Birds - seasonal changes

[CWH]

Over the last couple of weeks there have been noticeable differences in viewings from the house.
At the feeding station, return of a small group goldfinches, a few greenfinches, a two or three days ago a flock of rock doves, yesterday a great-tit and this morning a coal-tit.
Overhead, skeins of geese collecting, and the return of stonechats.
We have our local kestrel and sparrowhawks but there's been a peregrine around lately as well, though haven't seem the hen harriers for a while. The young buzzards are still hanging around and calling and generally not behaving as they should. A few sightings of white-tailed eagles and possibly (but not recordably) golden eagles but neither as frequent as previous years despite successful breeding.
Not much going on around the shoreline; it feels a bit like "change-over day" at a B&B.

 

[Spriddler]

It's been raining almost continuously for three or four days and still lashing down this evening and I've been wondering whether the birds take shelter somewhere dry. It seems odd to me that although there are three nice dry, cosily lined nest boxes in my cherry tree the birds never seem to shelter in them. I know that their feathers are waterproof but even so it seems odd that millions of years of evolution hasn't made them realise that nest boxes would make pleasant all-weather accommodation.

 

[CWH]

I guess they (some) use natural 'nest boxes' - holes in trees or saguaro cactus such as woodpeckers, owls and chickadees, or holes in the ground such as puffins, kingfisher, sand martin - about half of all birds are cavity nesters and they will often use them for shelter too. So it seems that our nest-boxes aren't as enticing as we'd like to think!

 

[uzsnowdrop]

Over the last couple of weeks there have been noticeable differences in viewings from the house.
At the feeding station, return of a small group goldfinches, a few greenfinches, a two or three days ago a flock of rock doves, yesterday a great-tit and this morning a coal-tit.
Overhead, skeins of geese collecting, and the return of stonechats.
We have our local kestrel and sparrowhawks but there's been a peregrine around lately as well, though haven't seem the hen harriers for a while. The young buzzards are still hanging around and calling and generally not behaving as they should. A few sightings of white-tailed eagles and possibly (but not recordably) golden eagles but neither as frequent as previous years despite successful breeding.
Not much going on around the shoreline; it feels a bit like "change-over day" at a B&B.

For gods sake, my sightings in my garden, starlings, 2 pigeons and overhead seagulls hundreds of em..,,
Well envious

 

[Carol]

CWH living in remote places does have some amazing advantages.
I'm thrilled when a family of long tail and coal tits visit along with other normal garden birds, just made me think I haven't seen a wren for year's.
I do get enjoyment out of the garden birds seem to bring the garden to life in the winter month's, of course all the feeder's help.

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[Lenny HB]

Live not to far from Spriddler so it's been peeing down here for days. So only 3 fat wood pigions that come to raid the bird feeder & a coupler fat Herring Gulls one which pecks on the conservatory window until the boss feeds him.
No sign of the Magpies, Sparrows, Tits, Robins etc.

 

[L' Hobo]

My back garden is what one might describe as 'natural' (overgrown, lots of weeds and evergreen vines + bay tree and Ivy) so regular visitors are Sparrows, Dunnocks, Blue tits, Black caps, Wrens, Nuthatch, Blackbirds, Robins and the occasional Sea gull and Pidgeon (but as my small feeder is in the middle of a large wild rambling rose and they cannot get to it) not very often.

A couple of mornings ago (03.30hrs) in the complete stillness I opened the bedroom window, and was captivated by, what I now think, was a Song Thrush.
Fantastic!

(Down on the flood meadow this year, there has been a family of otters moved in and, lot's of Swans & Kingfishers)

life is good!

 

[CWH]

It's mostly been just common garden birds the last couple or so weeks. I suppose all the migrations have been interrupted by alternating gales and mild weather.

my sightings in my garden, starlings, 2 pigeons and overhead seagulls

Starlings are the ones that usually head down the stack and into our woodburner..... (only when it's unlit, as far as I know!) Apparently you're not allowed to use cages or any type of baffle to stop them because of the potential for them 'coking up' and causing a fire hazard. I think starlings have wonderful plumage.

