Wild Life in the Garden - Anything different?

[Habsish]

Seems that the the food available in the wild is substantially down from previous years. Have a lot of Blackbirds, Fieldfares, plus others looking for food. Usually much later in the winter before they make much of a showing.

H

[PeteB]

I've lived here for 34 years and for the first time we're getting Jackdaws and Willow Tits in the garden. We're also seeing a large increase in the numbers of Goldfinches and Bullfinches.

Pete

[roys]

where have all the sparrows and starlings gone, were i live there used to be thousands of them not seen many of late

[Bobby]

where have all the sparrows and starlings gone, were i live there used to be thousands of them not seen many of late

Loads of them here, seems they are doing well here compared to many places. House Sparrows are the most common bird in my garden,

Most common everyday (or more or less) birds in my garden in no particular order

House Sparrow

Pigeon

Magpie

Blackbird

Jackdaw

Starling

Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit

Song Thrush

Carrion Crow

Collared Dove

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch

Robin

Dunnock

Wren

Occassional visitors seen in or around garden

Sparrowhawk

Wood Pigeon

Raven

Red Kite

Buzzard

Fieldfare

Pied Wagtail

Goldcrest

and probably a few more I forget

Also Foxes, Hedgehogs (less these days), Owls, Bats (in summer), Grass Snakes even the odd Brown Rat

Edited December 2, 2012 by Bobby

[Terminal Moraine]

The most frequent visitors to my garden are Goldfinch, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Coal Tit and House Sparrow, roughly in that order.

Collared Dove and Wood Pigeon are also regulars, but less common since a pair of Peregrines took up residence in a nearby old quarry last Spring.

Recent newcomers include Nuthatch and Long Tailed Tit.

With regard to mammals we get Squirrels quite frequently but one or our cats has despatched 3 of them in the last 18 months so they're a bit wary now.

A fox is an occasional visitor and even the cat which once attempted a Pheasant ( and lost ) won't tackle that.

[PeteB]

where have all the sparrows and starlings gone, were i live there used to be thousands of them not seen many of late

I saw a sparrow at our bird table 5 years ago but I haven't seen a starling here since the winter of 1981/82. Another common bird around here was The Thrush, last spotted one of those in 2010. The once common Treecreeper has vanished together with The Greenfinch.

Most common birds here are, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Magpie, Crow, Jay, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Blackbird and Robin. Buzzards, Kestrels and Sparrow Hawks patrol the skies year round. Winter time brings Pheasants, Pied Wagtails, Garden Warblers, Long Tailed Tits, Wrens and the occasional Redwing. Mammals include Badgers (which only started coming into the garden this summer) and the Hedgehog. One of our cats confronted a Polecat a couple of years ago in a standoff that lasted a couple of minutes. Foxes are surprisingly rare around here must be 5 years since I've seen one.

Pete

[Gael_Force]

I saw a sparrow at our bird table 5 years ago but I haven't seen a starling here since the winter of 1981/82. Another common bird around here was The Thrush, last spotted one of those in 2010. The once common Treecreeper has vanished together with The Greenfinch.

Most common birds here are, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Magpie, Crow, Jay, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Blackbird and Robin. Buzzards, Kestrels and Sparrow Hawks patrol the skies year round. Winter time brings Pheasants, Pied Wagtails, Garden Warblers, Long Tailed Tits, Wrens and the occasional Redwing. Mammals include Badgers (which only started coming into the garden this summer) and the Hedgehog. One of our cats confronted a Polecat a couple of years ago in a standoff that lasted a couple of minutes. Foxes are surprisingly rare around here must be 5 years since I've seen one.

Pete

The numbers of UK greenfinches have almost halved in recent years due to this nasty disease.

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__12554

[Terminal Moraine]

We used to have a small flock of Greenfinches, about 15 strong, visit our feeders about 4 years ago but now there are only two or three occasionally.

Perhaps they've succumbed to the same disease.

[ARTDEMOLE]

Blackbirds are on the lawn before me at the moment.Chaffinches are waitng for pieces to fall from the fatballs the starlings are on.Some sparrows feed from a mixed seed hopper each day.Blue tit and great tit are regular each day. Not seen a robin but still plenty of insects in the hedge at the moment..That will change soon.Kesrel is keeping some away...

[Jane Louise]

We have a Blue tit and Great tit roosting in both my camera nest boxes since September. In the garden we have, 10 Blackbirds, several Fieldfare, a Black Cap ( the Black cap started coming in on Friday he loves the fruit cake I put out for him.) We have flocks of Sparrows and Starlings galore flying in from the fields. I seen a Yellow Hammer yesterday in the hedge across the road from the farm. We also have a few Robins,Wrens.Buzzards,Kestrels, loads of Blue and Great tits,a Greater Spotted Woodpecker who eats from our window feeder, a male and female Chaffinch, a few Green finches and Gold finches. I'm now awaiting the Waxwings.Oh, how i'd love to see one of those.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Jane Louise

[knocker]

Loads of them here, seems they are doing well here compared to many places. House Sparrows are the most common bird in my garden,

Most common everyday (or more or less) birds in my garden in no particular order

House Sparrow

Pigeon

Magpie

Blackbird

Jackdaw

Starling

Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit

Song Thrush

Carrion Crow

Collared Dove

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch

Robin

Dunnock

Wren

Occassional visitors seen in or around garden

Sparrowhawk

Wood Pigeon

Raven

Red Kite

Buzzard

Fieldfare

Pied Wagtail

Goldcrest

and probably a few more I forget

Also Foxes, Hedgehogs (less these days), Owls, Bats (in summer), Grass Snakes even the odd Brown Rat

You get bats in the garden? What species?

[Verglas]

regular visits by sparrows, great tit, chaffinch, blackbird (feed on the fallen apples), starlings (perch on my aerials !) jackdaws, robin, collared dove (regular pair), thrush, saw one goldfinch last week, and the odd visit from herring gulls (when I put leftover bread out) and the odd magpie

occasional sightings of greenfinch and blue tit when I have time to watch carefully but not seen recently

not noticed any particular change of habit, always hungry, the jackdaws have developed the knack of emptying the feeder

Edited December 3, 2012 by Verglas

[Bobby]

You get bats in the garden? What species?

Pipistrelles I believe (possibly other species mixed in too, I'm not an expert), often see them flying around the garden in the warmer months' evenings.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Bobby

[Bobby]

Some other birds I've seen in garden, Nuthatches, Bullfinches, Yellowhammers, Long-tailed Tits and Siskins fairly rarely. The odd Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull and Lesser Black Backed Gull also.

not noticed any particular change of habit, always hungry, the jackdaws have developed the knack of emptying the feeder

The Jackdaws and Magpies have figured out how to get food out of our feeders too, cunning blighters.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Bobby

[Beverley Lass]

Just had the treat of watching between 40 and 50 Waxwings in the garden.

They are enjoying the Rowan berries.

Tried some photos but it's a bit hopeless in the wind and rain.

B.