While sitting in the back garden on Sunday afternoon enjoying the sunshine, I heard a commotion at the end of the garden and was surprised to see a Magpie with a live Sparrow in its beak, frantically trying to release itself. The Magpie was being hotly pursued and harassed by half a dozen other Sparrows trying to help their pal.
After a few moments, the Magpie flew off, still with Sparrow in its grasp and still being pursued by the other Sparrows. I couldn't tell whether the unfortunate Sparrow was a juvenile.
The starling flock is now greater than the number of birds I can easily count at least 20+. They haven't all landed in my garden at once but keep a vigil in surrounding trees. Lots of juveniles.
Bullfinch pair this morning viciously attacking dandelion heads to great delight. Looks very silly with a beak full of fluff.
Six starlings hogging the feeders this morning. Two adults and four juvenile. One of those ambivalent species, that I know are in decline, but I can't get excited about. Fun watching the greedy kids begging for food, and then when parent's back is turned quite happily foraging on their own. Noisy! Sparrows weren't too concerned.
Male sparrowhawk made an appearance this morning. Landed on our roof long enough to get some pictures- nice!!! Nothing else worthy to note at the moment apart from our house sparrows are devouring all my mealworms for their chicks as soon as I put them out in the feeder. I'm having to feed them only twice a day (morning and evening) to keep costs down as I also want to use some for our blackbirds and robins when they ask me for some. 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
At least a dozen swifts 'screee'ing far overhead yesterday; two long-tailed tits flitting quite close as we lounged in the garden, and bats flitting over the hedges at dusk - chorlton.
A Blackcap has been singing from first thing this morning until now, moving around a few of the adjacent gardens. It was singing from a tree in our garden almost above my head as I had breakfast at around 8am, trying manfully to compete with the various Blackbirds and Robins that seem to around in very good numbers this spring. Also nice to see 3 fledgling House Sparrows being attended by adults, first seen on Saturday. Not a garden bird around here but also noticed 3 Swifts moving through at height this afternoon.
Irlam garden: 2 Swift this evening - seem to be back on territory nearby. 1 Swallow over. 1 Buzzard circling over the garden this afternoon mobbed continuously by a Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Finally, 3 resident swifts back in old trafford feeding above all the neighbouring houses this afternoon/ evening & 1 paticular pair going into my neighbours eaves. 5 swallows & 1 house martin over. Sparrowhawk circling overhead. Pair of bullfinch 4 greenfinch 12 goldfinch 2 jackdaws enjoying the fatballs.
Four magpies thugging around today. Cascades of apple blossom coming down when they were squabbling in the apple tree. Sparrows didn't seem to disturbed though.
Its looking like a good year for nesting in our suburban Bramhall garden this year. Blue tits in the nestbox, blackbirds in the hedges both front and back gardens, and woodpigeons in the pyracanthus. And a lovely little cup shaped goldfinch nest in a bush outside the front room window. Not forgetting a bees nest in a crack in the wall of the porch.
Very early this morning got a surprise when stepping out of the door, a singing Garden Warbler in one of the tall trees 50 yards from the house, a first record for this Bolton street!
-- Edited by Simon Warford on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 07:43:23 PM
2 bullfinch visiting my Radcliffe garden feeders this morning. Also, our Robin tried to take possession of the mini mealworms on the ground from a female house sparrow but failed miserably as she stood her ground! 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
Nice to see a pair of bullfinch on my feeders in my old trafford garden on Wednesday, not seen since but hopefully it's the same pair that bred locally last year. Still good numbers of goldfinches daily 4 greenfinch 2 starlings spending most of the time on the fatballs. 2 blue tits 2 great tits Male house sparrow calling just under the eaves of my house, think he has a mate on a nest in my loft. No signs of any resident swifts yet, they are late, usual return date is 21st -24th. Male sparrowhawk getting chased by 3 goldfinch yesterday morning. Grey heron landed on roof of house across the road from mine this morning but soon flew off.
1 lesser black backed gull calling and circling over so very low I honestly thought he was going to land, This means I now can add this bird to my garden tick list rather than just one passing overhead.
No sign of those wrens unfortunately, but are singing within the vicinity. It therefore doesn't look like they are nesting in my garden after all, still- plenty of time yet!
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
Female sparrowhawk over my Chorlton back garden just, heading SE; pair of greenfinch over W a minute or so before.
Blackcap heard singing frequently from an area roughly N of the garden from yesterday morning onwards (a particularly cheering sound to rise to, as I have the last couple of mornings).
Four years since House Sparrows were round our Failsworth house Leicester Rd /Warwick Ave a pair were on Warwick Ave Sunday afternoon then 5pm female was on feeders in our garden Leicester Rd
Still getting plenty of Brambling in garden ,they seem to be around most of the day,and there's some stonking males in with them,a couple now in full sum plum.
From my Atherton garden in the past hour... - 2 Chaffinch - 2 Goldfinch - 1 Willow Warbler (singing) - 1 Chiffchaff - 1 Lapwing (in adjoining field) - 1 Mediterranean Gull (same as above)
1 male Blackcap currently feeding on the fat balls in my Bredbury garden is the 1st that I've seen in the garden for a couples of years. A nice surprise
Bullfinch hiding at the back of my chorlton garden made a welcome addition to breakfast. And the great tits were inspecting the birdbox very thoroughly.
small fall of migrants in my Horwich garden following a shower yesterday with male and female Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler all in a bush and twisted hazel near the house. Feeders continue to be busy with 3 Willow Tits visiting along with Coal, Great, Blue and Long-Tailed Tit. Goldfinches and occasional Greenfinches coming to the Niger seeds. Lots of Dunnock action and four of my nest boxes occupied including Robins hopefully nesting for the 1st time.
We have been watching the antics of a Dunnock from our kitchen window in our Hale garden for a few days.
Our next door neighbour's greenhouse butts right up to the adjoining fence and the Dunnock has been running backwards and forwards along the fence top getting really excited, we think by its own reflection in the glass.
It must be something to do with the time of year and possibly territorial. Anyone else ever seen something like this?
A first for my Irlam garden this morning. 2 female Siskin on my feeders.
Also a pair of Blue Tits have been occupying the nest box again this week for the 4th year running. Lots of displaying from the male and chases all other birds away.
2 ravens over my old trafford garden at 4.05pm they actually circled & lingered for almost 5 minutes cronking all the time before heading off in a westerly direction. Phil Kelly mentions one in his post over his Stretford house & is most likely to be one of the 2 I had, the time of his fits nicely. Common buzzard also over at 4.48pm being mobbed by a lesser black backed gull. 3 long tailed tits on the fatballs
alarm calls in my old Trafford garden brought my attention to a lovely female sparrowhawk just sat out of the rain in my pine tree, stayed there for almost an hour & wasn't even bothered by my presence. 12+ goldfinch 4 greenfinch 1 chaffinch 1 blackbird 1 long tailed tit 2 blue tit
Don't know what's going on but besides the usual birds in my garden there has just been a Yelowhammer feeding on the lawn another first as far as I am aware for my garden, that's 3 firsts in a week!
-- Edited by David Gornall on Sunday 1st of April 2018 01:24:43 PM
Early signs indicate that the wren (same one that loves our mealworm feeder) is likely to be nesting in my Radcliffe garden, 1st time after 10 years in 2007. I will certainly be keeping a watch on this!!! Also the same female lesser redpoll is still coming and I'm certain almost I heard a male also in a tree with possibly another. Also a male bullfinch was seen yesterday evening again (3rd day on trot) but didn't come for the feeders- but for the buds on the tree!
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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