A nice surprise of a single fieldfare eating the apples in my old trafford garden early this morning. Female blackcap Goldcrest 15 goldfinches 2 greenfinch 2 blue tits
Male Bullfinch in the garden this morning, along with four Woodpigeon. Three Blackbirds seemed more intent on chasing each other around the garden, rather than eating the food I had put out
3 goldfinch on niger feeder, 2 Great tit, 3 blue tit, 2 coal tit. Around 25 house sparrows, 30+ Starling coming in a big flock, demolishing the feeders and taking off again. 1 Wood Pigeon, 5 Collared Doves, 3 Robin, 1 Dunnock. All that is normal but the thrushes are taking over the garden at the moment. Around 7-8 Blackbirds at any one time (both sexes, often chasing each other away) A Song Thrush. Also had a small flock (10 or so) of mixed gulls (black-headed, herring and not sure about the rest since I am not great with gulls but probably second winter/third summer or whatever of the types mentioned!!) eating someone's chips off the road nearby.
I popped out this morning to buy some apples for the thrushes and whilst I was out my missus counted over 30 Blackbirds in the garden at the same time!! The apples have attracted a few Fieldfare which were in the garden within 10 mins of putting the apples out.Strangely the Blackbirds don't seem interested in the apples,conversely the Fieldfares only seem to eat the apples and are not interested in the other food I've been putting out which the Blackbirds are devouring at a fast rate.Good numbers of Goldfinch,a few Greenfinch and up to 5 Bullfinch on the garden feeders.
A brief visit by Pete Berry late morning today coincided with three Lapwings in the field just 10 feet from the back of my garden and at least one Fieldfare still around.
Activity so far this morning in my Radcliffe garden,
13 Hungry blackbirds eating the apples (5 at least female, one male is very possessive of the apples- he just sits on the ground facing one piece- head up and tail spread with all feathers fluffed to make himself look bigger and won't let ANYTHING else near it). 8 starlings 5 lesser redpolls Goldcrest, long tailed tits and the wren in for the mini mealworms Grey wagtail (picture to go on Flickr at 6pm) Plus the usual other tits, Dunnocks, house sparrows and finches (and not forgetting 2 collared doves and woodpigeon -which only seem to come to rest on the trees and the top of the main feeding station). Ta!
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Friday 2nd of March 2018 01:30:39 PM
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Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Female blackcap back this morning. Song thrush still around Just 3 chaffinch 1 goldcrest 2 blue tit 1 blackbird 2 Robins chasing each other around 2 mistle thrush over 7 goldfinch.
My sister has had 3 lapwings just beyond her garden fence in easbrook, Urmston this morning.
Only 5 goldfinch in my old trafford garden this morning. Nice to see 4 chaffinch though, 1 male, 3 females one with metal ring on right leg. 1 goldcrest 2 blackbirds 2 blue tits 2 great tits And 2 birds that I haven't seen for a long time in the shape of a song thrush & a wren.
2 fieldfare yesterday was either first or second record in 31 years! Also 2 long-tailed tits yesterday. Today, 1 jay briefly, as well as usual siskins/redpolls, though 10 house sparrows and a minimum of 12 blackbirds (just three fems) using garden (not all at same time). Survival of the fitest time.
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Thursday 1st of March 2018 09:16:10 PM
First ever Brambling (male) coming to my the feeder in my garden in Horwich for the last 3 days 2nd ever Fieldfare today Up to 14 Goldfinches and 12 Blackbirds (11 male) plus the usual which for me are Great, Blue,Coal, Long-Tailed, Willow Tit etc...
-- Edited by Jon Bowen on Thursday 1st of March 2018 12:53:52 PM
Been ground feeding a similar concoction to Pete recently ,with the addition of a few grapes and chopped up Christmas puddings, waffles and croissants.Max number of Blackbirds at any one time is 11 , eight males to three females! The three Grey Wagtails have disappeared recently, however just had four Redwings briefly, a Mistle Thrush and a Black-headed Gull ! Finch numbers are generally down ,but still up to five Bullfinch regular though, plus usual tits,robins etc. All very near central Stockport.
