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?

They are busy brooding the eggs, they have to be kept warm enough .

We live in the country on a disused golf course with a pond nearby. Because the golf course is no longer maintained we now get deer regularly, as well as hedgehogs and are fortunate enough still to have red squirrels (although the greys are encroaching). Buzzards nest in a tree in our garden and last year I watched 3 fledglings make their first flights. We are so lucky!

Finally got a couple of pictures! I'm sure they know I've been waiting

Its up the tree in the second picture

Hooray thirst! How lovely!

I'm not an expert but I think that's a great tit rather than a blue tit though...?

Inside

cavagirl yeah it is a great tit I just forget and call it a blue tit

My dh and I are still isolating for medical reasons. We moved into a house in Jan after 4 years in flats. We have a pair of patridges in our garden we have become obsessed with. They are super cute and like pecking on our window until we come over at which point they run away. They are so lovely.

We've been looking for a suitable feeder for them but most seem to be aimed at smaller birds. Any sheltered ground feeders seem to be sold out

I'm living abroad but have a house in the UK on the outskirts of Reading, with an Amazon Blink XT in the garden.

The fence has a few gaps underneath and I'm sure because of that I get the occasional fox (sometimes two) and badger. I only get a night vision view in rather grainy black and white, but it's kinda cool to be 2500 miles away watching wildlife in your garden.

Lovely fluffy nest!

The local goldfinches finally came down to our feeders, last week. Happy Times.

And with the demise of our old blackbird, living in the tree the magpies tried to set up home in, last summer, we now have a new male. His song isn't as interesting, yet and I don't know if we'll keep him as he has a serious challenger and one of them is bound to get hurt. I've seen a female hopping around, foraging for bugs and worms (and I think she was around last year as she knows how to get the most out of the hanging feeders, while neither of the young males can manage it) so, hopefully she fancies the young guy enough to get it on.

I'm fascinated by bird song but can identify very few (blackbird, magpie, wood pigeon...) There is one particular bird that I hear regularly from my garden - a very dull, two note song. I've found out this morning that it is a Great Tit - thank you Youtube!

I was up late last night and caught, by chance, a lovely hour of programming on BBC4; the dawn chorus in a town, a wood and marsh land. No voice over, just the pictures, the song and some lines of informative text.

I'm so glad I found this thread! My new favourite pastime is watching the birds in my garden. So far we have coal tits, blue tits, a goldfinch and a robin. There is also a pesky pigeon we've named Fernando.
I could spend hours watching them, they are quite tame and come right up to the back door to eat the mealworms. They are going through fat balls at one hell of a rate!
They also love the bath and are often found splashing in it.

I'm watching our resident great tits feed their brood at the moment. Very dedicated parents and the babies are very loud now

@Thirstquenching

cavagirl yeah it is a great tit I just forget and call it a blue tit

😂 fair enough!! Their eggs really do look like proper cadburys minieggs don't they?! Is it wrong they're making me fancy a bit of choccie??

cavagirl omg so they do!

Small update. One bird has been back and forth all day with what looks like insects in its beak. They are so quick it is hard to tell. I am presuming its the male bird feeding the female while she sits on the eggs. Fingers crossed anyway

We have babies!

Great picture @Thirstquenching !

@rosegoldwatcher check out Lucy Lapwing on YouTube and Instagram she does lots of tutorials for learning bird song

Beautiful but hungry

Today a woodpecker found the bird food, so lovely
Unfortunately the recent wind blew a nest out of a bush at the end of the garden, is there anything I can do?

thirst They are so cute!!!! How exciting!

@indignatio were there any eggs in it? It's probably a lost cause but if you can figure out where it blew out of you could try putting it back, you never know...

@rosegoldwatcher

I'm fascinated by bird song but can identify very few (blackbird, magpie, wood pigeon...) There is one particular bird that I hear regularly from my garden - a very dull, two note song. I've found out this morning that it is a Great Tit - thank you Youtube!

I was up late last night and caught, by chance, a lovely hour of programming on BBC4; the dawn chorus in a town, a wood and marsh land. No voice over, just the pictures, the song and some lines of informative text.

You need the birdnet app. It's extremely useful. That's how I found out that the birds that sounded like arcade games were goldfinches, before I ever saw them!

More blackbird news. Young male blackbirds becoming ever more vicious in their scraps. The one keeping hold of what is prime blackbird real estate is learning new, jazzy tunes. Unfortunately, Mrs blackbird doesn't like him and has attacked him repeatedly, today. She will probably kill him before his rival does, unless he takes the hint that his small seed spilling bird bullying ways are not welcome.

Suggestions for fat balls are welcome, BTW. Wilko basic ones not liked. Their deluxe ones are devoured rapidly but hard to get, lately. Peckish balls only liked by blue tits and ignored by everyone else. Even the jackdaws who master the squirrel proof feeders!

I bought one of those feeders to stick on the window. It so's,lovely to,sit on the sofa and watch the birdies close up.

@PickAChew That's how I found out that the birds that sounded like arcade games were goldfinches 🤣 that's hilarious, they absolutely do!!!