23rd August.

The resident pair of Blackbirds brought a further 2 fledged young (from their third successful brood) into my Chadderton garden on 19/8. Unfortunately one had only a very short life, as it flew with some force into the front downstairs window and died on 21/8. The other one has survived and is being fed by the female today.

It looks like it might have been a good breeding season for House Sparrow, with regular double sized flocks in the garden throughout August, with as many as c45 on some days. Adults were still feeding young on 8/8. Their presence however has attracted the attentions of Sparrowhawks. At the moment the House Sparrows arrive early in the morning to feed on bread before eating "afters" of as yet not fully ripened pyracantha berries, before seemingly spending the rest of the day hiding away from the Sparrowhawks in the surrounding leylandii hedges!

The resident pair of Dunnocks actually fledged 3 and not 2 young from their second brood.

Cheers,

Bill.

3rd August.

Two fledged begging juvenile Dunnocks in my Chadderton garden today (3/8) being fed by a single adult. This is the outcome of a subsequent brood (the first lot fledged in early June). Wonder if the other adult was back on the nest and having yet another go?

The resident pair of Blackbirds brought a single begging juvenile into the garden on 17th July. It would appear that they had two successful attempts - and fledged only 1 young from each attempt. I watched the adults trying to gather earthworms out of the lawns but at that time they didn't appear to be having much success. The young bird was mostly being fed on the small blueberry type fruits of a berberis plant. Only 2 young from a whole summers efforts seems a bit disappointing but if both survive then maybe a reasonable return? I have sometimes seen adults with 4 needy, dependent young and then not being able to find enough food to keep them all going.

The Magpies did eventually fledge a single young around 21st June. Presumably from the nest that I thought wasn't being used!!

The Collared Doves keep trying - I watched one today chasing a Magpie away, which looked like it might have been taking something small out of the doves nest. An egg probably?

No obvious positive outcome from the Starlings second brood this summer though.

Up to 4 Mistle Thrush feeding on only just ripe rowan berries in the garden in last few days - which is a nice sighting in some respects except sometimes the berries are still uneaten on the tree in mid to late Oct and have attracted Redwings and Fieldfares. Probably not this year at this rate.

Bill.

The Robin's nest is now empty.I did see a young Robin on the garden fence last week so fingers crossed it came from that nest.

I saw my first Song Thrush this year early on Wednesday morning - collecting moss off my garden bench and flying into the top of next doors leylandi hedge.

What has happened to the Song Thrush population??

We've lived here for 22 years now and it's only the last 5 years that I've had snails in the garden - a sure sign there are no Songys about.

I was round at a mates on Friday.He's had a wrens nest inside last years hanging basket plus a Chaffinch's nest in his apple tree and a Song Thrush's nest in the adjacent holly bush.

All chicks successfully fledged as well.

-- Edited by Neil Ferguson on Sunday 4th of July 2010 12:22:12 PM

I discovered a Robins nest at the bottom of my garden on Sunday afternoon. I shoved an old open fronted nestbox into the ivy on the fence back in April and never bothered to check it since.

I was weeding at the bottom of the garden when I noticed a Robin slip unobtrusively out of the box.I saw the craning neck of at least one chick. I didn't approach as there are Magpies with chicks in the trees by the garden and a grey squirrel is a regular visitor.

No more food at the bottom of the garden for a while then.

We've had 3 Robins nests previously over the years but none have survived.

Fingers crossed for this one.

Spotted a House Sparrow next door in a hole in the wall exiting with a fetal sack. It is possibly a second brood

house sparrows, starlings, goldfinch and coal tits all now bringing fledged young to our garden feeder, no collared doves or greenfinch this year, not surprising really as next door cut down 3 larger poplar trees about this time last year!

I am really pleased that out of their third nest that the pair of Blackbirds nesting in next doors garden have managed to fledge at least 1 young. I have not been able to see it yet even though it has been out of the nest for well over a week now but it can be heard calling from undergrowth. It has not made it yet though - not only does it still have the Magpies to contend with but now also the local cats. There was an astonishing scene the other evening when a cat must have got too close to the juvenile and the adult Blackbirds just totally "lost it" and quite incredibly and with an amazing amount of noise flew at low level and chased the cat away, with other Blackbirds seemingly arriving from out of nowhere to assist. Quite unbelievable. The cat ended up looking like it was hiding underneath a neighbour's car, with the male Blackbird going absolutely bananas for several minutes just inches away from the edge of the car.... I watched in astonishment and marvelled at the incredible commitment and bravery of the adult male. At times the Blackbird stood face on to the cat underneath the car, continuously and loudly alarm calling and at a few other times completely turned its back on the cat and in doing so it was surely taking an incredible risk? A juvenile was still heard today on 21/6, so all is well at present. I can recall another neighbour telling me of a similar incident several years ago where her cat got chased by a posse of Blackbirds and ran indoors to get away from them! I must admit that I was very disbelieving at the time but having witnessed such behaviour now myself, I now regret my earlier scepticism!