Mistle Thrush x 1 (has set up residence in the garden over the last couple of days - attacking any birds trying to get food from the bird feeds) including:
Collared Dove x 2 House Sparrow x 1 Blue Tit x 2 Blackbird x 2 Starling x 10 Dunnock x 1 Goldfinch x 1 Feral Pigeon x 3 Magpie x 1 (left alone by Mistle Thrush - must have been a bit too big!)
Also, I saw a Grey Heron fly over (from direction of local mosses).
I've had a max. of 23 Blackbirds in the garden at one time today,feeding on a mixture of Lidls cheap wholemeal bread,raisins , suet pellets, sunflower hearts and cheese,costing me a fortune!! but well worth it. Its interesting that males outnumber females by up to 5-1,wondering if other people have noticed this difference in male to female ratio?
I'm putting extra apple halfs out on the ground as our blackbirds and starlings are struggling to find food. These Apples are instantly going! I'd advise whoever hasn't to see if they can follow suit. Usual bunch coming in with larger numbers of goldfinch. They are kind of flighty though - no doubt due to the Beast from the East. Snow has been getting into the mealworm feeder so I'm having to watch out for that covering the food (The wren was one of the first to get some grub from it- (sorry for the pun)).
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Thursday 1st of March 2018 09:19:22 AM
__________________
Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Noting a definite drop in numbers in last 3 or 4 days. Hopefully birds are moving west away from what is coming rather than mortality. Still, three greenfinches yesterday was an increase, and both siskins and redpolls have now appeared on 44 successive days (apart from one 'miss' for redpolls). Everyone make an effort to feed and water the birds this week - it's going to be tough for them.
After days of trips here and there, it's nice to catch up on my garden activity.
No sign of the grey wagtail in recent days, as it's possibly down to me not been able to keep the mealworm feeder topped up. Even my lesser redpolls have reduced slightly to 4 or 5 (due to garden disturbance).
However, though the mealworm feeder wasn't topped up as often as before- it still remains as popular as ever and should now increase now that I'm back in my normal routine. Below is a list of birds that go inside- with a new suprising addition just within the last hour:
House sparrow, Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Robin, Long tailed tit, Wren, GOLDCREST (NEW TODAY)
Others that have been seen taking advantage of its pickings below it were
Starling, Blackbird, Dunnock, Grey wagtail (missing since last Saturday).
Ta! (Attached - male lesser redpoll, the rosey colour chest on this bird extends to his wing bar which is just about seen here)
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Saturday 24th of February 2018 02:11:26 PM
My suburban Golborne garden (in a housing estate) had the below when I spent an hour watching (around a week ago) after filling up the feeders, we have 4 medium sized (12ft or so) trees and I regularly fill up the feeders with a variety of food (mixed seed, fat balls, suet blocks, mealworms,sunflower hearts, berry suet pieces, peanut nibs, chopped apple, golden syrup coated seed from Bents sparingly too). I've been building my bird feed area up a lot in the last couple of years (with a wooden gazebo I can spy with my binoculars from like a bird hide) and I can now easily spend an hour in my garden with a coffee looking at the birds. It just shows it can be done anywhere!