 

[Bobby-gg]

Our flock of goldfinches are back again, with the odd chaffinch too, but considering we live on a busy main road it always amazes me how many we get.

We are also getting another Leucistic Goldfinch, but he's extremely camera shy and I'm struggling to get a shot of him.

Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken quickly on my phone Christmas day to send to the inlaws

 

[Nanniemate]

Poor quality I think that's a brilliant pic. My Robin turned up the other day sat looking g through the patio door as if to say the feeder needs filling. He sat on the grass watching what I did this . They only eat the mealworm as a last resort I thought I was buying them a treat but apparently not.

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[L' Hobo]

It's mostly been just common garden birds the last couple or so weeks. I suppose all the migrations have been interrupted by alternating gales and mild weather.

Starlings are the ones that usually head down the stack and into our woodburner..... (only when it's unlit, as far as I know!) Apparently you're not allowed to use cages or any type of baffle to stop them because of the potential for them 'coking up' and causing a fire hazard. I think starlings have wonderful plumage.

Even if there not allowed, I think I would be tempted to put something with large holes like Chicken wire over/down the chimney. A dead Starling must be an even bigger fire hazard and a total waste of life.

A number of people around here have those thing that turn on top of their chimneys, it's supposed to help the draw of the fire
(I remember well, my parents holding a newspaper over the front of our open fires to help them light. I wonder what H&S would say about that! )

 

[CWH]

Our flock of goldfinches are back again

Wow I love your bird table! Did you make it?

A dead Starling must be an even bigger fire hazard and a total waste of life.

Fortunately we've never had a dead or injured one yet. They've all flown away quite happily on release <- Blue Bird of Happiness

 

[Spriddler]

Fortunately we've never had a dead or injured one yet.

For about a year now I've been feeding 'Hoppy', a lone pigeon with a broken leg (it sticks out sideways) that hops along my lounge window cill at around 11 o'clock every day. I now feel guilty if I've gone out beforehand and forgotten to put out its peanuts and sunflower seeds. If I could catch it I'd take to see if a vet could do anything.

A main gang of around 15 pigeons (one with rings on its legs) descends on the nuts and seeds on the lawn in my back garden together with a squirrel that tries to chase them all away but it hasn't yet twigged that while it's busy chasing some around the others are eating all the food.

My Robin turned up the other day sat looking g through the patio door as if to say the feeder needs filling. He sat on the grass watching what I did this . They only eat the mealworm as a last resort I thought I was buying them a treat but apparently not.

I have a pair Robins that sit in the hedge first thing every morning waiting for me to fill the feeders and the bird table. I usually watch them whilst waiting for my first brew to mature and whatever the weather I feel obliged to nip out in my dressing gown to put the food out. I bought mealworms especially for them but as with your Robins they don't touch them until everything else has gone.

 

[Bobby-gg]

Wow I love your bird table! Did you make it?

Fortunately we've never had a dead or injured one yet. They've all flown away quite happily on release <- Blue Bird of Happiness

Yes, saw much better one's on Instagram/Pinterest/something else and thought I'd give it a go, single trunk of timber, carved out with the chainsaw and then the roof slated. Old dying beach tree has a square top carved in and the table drops on top tightly

 

[Nanniemate]

Even if there not allowed, I think I would be tempted to put something with large holes like Chicken wire over/down the chimney. A dead Starling must be an even bigger fire hazard and a total waste of life.

A number of people around here have those thing that turn on top of their chimneys, it's supposed to help the draw of the fire
(I remember well, my parents holding a newspaper over the front of our open fires to help them light. I wonder what H&S would say about that! )

My grandfather taught me to draw the fire to my mother's horror. The best bit was when the newspaper would catch light and you would have to shove it in quickly before burning the house down. Also tieing the echo (broadsheet) into knots to put under the stick to use as fire lighters and the lovely smell of paraffin from the little white blocks. I still love open fires but the thought of cutting stick, and logs, filling coal no thanks .I am very happy to enjoy it if someone else has done the work. My grandfather would be up at 5am to make sure the fire had 'stayed in' if not he would make it. Some grandads take the kids to football to bond mine took me to play the bandit at the opa hut and taught me to light fire

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[Spriddler]

It's been raining almost continuously for three or four days and still lashing down this evening and I've been wondering whether the birds take shelter somewhere dry. ............ it seems odd that millions of years of evolution hasn't made them realise that nest boxes would make pleasant all-weather accommodation.

