Help re birds (1 Viewer)

[movan]

Hello all... can you give me some advice please. These little birds, two of them, must be confused with the strange and mild weather. They have set up nest in an old bird box in my garden.... it isn't very weather proof but I can't touch it now or it would upset them.. However, I am concerned about their survival... I went and bought some wild bird seed and put that out in the garden every day and I also, earlier this week, bought some meadow hay and have put it in clumps around the garden so that they might use it to build up their nest and keep warm... but I don't think they have taken any of the hay.

Yesterday the weather turned really cold and I have to admit that I am concerned about them as they never appeared. Do any of you bird watchers have any suggestions as to how I might help them survive when the weather turns worse. I would feel better if I could weatherproof the box but obviously I can't.

 

[denisejoe]

They should be fine. Just let them get on with it. We've got loads of collared doves chasing each other in the garden at the moment.

Joe

 

[DavidG58]

they will be fine inside there Joy

you have a pair of great tits by the way

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[MikeD]

I not a bird expert Joy but I am pretty sure they would not be there unless they thought it a lovely place to stay.

I think it is a great tit and should be perfectly happy during our winter months.

 

[icantremember]

Joy, are you sure they are nesting and not using the box for roosting or even they may be after spiders and other insect in there.

I doubt young would survive in the current weather ... probably the best winter feed for them would be fat cakes or balls.

 

[Madeinengland]

Are you sure they're nesting? I think birds choose their mates and sus out boxes at this time of year ready for spring. Or they could just be hunting for spiders in the box.

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[movan]

they will be fine inside there Joy

you have a pair of great tits by the way

Clothes cover a multitude of sins.... oh, sorry, misunderstood.

Yes, David, can't wait to start using the camera instead of phone ... should get some nice photos of them. and the moon, of course.

 

[Khizzie]

Sometimes I wonder about these threads ....where are we going with responses like "Geat Tits " and Fat Balls" " ???? Lol

 

[movan]

Are you sure they're nesting? I think birds choose their mates and sus out boxes at this time of year ready for spring. Or they could just be hunting for spiders in the box.

I THINK so ... I saw them taking some wet grass in there the first day they were there, but you could be right.... Where do they nest over winter then, do you know? I thought these little fellas went South .. have I got that wrong?

I have a bird box that a fellow of the tiny finches come back to every year and breed, but I was most upset this year that just as the babies had hatched a load of wasps took over the box .. I dread to think what is inside the box now. Need to find a man to go up there before spring to clear it out ..

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[movan]

Joy, are you sure they are nesting and not using the box for roosting or even they may be after spiders and other insect in there.

I doubt young would survive in the current weather ... probably the best winter feed for them would be fat cakes or balls.

Thank you. I put a seed ring with suet inside, quite close to the box... they seemed to really enjoy the suet.

 

[icantremember]

We even get Blue tits and Great tits roosting in our cooker hood vent and can hear them pecking around over the kitchen ... sounds like they are wearing jack boots.

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That's reminded me that it needs a coat of paint in the Spring

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[GJH]

Those Great Tits will be fine Joy. We still have a few coming, plus Blue Tits & Coal Tits, Sparrow, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, Robins, Magpies, Jackdaws, Crows and hordes of Starlings. Birds are used to coping with the cold weather

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[buttons]

We no longer get birds, even sparrows appear to have disappeared along with tits. Hedgehogs are something else to have disappeared within a few years.
Magpies crows seagulls and robins but little else...

 

[tonyidle]

Sometimes I wonder about these threads ....where are we going with responses like "Geat Tits " and Fat Balls" " ???? Lol

You gone all Geordie?

 

[Puddleduck]

We have loads of small birds in our garden Joy. I put feed and water out for them and they check out the boxes regularly - I see them changing the grass and so on that is in there. I'm not sure if they sleep there overnight but they are not breeding at present - they do fight over the food and water - a lot!!! The tits are quite aggressive and will chase off birds much larger than they are. Fun to watch.