I have only once seen this type of behaviour before, when a Sparrowhawk took a recently fledged juvenile Blackbird in a friends Yorkshire garden and proceeded to "deal with it" on the top of a garden table. Again both adult Blackbirds were understandably agitated and astonishingly vocal as they perched on the table just a few feet away from where the Sparrowhawk was situated, presumably in their attempts to distract the bird and save their young. The Sparrowhawk took no notice initially but after a short while flew away, followed by the adult pair of Blackbirds. The incredible devotion and drive of parenthood!

Not good fortune for a local Collared Dove nestling. In my street, to some I am known as the "Bird Man" or maybe I misunderstood what they were saying and I am really known as "That B..... Man"! Anyway, I tend to get consulted on matters bird related - such as cat rescues, window strikes and other such assorted bird trials and tribulations. The other day a neighbour came to the front door with a bird in a box, that another neighbour, obviously thinking she was doing the right thing, had rescued from a Magpie that had it pinned down on her drive and was about to kill it. When I looked at the bird - it was a very well grown Collared Dove nestling - sadly looking at the size and plumage it can't have been that far away from fledging. The bird was taken to the vets by the neighbour but had to be put down as its injuries were considered to be too severe.

On a more uplifting note - I had a single adult Coal Tit with a single begging juvenile in the front garden on 16th June.....which seemed to be an odd sort of "family party".

The Dunnocks eventually fledged 2 not 1 young, as did a pair of Robins. The Starlings are back in and around their nest hole and presumably by now on a second clutch?


Bill.


-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Monday 21st of June 2010 04:46:59 PM

I noticed two young Coal Tits in our garden, but never saw the parents. They were quite experienced at using feeders, judging by the number of times they were back and forth. Also had young Greenfinches and Starlings in recent days too.

7th June.

The male Blackbird in my garden has been collecting and carrying food for nestlings in the last three or four days. This is their third nest - the first two failed - and it is going to be a struggle for this to survive as well......given that the local pair of Magpies also know where it is!

The pair of Dunnocks have a single juvenile - this has been heard being fed in dense cover for the last week or so and it today made it's first foray out into the daylight and foraged over the lawn with Mum and Dad. Quite lovely!

Cheers,

Bill.

The birds around here in Sharston seem to be running late this year,House Sparrows and Woodpigeons still collecting nest materials.
Also a Wren is busy building a home in a Blue tit nest box,he builds a bit then flys to the top of a conifer, sings his heart out trying to attract a mate,Unsuccesfully at the moment.
Then goes through the routine over and over again.

my blue tits fledged and left yesterday whilst i was at work. bloody typical that they leave without saying goodbye or settling their outstanding rent...


what's the best advice re cleaning out the box? do it now, or leave it in case the parents raise another brood?

took a couple of snaps in the inside this morning it's so lovely and cosy!

Out of the three boxes situated in the back garden, one box is being used by blue tits, unsure how many chicks are in the box. ( The one without a camera inside )
It should not be long now before we see the fledgelings, the noise from above as increased over the last several days.
A better year than 09, cos no birds breed here then. 15 days to going to Islay for 2/52, here's to hooded crows, choughs, golden eagles, corncrakes, hen harriers, otters et.al

2 fledgeling goldfinch chicks sat begging for food on the stand that holds the feeders while one of the parent birds fed this morning. also blue tits nest with chicks in whole between gutter and roof of a building.

House Sparrows and Collared Doves fledged last weekend and are eating me out of house and home! Garden Magpies have built three nests but don't seem to have occupied any of them.

Steve

Some local activity on garden breeding birds in the last week or so.

Positive news - young Starlings fledged from a hole in the roof space of next doors house on Monday 24th. A pair of Collared Doves accompanied a single fledged young near the front of the house on 23rd. Adult Robins are currently feeding at least two fledglings, probably just out of the nest, in the last couple of days or so. Can't actually see the young Robins but can hear their contact/begging calls and that incredible high pitched "kissing sound" they make when they actually get fed by an adult bird.