I was giving this matter deep thought before dropping off last night.
I think my mistake was in applying logic. Evolution isn't logical so evidently millions of years of evolution has shown that when roosting in the open air e.g. in a tree, bush or barn a small bird is safer and able to escape from predators than when in a confined space, e.g. a nest box and with only one escape route.

(Tonight I shall concentrate my thoughts on trying to work out why the handle of a container always faces away from me when the microwave stops).

 

[Nanniemate]

I was giving this matter deep thought before dropping off last night.
I think my mistake was in applying logic. Evolution isn't logical so evidently millions of years of evolution has shown that when roosting in the open air e.g. in a tree, bush or barn a bird is safer and able to escape from predators than when in a confined space, e.g. a nest box and with only one escape route.

(Tonight I shall concentrate my thoughts on trying to work out why the handle of a container always faces away from me when the microwave stops).

I cam answer that one it's easy....





Designed by men

 

[L' Hobo]

My grandfather taught me to draw the fire to my mother's horror. The best bit was when the newspaper would catch light and you would have to shove it in quickly before burning the house down. Also tieing the echo (broadsheet) into knots to put under the stick to use as fire lighters and the lovely smell of paraffin from the little white blocks. I still love open fires but the thought of cutting stick, and logs, filling coal no thanks .I am very happy to enjoy it if someone else has done the work. My grandfather would be up at 5am to make sure the fire had 'stayed in' if not he would make it. Some grandads take the kids to football to bond mine took me to play the bandit at the opa hut and taught me to light fire

In our house, the paraffin came out of a 2gall container with a short spout for filling up the Tilley lamps used around the farm. We had to go to the village local shop/greengrocers to get refilled. None of these mamby-pamby blocks that were used it the rich households for us?

and the kindling was sawn and chopped on a weekly basis by one of us boys, usually on a Sunday so Mother had plenty to put on the 'copper' fire on Monday. ( I still remember her delight when she got her new twin-tub washing machine when I was about 10yrs old! )

 

[L' Hobo]

I cam answer that one it's easy....





Designed by men

???????

 

[Ingwe]

Here in York is grey drizzle. But on the bird feeder, we get robins, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, pigeons, a collared dove, house sparrows and lots of black birds. We think we spotted a gold finch last week but not sure. When it was cold last week, we made sure the three water troughs were melted so they could drink. Black bird had a thorough bathe too. Much fluttering and preening. Think he was on festive promise.

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[Nanniemate]

In our house, the paraffin came out of a 2gall container with a short spout for filling up the Tilley lamps used around the farm. We had to go to the village local shop/greengrocers to get refilled. None of these mamby-pamby blocks that were used it the rich households for us?

and the kindling was sawn and chopped on a weekly basis by one of us boys, usually on a Sunday so Mother had plenty to put on the 'copper' fire on Monday. ( I still remember her delight when she got her new twin-tub washing machine when I was about 10yrs old! )

I was about the same age when mother got hers can still remember burning my hands trying with the big wooden tongs to get them from Washing to drying tub.
I can remember the neighbours thinking we were posh as mother had a laundry. Converted pantry now everyone has a utility room . I haven't , the washer and dryer are in the kitchen but then again I ain't posh
And still wash whites , colours and then darks

 

[Nanniemate]

Here in York is grey drizzle. But on the bird feeder, we get robins, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, pigeons, a collared dove, house sparrows and lots of black birds. We think we spotted a gold finch last week but not sure. When it was cold last week, we made sure the three water troughs were melted so they could drink. Black bird had a thorough bathe too. Much fluttering and preening. Think he was on festive promise.

I'm on the coast at present but not many about I think they ate all hiding from the wind not even seagulls about