4x LT Tit 1x Siskin 2x Coal Tit 3x Blue Tit 1x Great Tit 1x Willow Tit (I have seen the garden Willow Tit a handful of times, couldn't actually believe my eyes as it's not usual for my garden by any means, it seemed to be travelling with the other Tits, coming from "The Bonk" disused mine area, this is probably the most exciting sighting ever recorded in our garden :) ) 1x Wood Pigeon 7x Collared Doves 1x Goldcrest 3x Robin (which I thought was strange) 2x Blackbird 25+ House Sparrows 15+ Starling 1 Goldfinch 2 Chaffinch
Not during this hour but at other times in the same garden we've had Grey Wagtail on our pond, there is usually a Wren, we see 3 Buzzards circling regularly (and one landed on the neighbour's roof one day), A frequent Sparrowhawk visitor and I have seen a Kestrel hovering nearby several times but not directly inside my garden. Someone else said they have seen a Peregrine at The Bonk wasteland nearby but I have not seen that yet myself. Never had a Nuthatch or a GS Woodpecker, not sure what I need to do to attract them but that would be exciting for me to get those in this garden. Also Lesser Redpoll sound fantastic, I would definitely drop my binoculars if I saw them here but nice to see all can be possible since the birds fly. Some great things happening in people's gardens! :)
A first for me in my Flixton garden today was a Willow Tit, along with 2 Nuthatches and 3 male Reed Buntings, etc. As I've been suffering from a heavy cold and not getting out, it's the only birding I've done in the last few days.
A Goldcrest was present at the back of the garden. Song Thrush singing I was also dive bombed by a Long-tailed Tit as it was carrying nesting material into a neighbour's garden!
Breaking news! I am absolutely over the moon now as I was in my hidden corner of my Radcliffe garden when a male siskin popped on the feeders!!!!! As I suspected in November after my redpoll invasion finally at least one has arrived - a real beauty too! (Pictures will be posted at some stage here). Also a female pied wagtail turned up yesterday and also this morning is the usual lesser redpoll gang and grey wagtail
Ps. I've thrown in below a picture of one of my long tailed tits in the adapted feeder for mealworms since I know some of you have been intrigued by my earlier posts with the wren.
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Friday 16th of February 2018 10:56:34 PM
Adult male Sparrowhawk sat on "bird feeder" stand this afternoon for thirty minutes or so generally having a good preen then hopping onto hawthorn hedge just above two blue tits which were safe as houses in the dense framework of growth. This was barely thirty feet away. Pity I've not moved onto the camera stage yet.
New garden record! I couldn't believe my eyes when I counted 10 blackbirds- (9 easily counted with another one heard flying away to a tree). It's not as if I provide enough food as most of the food is only accessible to smaller birds- even the starlings haven't reached 10 this winter unlike previous years!!!! Ta!
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Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Been a very good week since Saturday at my Radcliffe garden for activity. The lesser redpolls have now increased to 7 on the feeders and no two are ezactly the same as they vary very slightly in markings or shade etc. And I'm getting to know each one and I am convinced I have all 8 former regulars (from late last years peak) at least! Also noteworthy - my grey wagtail has been showing exceptionally well lately and the long tailed tits may have reduced to 2 but they are behaving like they have bonded to each other and I've seen both in the mealworm feeder together whilst avoiding the wren. I'm hoping to get fresh pictures when I can but I have to time it between my busy schedule and the weather, Ta!
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Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06
Sparrowhawk (m) having an early breakfast on my chorlton lawn this morning. Good start to the day. It was still quite dark at 7:30 and I didn't realise they were active that early.
A Mediterranean gull flew low over my old trafford garden at 4.08pm calling & headed towards Salford quays. The female blackcap has been enjoying my garden for a week,feeding on the apples, fat balls, foraging under the bushes through the leaf litter & even been on the sunflower hearts feeder. But not seen her for a couple of days now. Photo attached from last Friday.
I missed redpoll yesterday (first time in 24 days), but four were seen today. Siskins kept up their ever-present status since January 13th. Best other sighting was of a pair of bullfinches, the male feeding on the floor just 4 feet from my front window.
Just to update; My Grey wagtail has been coming back these last two days in my Radcliffe garden, yesterday that dark burnt looking lesser redpoll had returned but still no sign of the Mealy redpoll which I've only seen on that one day so far. Still- winters not over yet! 2 chaffinches looks like they are going to be permanent regulars which is great! Ta!!
__________________
Which bird is ideal for keeping cakes in? I asked. The answer: a Bun-tin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/135715507@N06