when I saw it move slightly and called the RSPCA.  It was very funny watching the pantomime, as, by the time he arrived it had come to but was obviously still concussed- he chased it drunkennly around the garden (the bird looked drunk, not the RSPCA man!) until he eventually caught it in a huge net.  It was great fun to watchand I was glad the bird seemed OK in the end!