General Chat

in the garden at lunch time we had a flock of 6 or 7 long tailed tits on the black sunflower seeds. wow! They were lovely to watch darting here and there.

Ann
Glos

I like it when we get them too. They always seem to come in a friendly gang and they don't squabble like greenfinches.

Sue

Ann, I was disturbed by a 'cry for help', in the back garden.Opened a window and clapped my hands loudly, to scare a magpie away from a blackbird, which was being attacked. There used to be a lot of those long tailed tits in the holly bush (more like a tree now) in the front garden. Are we talking about the same birds? I.E, the sort of beige/white birds with dark stripes, and long tails? If so, have not seen many last winter.

Eileen, yes the same birds.
This is the first time we have seen a group of them, apparently they are gregarious birds. OH saw one a couple of days ago, must have been sent to suss out the food situation.

ann
Glos

I actually like magpies, they are so decadent, but was pleased that I stopped that blackbird being killed.Have never seen a magpie attack a bird of prey though.Thank you for telling about them reducing the blackbird population THF.Very interesting!

Ann, have never seem more than 3 magpies together.Another interesting snippet.
My kat Lapje killed a fully-grown magpie when she was a kitten.UGH.

Now that the leaves have fallen from the Rowan tree I have been spotting quite a few birds on the new fat ball holder.

A robin , a wren , a great tit and a few blue tits over the past few days.

Amanda

We also have quite a few blue tits, not sure how many as they come and go quickly, a couple of great Tits, a robin. goldfinches, a wren, greenfinches, a chaffinch (why only one I don't know), as well as the usual blackbirds, sparrows, doves, wood pigeons and starlings. Magpies are around but tend not to come into the garden which is a bit too enclosed for them. We also get Jackdaws and crows on the bird table if there is bread out.

Ann
glos

THF, I thought that magpies were still classed as pests? Over here they are still not viewed with pleasure. Lovely colours though.
Last winter a large hawk flew past me and landed on the fence between my meighbour's garden & mine.It sat there, not a bit scared of me. Beautiful sight. A couple of years before, a sparrowhawk chased a small bluetit accross my garden. Luckilly I was bending down just then, otherwise it would have flown into me.The blue tit escaped, and the poor sparrowhawk didn't have a meal!
I always throw bits of fat from bacon on the shed roof.Lots of large rooks and carrion crows come to feed on it.They are sometimes so big, I thought they were ravens. years ago, you never saw simple sparrows around where we live,In the last 7-8 years the numbers have grown.Such cute little balls of fluff!

We have been having many feathered friends visiting our feeding station over the last couple of weeks too. Sunflower seeds are a big favourite !!! Have to refill every couple of days.

Today I put out a crust for the robin,blackbirds and wood pigeons. But they were all beaten by a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker = the black and white one with red flashes. He grabbed a beak full and ran up the nearest tree !!!! What a sight.

Enjoy your gardens everyone, they really can be full of life on these cold miserable days.

Linda :o)

Linda, you lucky thing.Fancy seeing the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in your garden! I saw one two years ago flying from tree to tree whilst I was walking to the village.Had never seen one before.
There are always lots of doves around though.

I really do enjoy watching out for the birds returning each year.
Soon the redwings to strip the sorbus(rowan) of berries. We too have a few sparrows returning, but far fewer starlings, why I do not know?

Linda :o)

We have lots of starlings. I love to hear them chatting away of an evening. When I used to live in England, it sounded as if they said "green sweater".Still hear this when over there. They don't 'say' that over here.
Have never seen redwings, must look out for them at the nature reserve soon.

THF, well, maybe I am mad too."Green Sweater"is what I always listen out for when in England.Makes me feel at home again.

Alice, haven't watched Bill Oddie's programs, wished I had now.
I love watching starlings performing their sky ballet of an evening.Great 'swarms 'of them seem to be directed in the same direction, almost like bees from a distance.

Always love watching birds coming and going in the garden.

A while ago I mentioned on here about the 'semi-tame' Blackbird---Fruity who comes for his daily mixed fruit.
He still comes to the back door and now would you believe he has a friend with him a Thrush.
They're so funny to watch as they jostle for nearest to step,and yesterday went out to see them both perched (either end) of the washing basket. They're getting really cheeky!

Interesting to hear of bird sounding like Green Sweater, because when we were in Australia there are green Parrots called 28 as that's what they seem to be calling!

What a lovely story Mau.It is quite rare to see a blackbird with another type of bird, and not squabbling. We have a rogue blackbird that often visits,but he is rather bad tempered.He has a white stripe on one side, that's how he can be recognised.

Maybe your parrots can count! Do you think they were given their name because of their call?

Thank you Ann for putting this thread up.

We have loads of starlings, I can fill up the suet holder in the morning and an hour later it is empty, they also love the fat balls but now have learnt to eat the peanuts and the different seeds from the seed feeders, they are quite greedy birds but funny to watch and, boy do they squabble.

Red wings, i'd love to have them, in the 70s when we lived in Essex we used to get flocks of redwings and when we lived in Bedfordshire we got Bullfinches on the Hawthorne hedge but we get neither here. I am waiting for the black cap to appear as he does most winters. all the birds are early this year though, it must be because it is cold.

we do get woodpeckers both the Lesser Spotted and the Green near here, not in the garden but on the golf course.

Ann
Glos

Oh Blackbird makes sure he gets first fruit, he's a bit bossy! lol

We don't get Woodpeckers Ann,too near the sea, lots of blooming Magpies though (and not just Toon ones!)

Mau

And seagulls Mau? Or are they all in Gloucester?