Negative news - there were two pairs of Woodpigeons nesting in gardens either side of my house - both of these nests appear to have failed. One that can be clearly seen has obviously been abandoned and where the other one was located this also looks to have failed, as nest building was taking place again today in the same conifer. The local pair of Blackbirds has built at least two, probably three nests. Well the female has built the nests, the male just hangs around "supervising"! I presume the earlier nests have either been discovered or destroyed - the trouble is that by the time they come to build later nests most of the good nesting material has gone into the earlier nest(s) and there are fewer raw materials for the female to choose from. Don't seem to have cottoned on to this re-cycling lark these Blackbirds!! Magpies were nest building as early as autumn last year but that nest doesn't ever appear to have been occupied. After building the first nest they appeared to build another one hidden away in a large conifer - maybe they are occupying that at present? A pair of Dunnocks are about but no sounds indicative of any young yet. Not many signs of House Sparrow breeding activity locally.

On the BTO/GM breeding birds atlas fronts - my local square is SD80X Middleton Junction - now with confirmed breeding for 31 species - not too bad a count for a suburban tetrad with no real recognized birding sites.

Keep atlasing!

Bill.

Yesterday four young Jackdaws left the nest on the house opposite, for the first time, to increase our local population.

Blue tits must have just hatched in the nest box on the side of the house. I could hear the first faint, high pitched squeeks as parent birds flew in and out today. First newly fledged starling in the garden last Sunday and the juvenile house sparrows are arriving in ever increasing numbers now as are the young collared doves. This lot are eating their way through heaps of food

4 Blue Tits left my nestbox during the very hot afternoon on Saturday and a further 4 yesterday with a possible 1 or 2 still to go, no doubt when i get home tonight they also may have fledged. Just hope the neighbours cats will keep away!!!

just typical i am runing up and down abram flash looking for ospray get home to find what looks like 9 out of ten eggs have hatched know better tomorrow had to load better software for web cam

I know Jimmy will be recording these nesting results for the atlas project, but how about the rest of you out there?

There's also the BTO's Nest Record Scheme and Nestbox Challenge project - don't let all this valuable data go to waste.

Have a look at the website: www.bto.org

Cheers, Steve

mother blue tit sitting on 10 eggs should hatch by weekend i have a web cam on the box but poor quality pictures but i can see her

A pair of Blue Tits have finally taken to my nestbox in the garden after 4 years of waiting.

Blackbird young in the garden with me keeping an eye out for the cats

Starlings due out soon in neighbouring roof eves as a lot of activity with the parents now

House Sparrow collecting nesting material

Cheers Jimmy

First fledgling house sparrow in the garden yesterday and again today.
Quite old enough to be feeding itself, it was sitting in the window feeder filling its face with meal worms.

First fledgling Blackbird in next door neighbours' garden yesterday - they thought it was a Thrush despite its "dad" calling vociferously above their heads.

Blackbirds have built a nest outside my kitchen window

just watching my neighbours nest box in newall green. Blue tits are nesting inside.

A pair of Long-tailed Tits have been nest building opposite my garden in a small shrub about 2ft off the ground. loads of pesky cats in the area.

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Sunday 11th of April 2010 09:37:34 PM

A pair of Blue tits have built a nest in one of my nest boxes [ not the one with the camera in] but there are no eggs yet.

Wood pigeons have built in the Ivy covered Birch tree at the end of the garden.

Best of all, a Goldcrest went into one of the roosting pockets that I have put in my conifers this evening at 7.55pm.

-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Sunday 11th of April 2010 08:14:40 PM

i am at last a landlord to a pair of blue tits - so chuffed after last year's coal tit midnight flit.

The blackbirds have reappeared but not in the same numbers and are much more settled now that the breeding season,s over.

Also an afternoon in the garden produced
1 sparrowhawk

1 cormorant
10 canada geese
12 tealgarden ticksomewhat displaced and circling looking for refuge,but
all passing over from what sounded like ww4 on the flashes with shooting and motor cross going on all afternoon

cheers geoff

Thanks Henry,i,ll look under the bushes with a keener eye,let you know when they reappear

cheers geoff

Geoff, many birds are now laying low whilst they do a post-breeding moult. Could explain your Blackbird disappearance, and also the distinct lack of visable passerine birds generally on a walk at this time of year.

This could have gone in a few postings but i,ve picked this one,a bit strange but after months of watching the 'blackbird wars'around the garden,s and rooftops,suddenly no blackbirds for four or five days,have they moved to the fields and hedgerows to disperse the fledglings or are they just hiding:biggrin
geoff

20th July.

