Garden Birds Today

[Chaffinch]

It was so hot, and I was a bit knackered from yesterdays gardening, that I spent a good part of the day sitting in the shade at the bottom of the garden. this is what I spotted

Chaffinch Male and females
Nuthatch
Blackbirds mainly male
Bluetits
great tits
Dunnocks
Wood Pigion
Tree Sparrow
Robins Male and female (not fighting)
All types of crow (except raven:)
Wren

Notably missing

Greenfinch
House Sparrow
Gold Finch (had them a few days ago)
Bull Finch

Though there were lots of bird there were not as many as last year, so maybe the harsh winter has had an effect.

magpie

[ladybirder]

Ooo do you usually get Bullfinches Chaffinch? Lucky you. I've got all the Greenfinches, been feeding on and off on sunflower hearts all day.

[Chaffinch]

Hi Ladybirder, Yes I do usually get Bullfinches, but have only seen two this year, or the same one twice :) They can strip the buds off my fruit trees in seconds! at least i'll get fruit this year

Worried about the Greenfinch too, usually get loads!

[BigRooster]

Hi I work for a company called .. Cjwild wild life . Last yr I beleave was very good yr for nesting birds.
On our site for have a large amount of nest box's for sparrows , most nesting pairs had up to three brod's. I would say most birds had a good yr.
Even the first swallows came early for us.

[ladybirder]

Yes they've had a hard time of it over the last few years the poor Greenfinches haven't they? Saw 2/3 of them on the ground gasping their last in 2007, very sad. I moved here two years ago and didn't get them last year but this year I have a small flock that dominates the feeders much to the disgust of the Robins and Blue Tits.

[BigRooster]

Srry that's cj wild life food :-)

[bensmum]

I used to get a lot of greenfinches but haven't seen any for the last 18 months in the garden. To be honest I don't recall seeing any locally which is sad, I hope they recover their numbers
I've seen most of those on chaffinch's list today plus a greater spotted woodpecker who decimates the nuts but he's a lovely looking bird.

[Chaffinch]

I love spotted woodpeckers, I get one early in the morning, but did'nt see him today.

It would be a good project to record what we see and which part of the country we are in, bit of our own "Springwatch"

What do you think?

[Chaffinch]

I'm in Hants and I think bensmum is too. Where are you ladybirder?

[bensmum]

I like the idea of our own "Springwatch" chaffinch!
I am indeed in Hampshire, southern part of the county near Southampton and it would be interesting to hear where others are posting from.

[horseshoes]

We normally have a woodpecker, I think greater spotted - he's black and white and has a red patch) and later on the whole family come, but we haven't seen him yet. Greenfinches, blackbirds (who are VERY busy), blue tits (they always nest in our gatepost)!, wrens, robins, starlings, wood pigeons, sparrows, owls (at night), a beautiful thrush and of course bringing up the rear our comical magpies. They torment our cat something rotten; they come together and lure her away from her food, which she likes to eat outside, and as soon as she chases one, the other comes to pinch it! Their cunning and strategy is brilliant.

[Jemisa]

How lucky you all are to have such lovely birds in your gardens.
Here in Southend we get a few Sea-gulls hovering, we get flocks of Starlings that swoop down in gangs of a dozen or more,for bread. There is a family of robins who come & see us. AND Woodpigeons that hoot all bloody day. - Thats it.

jem

[Chaffinch]

Ahh Jem, this is working already, we have NO starlings at all, and bensmum has not mentioned them either. If we had someone cleaver like TRIM he could plot a map of what is where.

Were are you Trim?

[ladybirder]

I'm in Hove Chaffinch, very built up. I see fewer species of birds here than wherever I have lived before. Seagulls mostly. But we do have a Peregrine that nests on top of the water tower overlooking Hove Park. All I get in the bit of garden attached to our flats (where I have put up feeders, and set up a bird bath) are Greenfinches, Bluetits, Great Tits, Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Jays, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Magpies, variety of Crows and occasionally a female Blackcap.

[razza]

Some birds particularly greenfinches have been hit by a disease,usually caused by people not cleaning seed feeders on a regular basis.

[Chaffinch]

That's quite a variety ladybirder! I've only ever seen one Jay in the garden and that was in winter.

So far we're mainly in the south, what about you northerners?

[ladybirder]

Well I used to live in the Yorkshire Dales where I went to sleep to the sound of owls calling to each other and woke to the lovely call of the curlew, and the kwokking of pheasants.

[ladybirder]

But of course we do get a massive display of starlings over Brighton Pier each evening which is quite a spectacle.

[Chaffinch]

I keep saying I'll drive over to Brighton to see the starlings, its only about 60 miles, I just never seem to get rount to it!

I love listening to the Tawney Owls at night, but I never see them :)

[bensmum]

I almost never see starlings in the garden here. Where I work we get an assortment of birds, starlings included but nothing like the numbers I've seen in displays on TV. Would love to see that "live". I really don't know why we don't see them in the garden. Another bird I don't get in the garden although they are common in the area is the pied wagtail

[Chaffinch]

Same as you again Bensmum, I work 30 miles away in Portsmouth and there are loads of Pied Wagtails, but non here.

Had a lovely large Slow Worm in the garden today, not a bird but worth a mention :)