Kitchen Garden Forum

Haven't had many this winter but I tend to get blackbirds, a family of housesparrows and a million starlings-it's like a scene from a certain Alfred Hitchcok film!

When the starlings are flocking I've noticed several sparrow hawks wheeling around on the edge of the flock, occasionally merging with them & coming out with a starling. They do this constantly until the flock eventually goes to roost. Easy pickings.

Dear Catbud, i normally get a wide selection of birds in my garden, but this year we have got a sparrowhawk in the village that seems to be keeping the birds away.
Hopefully they will return soon.

Usually house sparrows (100 from last year's hatch), flocks of starlings (the first we have ever seen here), blue tits, chaffinches, greenfinch, great tit, blackbirds (few sightings so far this winter), songthrushes, mistle thrushes, crows, rooks, jackdaws, one sparrowhawk recently, robins, pied wagtails, herons (in river), buzzards overhead, collared doves, woodpigeons, nuthatch (occasionally) and not forgetting our three tame herring gulls, Owain Glyndŵr and his offspring Vomit and Vimto (if you want to know why these names, ask).

Dear Alan, pray do tell us why, we don't like secrets on here.

Since you ask OH here goes

Owain Glyndŵr was our last destructive Welsh rebel -have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glynd%C5%B5r

Vomit because that's what young gulls get their parents to do to get food (also because his constant whingeing made us sick )
Vimto (last year's chick)is an anagram of Vomit (and also a sickly drink I loved as a child).
Glad you asked

Alan (and feathered friends)

Alan, Owen Glendowers description sounds a bit like myself, a wild and exotic man.

And yes i am glad i asked, as it put a big smile on my face, and smiling plays a big part in my life.
But maybe you had already noticed that.

OH

So glad the names made you smile

Cofion gorau
Regards

Alan

I love the little garden birds we have - I do everything I can to attract as many different species as possible!
We have goldfinches, sparrows, chaffinches, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, wrens, dunnocks, a couple of completely mad wood pigeons, and a lovely pair of collared doves. We also have blackbirds, robins, wagtails, siskins and yellow finches.
Not bad for a teeny tiny 60 ft garden, eh?!

robin, blackbird, bluetit,chaffinch (lots), greattit, longtailed tit,coal tit, siskin (rare), thrush (occasional), crow, jackdaws, magpies, dunnocks,yellow hammer, bullfinch,greater spotted woodpecker,tree creeper,pheasant,wood pigeon, collared dove, wren

and less often
merlin, sparrowhawk, goshawk,partridge

We still have redwings and bramblings about though they should be off north and east soon. A blackbird is sitting on her nest right next to the backdoor, quite oblivious to passing humans. I wonder if she is one of the many young blackbirds we fed with currants last autumn? Lots of goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches and bullfinches about, particularly eating the black sunflower seeds, also blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits. The long-tailed tits have paired up now so we are hoping they are nesting nearby. Robin, wren, dunnock, jackdaw, collared dove, wood pigeon are regular visitors with, we think, the dunnocks nesting in the ivy on the dry stone wall. A sparrowhawk takes his/her morsel occasionally, too. Our house looks down on the local Nature Reserve with pond and beck, and we regularly see heron, kingfisher and dipper there. From the allotments, we see and hear mainly waders like oystercatcher, curlew and lapwing with the occasional peregrine (nesting on the rock), buzzard and, in recent years, also red kite.
The last three sunny days, it's been the butterflies that's caused the excitement: comma, small tortoiseshell and peacock.

Monika

No wonder some parts o't country hevn't so many birds, when tha's getten 'em all i' Yokshire

Alan

Ay, Alan, tha shouldst see our place, thar's nowt better! It's the fish an' chips, lad, that brings them in.

Collared Doves seem to be very popular in ours. You can just fit two on the bird table. I always wondered why that bird table was subsiding

We've also had Sparrows, Starlings, Bluetits, Robins, Chaffinches and one Magpie.

Not really a great variety in my garden.

Oh, DJmrcmb, you MUST have other birds in your garden at Morecambe Bay, a wonderful spot for migrants passing through, particularly. Perhaps not on a cool and windy April day, but by May, especially on a warm damp day, you will have lots of others!!