Contrasting fortunes for two of the commoner species in and around my Chadderton garden this summer.

A pair of Collared Doves built a nest in a tangle of Clematis montana in next doors back garden 27/5 - sat for 8 days and then abandoned it. A pair - presumably the same pair - a little later repaired/rebuilt the nest in exactly the same spot and had been sitting for at least 10 days before the second nest has also failed today (20/7). Reasons for both nests failing are unknown but Magpies are getting the blame...... whether they like it or not!!!

A pair of Dunnocks for the second successive year have successfully fledged 2 broods. First brood present and begging young heard in garden 10/6 - second brood present from 17/7.

Debs - in you post 14/6 you say "Aren't young dunnocks noisy?". Yes they certainly are! - they make a very strange mechanical, "whirring" begging sound that once heard is never forgotten. I personally find that it makes picking up proven breeding records for this species a little easier with help from these vocal records, as the recently fledged young are quite often kept very well hidden by the adults.


Cheers,

Bill.

I like Paul have had 3 broods of Robins in the garden. The 3rd brood of 4 fledged yesterday making a total of 11.

I have had 2 Robin boxes up in the garden for several years and have never had them breeding there before. The first brood was of 3 and shortly after they had fledged the adults were taking nesting material out of the box and into where the second box was (well hidden in ivy). When I checked they had built a nest on top of the box and not in it. For the third brood they moved back to the first box. I wonder if this is normal behaviour.

3 possibly 4 young Goldfinches ready for fledging, 2 have already made short flights and then returned to the nest , oh well there goes my excuse for not mowing the lawn

3 young noisy Jackdaws in my garden this morning at 5.30am watching one of the parents washing in the bird bath.

had a quick look at Goldfinch nest today in Garden and could see one youngster clearly, nest does not look too safe Robin on fence with food, looked in shed at old nest and there's a Robin sat there, 3rd brood

Fledgling dunnock being fed by one of its parents in the garden this evening. Aren't young dunnocks noisy?

Carrion Crow fledged yesterday and it is now flapping around the garden squawking while the parents look on anxiously.

House Sparrows fledged earlier this week and 3 or 4 young ones are now hanging around trying to cadge food off the adults.

After a couple of days not seeing the blue tits going into the nestbox I took it down today - sadly there were three chicks but all dead. It looked like one had died quite early on (complete with maggots - not nice). From the look of the other two, they were much further along but didn't look in the best of health. I guess if the parents couldn't get the dead chick out of the box the others have maybe picked up bacteria from it.

My house martins (2 out of 3 pairs) came back last week. They've been here as long as i can remember. 2 of the nests are right next to each other. does 1 parent block themselves in with mud and saliva (like hornbills) ? as this is what seems to happpen..

Blue Tits fledged from nestbox on wall of my house yesterday evening, unfortunately didn't see it so don't know how many.
Cheers Ian

After taking countless poor photo's of Goldfinches, a week ago I finally managed a decent one, yesterday my neighbour comes round with cracking photo of one on my washing line, quick look in bushes revealed Goldfinch on eggs


-- Edited by Paul Risley on Tuesday 26th of May 2009 09:37:38 PM

Hi Judith, Im pleased to report to you I have a Song Thrush feeding young in my garden in Rochdale. Its very pleasing if you consider a few years ago we were lucky to see a Song Thrush in Smallbridge. Another bit of news is a friend of mine who lives near the lake has got Goldcrest nesting in his front garden, now fledged for the second year running.
Cheers Alan

Blue Tits only have one brood, but maybe this pair tried somewhere else and lost their eggs early on, which means they might do a re-lay (they wouldn't re-lay if they had seen chicks). It is a bit late, but not too late. It will beinteresting to see how many eggs/chicks they have - if only a few, probably a re-lay.

Saw a pair of blue tits taking what looked like nesting material into my nestbox this week - would they be starting to nest now, or is it too late? Everyone else seems to be talking about birds fledging, wondered if maybe it could be a second brood?

Do blue tits have multiple broods, and if so do they usually use the same nest or move on somewhere different?

Thanks

House sparrows from our box and next doors eaves have fledged, Great Tits are feeding young in another box whilst the magpies seem to be taking an eternity to fledge their young. Next is the invasion of newly fledged starlings, they are a nightmare, they get everywhere and under the net (or tangled up in it) that is over the pond.

Mike

Robin with 3 newly hatched young in my shed, this is there second brood, which means they were probably building there second nest while still feeding two surviving chicks from first brood