Watching birds (and other wildlife) in the garden

[FleetwoodRaincoat]

Not sure if this is the right place to post but I couldn't see a wildlife thread anywhere.

I've been really enjoying watching birds in our garden over the past year. I've put up several feeders, a bird box, built a little wildlife pond etc.

For the past few days I've been watching a pair of blue tits going in and out of the nest box. At the moment they seem to be going in then throwing stuff out, rather than building a nest.

Anyone else interested in what's going on in their garden?

Love watching the birds in the birdbath

Such a lovely thread.

All winter I've fed the birds in my garden. The regulars speak up as I'm on my way to the feeders.

My highlight was on the weekend seeing our first blue tit feeding. Cheered me up no end.

My little goldcrest

This has been one of the bonuses of wfh during lockdown for me. Our regulars are blackbirds, sparrows, Robin, blue tit, great tit, dunnock, wood pigeon, collared dove, starling, magpies, jackdaws and other assorted corvids. Regular red kites and gulls flying above, once we got a sparrowhawk. Occasional long tailed and coal tits, one woodpecker sight. Plus hordes of squirrels, at least 3 hedgehogs and a fox. Not bad for a tiny suburban garden :)

More feed is due to arrive tomorrow and we now have two hedgehog houses...

How lovely @Mrhwbin we don’t get them in our garden, actually not sure I’ve ever seen one in the flesh!

I spotted three goldcrests on the feeders today. Ignoring the Niger seeds I had bought for them and eating every other sunflower seed. The ones they didn't eat, they threw on the ground for the ground feeding birds

I'm a bit miffed. A pair of magpies have built a nest right at the top of the 40' monkey puzzle tree in next door's garden. Our resident woodpigeons are less than happy and our chances of seeing lots of baby small birds, this summer, are pretty much nil.

We've taken away the fat ball feeder, as they seem rather keen on it, despite the squirrel cage.

What an enjoyable thread to read! I love my little garden friends. They have helped me through every day this year. A joy to watch.

Loving this thread . I am another addict.

@PickAChew

I'm a bit miffed. A pair of magpies have built a nest right at the top of the 40' monkey puzzle tree in next door's garden. Our resident woodpigeons are less than happy and our chances of seeing lots of baby small birds, this summer, are pretty much nil.

We've taken away the fat ball feeder, as they seem rather keen on it, despite the squirrel cage.

Personally, I'm much happier to have magpies around than woodpigeons, although sadly our magpies aren't doing a good job of deterring wood pigeons.

If you read the information surrounding the legislation on control of magpies using Larsen traps, there's suggestions that it would be difficult to obtain a licence for garden control since research has showed they don't pose a problem to garden birds. So I think "our chances of seeing lots of baby small birds, this summer, are pretty much nil" may be a bit pessimistic. Fingers crossed for you, anyway.

Am hoping the housemartins return soon this year.

I can happily just lie in the garden watching them swoop around

We normally have 4-6 nests under our roof

Had the woodwork painted last winter but told the guy to leave the nests be. He thought I was bonkers

But they are not here yet so getting anxious

I may have to remove my ground feeder tray. I don't mind the wood pigeons so much but the feral street pigeons are getting in on the act now and for some reason I feel like I should draw the line there. I'm on a first floor balcony and they are pooping on my neighbours patio.

It means the robins, jay, collared doves and starlings will also miss out but I can't be attracting too many pigeons.

A very nice thread. We have just started a big mission to really increase the wildlife in our garden after it being a bit neglected, we have started with some flower planting to try to entice the insects and bees in first.

Bird feeders have gone in but no action yet.

We do get hedgehogs though (found out when I nearly trod on one in the dark one night ooops!)

Love this thread. We don’t put food out as have cats but there are loads of birds anyway and mostly the cats leave them alone and go for mice.

Had a couple of Goldcrests in the Honeysuckle by our window the other day, was so lovely sitting there just a few feet away.

We have a massive hedge of Leylandi behind us and we do get a faire few birds in it, think there are robins currently. We have new neighbours and they are taking them down later this year which I am happy about as ridiculously big now and not been maintained properly . They are hopefully going to be replaced with something the birds will like and they are starting to use the photinia I have in my side in preparation of the big trees going.

I managed to pick up a nyjer seed feeder in the range, this morning. Hopefully it attracts some custom.

The magpies were very much a problem for the baby blue tit that one ripped to shreds, right in front of me, a couple of years ago. Its poor parent flew into our window trying to chase the magpie and get its baby back.

I love seeing the birds on the feeder, we get great tits, blue tits, sparrows, collared doves and wood pigeons. Occasionally a flock of starlings will descend!

We have a tiny wildlife pond, only seen water snails in it so far though.

I think we have mice under the shed but not sure if that's good or not?!

@PickAChew yes, it’s horrible to see, but the majority of tit babies don’t make it to adulthood. They have about 12 eggs to a clutch.
And we’d be overrun by blue tits if they all survived.

We live by the sea so our dominant birds are bastard seagulls! This time of year they wake you up v v v early!
We've had the usual suspects..blackbirds, sparrows, magpies and wood pigeons but our fave, which I haven't seen anyone else mention here, is a jay who occasionally pops in. So beautiful!

In case anyone thinks I'm being overly harsh on seagulls they are quite something to live with. The ones at our local park have stolen ice creams from my children's hands!

[quote MereDintofPandiculation]@PickAChew yes, it’s horrible to see, but the majority of tit babies don’t make it to adulthood. They have about 12 eggs to a clutch.
And we’d be overrun by blue tits if they all survived.[/quote]
That is true, but selfishly I prefer watching a baby blue tit rabble to having grumpy magpies circling and chattering at me every time I dare to go out in my garden.

Sunderland is overrun with herring gulls and they're a pain in the arse. They have no fear and they're enormous.

We have robins , great tits, blue tits , long tail tits, spotted woodpecker, starlings, collared doves, wood pigeons, did have wrens, havent seen for a while, occasional parakeets, squirrels , dunnocks ,blackbirds , thrushes and some mean magpies

I bought a little birdhouse today and put it up quite near feeders. Waiting impatiently for new tenants...

We live by the sea so our dominant birds are bastard seagulls! This time of year they wake you up v v v early! Sadly, they're getting to be dominant inland too.

We live by the sea so our dominant birds are bastard seagulls! This time of year they wake you up v v v early! Yes, I don't blame you. But I was really commenting on your fear that you would have no baby birds this year.

At least our gulls are black headed not herring - not quite as large.

Our garden backs into a wood, it’s lovely, we adore watching the wild birds. We don’t feed them as our neighbours all have cats, but we always make sure the bird bath is topped up. Watching the birds and trees gives me such pleasure.