They were waiting for me

[Gingernaut]

I've taken to feeding the birds.

I do have a feeder, but am aware that some birds are 'hop around headbutting the pavement' ground feeders, not 'dangle acrobatically in an entertaining way' feeders.

My back yard is gravel and rocks.

So, after noticing an increase in sparrows and wagtails after Eastern European neighbours started chewing sunflower seeds whilst having a chat and a smoke on their doorsteps, I bought some seed and have taken to scattering it up the pavement, in the early morning, as I go to work.

Today, as I left the house, there was a small gathering of collared doves, sparrows and wagtails, sitting on the pavement.

As I passed, scattering a tiny Tupperware box of sunflower seeds, the birds flew up, over my head and then landed on the pavement behind me.

I'm going to try and see if they're there tomorrow.

This is such a lovely post!

I put out water but not food as a neighbour has birds so reliant on her feeding them they try to grt into her house.

For years I tried to encourage the birds in my back garden but they wouldn’t come. But gosh they love the front. I throw a selection of food on the grass, sunflower seeds for the blackbirds, bread for the magpies and pigeons and monkey nuts on the wall for the squirrel.

Cat food for the hedgehog but I suspect that foxy beats him some nights.

Mine start swooping down the minute I go in the garden. My favourite robin actually whizzes past my head as I arrive. He's getting incredibly close to me now and I'm just waiting to see if I can get him to eat from my hand. I have robins, blue tits,jays, a woodpecker, starlings, blackbirds, collar doves, pigeons and crows. I love the birds, but they cost me a small fortune.

I remember during the awful snowstorms a couple of years ago, I didn't have any feeders or anything.

So I just put out some grated cheese and dried fruit (plumped up with boiled water for a bit). And my go to.... dry oats.

Holy God, the garden was FULL of birds. Was so uplifting.

But had to keep it going for weeks, and then they foraged for themselves in our hedgerows that had berries and that.

Such an uplifting thread.

I'm in the habit of cutting up an apple at lunchtime, and the birds are in the habit of scoffing the apple core. It's usually gone within minutes. We have an oyster shell nearby for the wildlife to drink from too.

Oh that's so lovely!

This is adorable.

pics, please!
I saw first swift of the summer yesterday. Life is good. :)

I'm starting to get 'fans' too. Had a Robin in my garden today for the first time ever, they've obviously heard all the other birds talking! So far we've had Starlings (loooaaaaddddssssss of them) pigeons, doves, blackbirds, magpies, the occasional blue tit, sparrows. It's been lovely! _ just sorted out a proper seed feeder in the garden and the pigeons kept looking at the floor expectantly XD Also got a cheap plastic bowl for a bird bath. According to my DC I'm spoiling them lol. But stuck in self-isolation and it's a nice distraction. DC occasionally helps me to make up fat feeders too :) (going to be too hot to do it soon though!)

I've put some raisins to soak for the morning.

I also have oats I can put out.

The birds are waking me every morning but that's fine. The only ones that drive me demented are the pigeons and the collared doves. That constant coo coocoo drives me nuts.

The screech owl kept me awake for a while last night but I'm more than happy about that - I don't hear him every night

We've got loads who get fed - mealworms for breakfast mostly. Currently got gaggle of starlings including juveniles and the usual blackbirds (we've had a female with a poorly leg) and sparrows, tits etc. My favourite is watching the bathing!! They all look like punks once finished... We have hedgehogs too. Feel very blessed to have a small garden to enjoy during lockdown.

We were watching a quarrel between a robin and a nuthatch in the garden this evening - the nuthatch won! We have sparrows, nuthatch, swifts, bats and bees living in the walls and roof space. When they see us, the birds buzz us our heads to be fed - the robins and the blackbirds are the worst/best for this. Blue tits peck at the putty around our windows. Blackbirds stick their heads through the open window asking for food and squirrels sit on the welcome mat.

Haha! The thread title made it sound really sinister!
We feed a big crow and his wife (?) Mr and Mrs Big Beak , but we didn't feed them this morning, and my DP was SURE they were angrily complaining about it at lunch time when he took the dogs out...

I was sitting there one morning looking out tat the garden, thinking, I must go out and fill the table up. Next thing the Robin flew up to the top of the table and started hopping up and down, looking straight at me! Like he was shouting “come on you lazy woman”.

We feed a woodpecker, a nuthatch, blackbirds, and a family of blue tits are also nesting in a little house DH built.

I also love to see them all with their wings stretched out, sunbathing on our outbuilding roofs.

I love feeding the birds and could watch them for hours. Recently a medium-sized brown bird, I think a female blackbird, has become very friendly, hopping around near DH and me while we’re gardening. Very bright eyes, looking interested. I half expect her to strike up a conversation ....

Many in these strange times have also got time to observe the birdies.

Hope it continues.

Isn't nature beautiful. We have magpies,, jackdaws and crows out the front who are totally brazen and will sit on the gate and let me within a foot to put their feed down. All the smaller birds are.out the back. Our pond has to have a ridiculously expensive filter system as all the birds bathe in it.

Such an uplifting thread.

I love it too. Reading in bed. Will keep some for tomorrow - after I’ve topped up the birds’ drinking water.

Good on you, the birds need all the help they can get and its so nice to watch them and, as you're finding out, they will come every day when they know there's food for them. @whichteaareyou - once your birds get used to the bath they will be in it everyday and its great fun to watch them having a good old splash about.

We have a blackbird nest in our clematis in the tiny back garden, and now 3 fledglings hopping around the garden. It’s compulsive viewing, and DH is completely obsessed with their antics. He banned our 18-year old cat from the garden in case she bothered them, but even though they’re still flailing around the chicks are much faster than the old cat. I love our blackbirds. One of my favourite birdsongs.

Why is a hungry pigeon less deserving than a hungry sparrow?
Pigeons are categorised as a pest because they are massive disease spreaders. They are well adapted and live in pretty much every country in the world.
Spaggies are charming wild bird that has declined by 71% since the 70’s.

You're Doctor Dolittle OP

We have a one-legged blackbird who seems to be doing very well.