Kitchen Garden Forum

I hung up the winter bird food yesterday at the small Nature Reserve opposite us. At first there was a dearth of birds, then they came and explored and by this afternoon we have had blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits, nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, goldfinch, chaffinch, robin and dunnock with a wren, goldcrest and treecreeper also hanging around, though I don't think they would go on the feeders.

It's been great to see them all back - they've obviously been around all the time and now they are concentrated at the feeder!

That's brilliant Monika

Sadly there are not many blue or great tits around here again this year. Lots of goldfinches though, squabbling over the niger seed.

hi Monika, that's great, after last years harsh winter sounds like the birds had a good breeding season. We have cats so I have to place the bird feeder high and some distance from the house with their safety in mind. I keep an eye on the teazles hoping to see goldfinch but so far none, quite a lot of long tailed tits about though

I think the birds are getting the message that colder times are coming. We've had a lot more birds visiting our garden during the past week or so including lots of blue tits which we suspect were a very, very late brood. So far they're all going for the nut cages and the seed we've put in the ground tray. Sadly few of them have yet tried out the new seed feeder closer to the house.

I've seen all those around and on the bird feeders in my garden this week. The tree creeper likes an old pear tree and the Gold crests were on the fat block. We've also all the usuals lots of blackbirds, songthrush, chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch, woodpigeon, colared dove, and wren.

I fill the feeders and put food on the birdtable early in the morning when I let the hens out so as not to encourage rats, and its nearly all been eaten by evening. Then I go back to bed with my breakfast and watch the birds outside my bedroom window (groundfloor) for half an hour. A lovely start to the day.

The only bird which was a regular until summer that hasn't come back yet is the Bullfinch, but I think they will when they get a bit hungrier.

Plumpudding that sounds like a lovely way to start the day, especially in fine weather, I like to sit and have coffee/ breakfast on a balcony outside and listen to the dawn chorus.

We had a very handsome visitor to the garden today a young and very handsome cock pheasant has been hanging around all morning, calling to his mate, or for a mate, but they seem a bit shy ! Some cloud, but blue skies and sunshine today which is glistening on his fine plumage

We have bought a new feeding station loaded with all sorts of goodies but so far only coal tits and blue tits will go near it.

I said in my first posting that I didn't think the goldcrest would go on to the feeders - well, today I watched for ages as a tiny goldcrest (smaller than a wren!) pecked at the fat block. It's the first time I have ever seen a goldcrest feeding at the bird table, must be the snow cover and low temperatures.

Brambling numbers have now increased to more than 30 at our feeder, all scrambling to get to the sunflower hearts.

I can't keep up with filling the sunflower hearts in the feeder. The gold finches are queuing up in the tree to get on it. There must be over 25 gold finches and 16+ chaffinches. I've also counted going on for 20 blue, great and coal tits. There were also two wrens hanging on to the bricks and checking round the bedroom window for spider eggs etc.

The Redpoll are back too, which is a sure sign of winter. There was also a great spotted woodpecker on the peanut feeder for about 10 minutes.

18 species so far today just on the feeders. I've cleared the snow away from where they eat but tried to bank it up behind them to keep the settling snow off a bit and give some protection.

That sounds great, Plumpudding! I envy you the redpolls - we occasionally see them feeding on birch and alder trees near us, but have never had them on the feeder.

Hi Monika, I've also noticed that the Redpolls like the evening primrose seeds and are usually with lots of goldfinches on these. I always leave lots in for them.

Today's surprise bird was a very handsome reed bunting which spent a good 10 minutes on the food tray.

We have a few evening primrose plants in our "wilderness", so I'll keep an eye on these. The goldfinches particularly like the teasel and lavender heads.

I love reed buntings, how they constantly flick their tails. We only get off the moor when it gets really cold - like now!

This morning, walking along our local beck, I heard the dipper twittering softly, even at about minus 11!

Working outdoors all day yesterday got me noticing, then to thinking, i'm sure some of our rarer birds are increasing in numbers over the last few years.

Has anyone else started to notice this as well?

OH, we have certainly had changes in our area, but I can't say I have noticed an increase (or decrease, for that matter) in the number of rare birds.

In the last 30 years, we have lost at least two species:
- common sandpiper, because Yorkshire Water opened up a public footpath round the local reservoir on the moor which disturbed their breeding area
- ring ouzel, probably also because of human disturbance on the moor (not least from dog walkers who will let their dogs off the lead when they shouldn't)

It's also a bit worrying to have had only one pair of cuckoos for the last two or three years when we always had at least two pairs.

On the other hand, we have gained at least blackcaps, bullfinches and red kites which we never saw during the first 10 years so of our stay here. Dippers, I think, have increased in numbers, we certainly see them more often than we used to.