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[Yorick]

We have loads of birds just arriving from the cold north after their migration

Saw some great tits on the beach today

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I can arrange to look after any pigeons that you might have extra........


You can always tell when the sparrowhawk is around - the starlings, finches etc all head for cover, but the pigeons are simply too thick to do so.

 

[Jandek]

We no longer get birds, even sparrows appear to have disappeared along with tits. Hedgehogs are something else to have disappeared within a few years.
Magpies crows seagulls and robins but little else...

We hardly get any small birds now either. Have always fed them and we had lots in garden and all of sudden they don't come anymore. Pigeons and magpies is all . How can we attract them back?

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[CWH]

We hardly get any small birds now either. Have always fed them and we had lots in garden and all of sudden they don't come anymore. Pigeons and magpies is all . How can we attract them back?

1] don't tidy the garden - let plants seed, let the grass grow, let twigs rot, let fallen leaves compost - they all provide natural food through either seeds or attracting insects - this can be done in specific areas of the garden or like ours, through total neglect of the whole garden - "gardening for wildlife" I like to call it
2] put out water for drinking and bathing all year round
3] get a water pistol to deter neighbours' cats

Lots of other things too, but there's an easy start

 

[GJH]

We hardly get any small birds now either. Have always fed them and we had lots in garden and all of sudden they don't come anymore. Pigeons and magpies is all . How can we attract them back?

Maybe it depends on the food you put out.
We provide a range of any 5 from peanuts, sunflower seeds, suet pellets, fat balls, filled coconut halves and suet cakes and find that different foods are eaten more quickly at different times of the year. Sometimes different foods are eaten more quickly in the back garden from those in the front garden.

 

[Podney]

It is not necessary to feed birds unless we have a prolonged period of very bad weather.
The Sparrow hawks love bird feeders......you are making their life easy,they don't eat only sparrows.
RSPB and others make loads of money out of well meaning people who are wasting their money.
In the very unlikely event of eggs being laid now,chicks hatching,they will not survive.
Sorry!

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[DuxDeluxe]

It is not necessary to feed birds unless we have a prolonged period of very bad weather.
The Sparrow hawks love bird feeders......you are making their life easy,they don't eat only sparrows.
RSPB and others make loads of money out of well meaning people who are wasting their money.
In the very unlikely event of eggs being laid now,chicks hatching,they will not survive.
Sorry!

Sparrowhawks main grub around here is pigeon al la tartare........ back garden or village green - massive circle of feathers

 

[GJH]

We have a sparrowhawk (and a falcon) from time to time round here but haven't seen them take more than one of the dozens of birds about on each visit.

 

[movan]

Thanks every one of you... never cease to be amazed how helpful you are over all things even non motorhome related.

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[DuxDeluxe]

We have a sparrowhawk (and a falcon) from time to time round here but haven't seen them take more than one of the dozens of birds about on each visit.

No, they leave the others for filling the piesties .....

 

[buttons]

We have loads of birds just arriving from the cold north after their migration
Saw some great tits on the beach today

Must have been a Manchester flight...

 

[Barclaybasher]

Hello all... can you give me some advice please. These little birds, two of them, must be confused with the strange and mild weather. They have set up nest in an old bird box in my garden.... it isn't very weather proof but I can't touch it now or it would upset them.
Yesterday the weather turned really cold and I have to admit that I am concerned about them as they never appeared. Do any of you bird watchers have any suggestions as to how I might help them survive when the weather turns worse. I would feel better if I could weatherproof the box but obviously I can't.
View attachment 138453

Joy...You are bound to see more blue tits in the cold weather...

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[movan]

Joy...You are bound to see more blue tits in the cold weather...

Hmm. Thought you'd been quiet. See you're back.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Hmm. Thought you'd been quiet. See you're back.

 

[MattR]

Is it too late to volunteer to give @movan's box an examination?

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