coal tits

[crates]

Hi
Having completed Big Bird Watch this morning which included pair of lesser redpolls (previously identified by members on this site) two things have occured to me. As usual at this time of year visited regularly for past three weeks on niger seed by goldfinches until arrival of redpolls 5 days ago who feed at intervals through the day. Since then no goldfinches. Just coincidence?
Also notice on lists of regular garden birds from various organisations (albeit with a few differences) have been visited by all except coal tits. If anybody from southwest Essex (I'm from Hornchurch,Romford,Upmister area) are they absent here or just in my garden
Crates

[Seajay]

In my garden I find birds come and go for no apparent reason. Coal Tits come regularly then may vanish for a few days, Goldfinches could be weeks. Other species such as Tits are so frequent they can be recognised individually and never miss a day.
As regards behaviour I find Greenfinches do not like Great Tits (the threatening posture of a Greenfinch is stunning exactly like that of a Gull and will make a great shot when I can catch it), Some of my Blue Tits go berserk when Long Tailed Tits arrive so much so that I am still waiting for them to become regular visitors. At the moment I hear the LTTs nearby and the Blue Tits immediately start their alarm calls and the LTTs pass by. My Robin now has a mate and they hate Collared Doves! Why I haven't a clue. The Robin's threatening/alarm posture will also make a great shot though - they look like huge Wrens with their arched bodies.

Strange things birds.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by crates

Hi
Having completed Big Bird Watch this morning which included pair of lesser redpolls (previously identified by members on this site) two things have occured to me. As usual at this time of year visited regularly for past three weeks on niger seed by goldfinches until arrival of redpolls 5 days ago who feed at intervals through the day. Since then no goldfinches. Just coincidence?
Also notice on lists of regular garden birds from various organisations (albeit with a few differences) have been visited by all except coal tits. If anybody from southwest Essex (I'm from Hornchurch,Romford,Upmister area) are they absent here or just in my garden
Crates

I Live in Romford and my garden gets blue and great tits all the time. Coal tits however are much less common in my garden and in bedfords park, although they do turn up occasionally. I spotted one chaffinch in total this year and only once saw LT tits in a neighbouring garden, never in mine. Never had green of gold finches either

[crates]

Obviously in close proximity (I'm Gidea Park) but proves birds are all the more interesting because of unexplained differences. Like you have blue and great tits daily.
Visited by goldfinches Jan amd Feb. Long-tailed tits (mob-handed) two weeks in April when certain tree in blossom. Greenfinches daily for about a week then gone. One or two chaffinches on extremely rare occassions (friend in Upminster gets flocks of them). Maybe a coal tit one day!!! crates

[crates]

Thanks info. Now have something else to observe. All I've noticed so far is the collared doves bully their larger woodpigeon cousins incessantly!
crates

[Ukwildlifeo]

one bird i forgot to mention is the family of jays. They must have nested along my road as they were frequent vistors last year, but had never before visited. They were probaly from Rapheals park but moved away possibly due to the extremely numerous grey squirrels there.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Sorry to go off topic but where are your favourite local haunts?

Also you could report yur redpoll sightings to 'ELBF' (google it), they would probaly appreciate the record.

[crates]

Hi been away so very late reply. Sent to ELBF but mail messenger returned as unavailable. Don't really have local haunts - any suggestions? 1 redpoll has now become 3 but visiting less often and goldfinches back. Pair of Jays in garden yesterday, first for 4 months. crates

[Ukwildlifeo]

sorry for delay. I suggest bedfords park and hornchurch country park along with RSPB Rainham marshes for a good start

[outdoors]

all i get is sparrows,bluetits starlings and pigeon's,yoos r very lucky,how do i attract different birds in to the garden,i've got six feeders out there

[Poirot]

I usually see coal tits come then go for ages then come back again. The main vistors are Starlings, house sparrows, blackbirds, robins and wood pidgens

[crates]

Thanks. Regularly over Bedfords in the past and as rspb member should lose my lazyitis and visit rainham marshes. I also often drive past Belhus Woods country park so should call in there. In passing, have a couple of new garden sightings this month - pair of siskins, a pair of stock doves, 6 herring gulls, and a mallard (occasionally visited by a heron so perhaps I've a garden pond that I'm not aware of!!!)

[crates]

Six years ago my garden the same (without the sparrows). The planting I had to do (with birds in mind) has matured which helps to attract. Do you use a variety of feeds -
seed,sunflower, kernels, niger etc as this worked for me. Although as ever patience is the key. Some of my visitors suddenly disappear for months or even years for no reason I can fathom.

[crates]

Further to my query about no sightings of coal tits ever in garden posted in january. Past two days visited regularly by pair. Realise could easily be missed unless looking for them deliberately. Luckily visited in company of great and blues so identification easy.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by crates

Further to my query about no sightings of coal tits ever in garden posted in january. Past two days visited regularly by pair. Realise could easily be missed unless looking for them deliberately. Luckily visited in company of great and blues so identification easy.

I've been the opposite of you this year - a pair of coal tits about the only constant visitors (appearing every minute or so throughout the day). Over the last week there have been four - not young yet but another pair which causes some squabbling with the original male! I suspect that they're feeding young because there is this constant toing and froing ....

On the other hand I've only seen one or two blue or great tits per week for the last month or so. Have they migrated or did they die during the cold and wet patches?

[crates]

Still visited daily by blue tits but not in numbers or previous years. Daily visits by one pair of great tits and now their young which hatched recently in my nestbox, presumed this was territorial tho don't know if they're territorial birds!

[Mercadante]

We've noticed a similar absence of great and (especially) blue tits - usually our most common visitors, along with chaffinches - in the past month. And we knew we had some great tits nesting in the wall near the feeder. I've been hoping they're off collecting juicy insect food for babies, but there's been no sign of any babies yet.