How many birds in your garden today?

[elizajay]

I bought a camera nest box a few years ago and put it near another nest box the tits had been using for a few years. Took the top half of the front off the old nest box to make it suitable for sparrows. The tits have tried to nest, unsuccessfully in the sparrow box, but the camera box was pristine until....Mr and Mrs Blue Tit have had a very busy day bringing in nesting material, have picked the moss out of last year's hanging basket and even helped themselves to some cat hair I left out. I can't wait for the eggs and chicks!

[catbasket]

... and even helped themselves to some cat hair I left out.

So I'm not the only one who has tried that

This morning we had four goldfinches on the feeders at the same time, but best of all I saw a greenfinch feeding from the thistle seeds for the first time. Fingers crossed he's gone off to tell his mates about the new food source and we'll start to see greenfinches regularly.

[wellie]

Spotty Woodpecker is now a regular on the nut feeder.
A pair of pied wagtails are more evident now.
The Great, Blue and Coal Tits are daily visitors, as are the House Sparrows, Dunnocks and Robins, Blackbirds, Starlings, Swallows, etc.
On the 'Haven't Seen for a while' List, are the Long-Tailed Tits, the Jenny Wren.

[catbasket]

The goldfinches are now regular and frequent visitors Not much action on the greenfinch front, though OH saw one on the feeders this morning.

The starling chicks in the nest under the eaves at the front of the house hatched a few days ago - noisy little critters, and directly above our bedroom too! Haven't heard any sign of chicks in the other nests yet - there's another starling nest at the back of the house, plus two house sparrow nests at the front and side of the house.


ETA - We haven't seen any long-tailed tits for about ten days. Moved on to pastures new?

[sewer rat]

This weeks additions to my list are Redwing, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Hoodie Crow, Woodcock, Moorhen and Coot.
I now also know where I can go to see Capercaillie locally - very hush hush though.

[lettucegrow!]

That's an impressive list Sewer Rat, can't come up to that but I am really happy that I have Robins nesting in the ive on the wall of the house, great tits in the wall and starlings inn the eves. The kids nag me to the soffits done but I won't do it 'cos they come back every year. They just have to put up with the scratching and chirping- they'll survive.

[catbasket]

Late yesterday afternoon heard chicks in the starling nest at the back of the house Also saw our first ever blackbird scratching around on the ground near the base of the feeding station.

I know what you mean about the soffits, lettucegrow!, we think about getting them done every year ... but leave them for the birds. After all, if we did get them done there'd be all that extra expense of putting up nesting boxes!

[catbasket]

Think I saw a juvenile robin this morning. ID'd it as a robin in silhouette when it landed on the feeding station ... and it did the bobbing thing that robins do so well. When it flew down onto the ground, no red breast but speckled.

Our book of birds says it's easy to confuse juvenile robins with other youngsters, which is why I'm not sure. I'll try to get a pic but it's chucking it down with rain here today.

[wellie]

catbasket, I'm pretty damn sure you've got yourself a juvenile robin by your description, and no mistake!
and I do for certain know that we have a juvenile blackbird, because its' mother is verbally warning anyone that will listen, at any hour of the day, that there is a black cat in Wellie's Garden, and her constant warning noises are driving us all completely NUTS! and, of course, both of them wandered into my Draughty Dutch Greenhouse for some reason, scaring the living daylights out of me when I went in there to water the other evening.
Thankfully, my cat hadn't yet clocked that. Phew......

We also have a pair of Goldfinches (!) and the Flycatchers are back again after a year of living here - they just blow my frock up....what amazing agility and finesse, eh?!X

[catbasket]

The last week has without doubt been the busiest at the feeders so far. I suspect there are an awful lot of hungry chicks to be fed at the moment. Speaking of which I heard chicks in the house sparrow nest at the side of the house for the first time on Friday

We've had a 'new' sighting at the feeding station with a carrion crow coming to see what all the fuss is about - now we have two c/crows visiting semi-regularly, helping themselves to any tasty morsels which have fallen to the ground. There are now at least three blackbirds who are regular visitors, a pair plus an extra male who gets chased away if he turns up at the wrong time.

Yesterday (Sunday) was the best day ever! First OH saw the juvenile robin, who now is developing the red breast/face and losing the speckles. (We were right, wellie, w00t! etc...). Luckily I also got to see it later in the afternoon. No pics though as typically I'd put the cameras away by then. Boo.

Next up OH spotted another 'new' bird, initially unsure what it was but we managed to get a good look through the binoculars next time it appeared - a female greenfinch! She must have visited at least six times during the day, so fingers crossed we've got another regular.

But the best was saved until late on in the day when two collared doves landed on the top of the feeding station. The one on the left looked a bit unusual - it seemed 'fluffy' on the breast, it kept sort of vibrating its wings as if it was shivering, and it was very unsteady on its feet. Fearing it was injured we grabbed the binoculars for a better look and to our surprise we noticed the lack of a collar - yes, it's a juvenile! Seems one of the parents was showing the youngster the ropes - "Here's where we come for an easy meal ... watch your feet there, it's slippery ... and up here on this cable is where we hang out and watch the world go by ...".

I suspected one of the pairs of collared doves might have a chick fledging around now, looks like I read the signs correctly (first time for everything!). Let's see if I can do it again - I reckon the other pair is currently about about ten or twelve days into incubating their egg(s). We shall see!

Righto, time for me to grab a coffee and spend a few minutes watching the feeders

Oops! Nearly forgot - we've both seen a marsh/willow tit in the last few days, first sightings in over a month.

[catbasket]

We have juvenile starlings! We've seen one of the parents grabbing food from the feed tray and then feeding it to the youngsters perched on top of the feeding station. By the sound of it the nest at the front of the house is now empty.

[Send A Cow]

A blackbird has set up a nest in a bush outside my flat and is constantly making a noise! The same bird has set up camp there for the last couple of years and is very loud. Other than that, as I have a 'shared' garden, I don't really notice the wildlife.

Jess

[wellie]

Did I mention to you at all that I have a completely 'Non-Identifiable' birdy in our garden?
No... I've been keeping it a secret, obviously..... but I kid you not.... there's no reference whatsoever to it in any shape or form in our Book of British Birds In Your Garden.
Short of a photograph of it right now, I can only describe it, and its' girlfriend for you 'to be getting on with' ( HUGEST congrats to you Miss Marple of the Forum, I am SO thrilled for you, and here's your next 'Starter For Then' Babe....X)
Okay... so it's about the size and shape of a Dunnock, it 'flitts' its' tail, but isn't a Wagtail (not the same body-shape, nor tail-shape). Its' breast area is quite orangey, (male) and its' head is very black, with a white cap on the top His girly also 'flitts' her tail but her colouring, naturally, is very much more subdued.... more like what you'd expect of a female Dunnock with a bit more of an orangey breast area maybe....
Bu@@ered if I know, and I've been twitching since I was knee-high to A GrassHopper!

Seriously, I'll watch this space with interest.X..

[Capsid]

Wellie,

That sounds like a redstart to me.

The RSPB: Redstart

[vixfinn]

This morning I have a Magpie in my binbags. But on a better note (I think) a pair of rooks are croaking sweetly on my chimney Yesterday a brown bird a little smaller than a starling was singing so beautifully at the top of the birch tree, I'm not sure what it was though, any ideas? It's always at the top of the tree especially after rain.