How's your garden birds doing?

[Wild-Woman]

I just wondered how folks garden birds were doing this winter. With the long hard winter we've been experiencing, it's certainly had a bad effect on ours. Most winters we've had good amounts of goldfinches, but presently we've only had 3!
On the upside, we've had redwings and one fieldfare in the garden and the collared doves seem uneffected infact they've been nest building and mating on the coldest of days!
The blackbirds seem ok but then I'm sure that a large percentage of ours are migratory ones and not our own home grown.

[PMG]

Last backend on one rainy morning we counted a flock of 70 Goldfinch! Then it settled down to a regular 50, then 30-ish, then 10 or a dozen and the last week none ....... I can't remember whether this is a normal dwindling seen each year or whether we normally 'lose' the flock around this time ....... and they may have been for a visit when I wasn't looking out of the kitchen window - plus the fact that the windows and back door have been closed so I haven't registered their calls or song like normal ......... Just how many might have died I don't know but with the amount of hulled sunflower we and a neighbour have out they won't have starved unless they have moved out of the area! The sparrowhawk hasn't been seen but again that is more likely cos I haven't been out there or looked out enough tho I have a feeling that the predators might be the birds that have suffered the most ........

The two days we spent in the past two weeks in a private photographic hide just over the border in Cheshire was interesting for listening and noting the birds around: there seemed plenty tree sparrows around the farm and bungalow and despite the severity of the weather none came down the field to the hide and food tho I could hear them passing in the hedgerow at one point. 4 Goldfinch (not from 'our' flock!) have found the niger feeder near the hedgerow. One of the days the Jays made three visits, early middle and late and were obviously off elsewhere probably prospecting - I can't believe they had found a better food source than the amount outside the hide ........ The next visit the jays came every quarter hour or so and took and buried nuts and other food around the farm! The tits and long tails especially were coming regularly and quite a few blackbirds which as you say Jules these are likely to be a percentage of 'foreign' birds. Plenty robins, only one yellowhammer and the one brambling has disappeared. A sparrowhawk came thro a couple of times during one 7 hour span.

Our big table at the caravan site has been extremely busy - so many birds it was just a blur of wings and the bullfinch pairs number 6 with lots of chaffinch, coal, blue, great long tails and just two marsh tits. Plenty blackbirds - no thrushes - and lots of argumentative robins. The sheer numbers have finally attracted a sparrowhawk when we hadn't seen one for a long time ..........

Pauline

[JB9302]

Fairly stable here although conditions have been particularly harsh , noticed many more goldfinches a latley , plenty of great/blue/long tail tits. Lots of blackbirds/robins and the odd woodpecker , no sparrowhawks seen over winter tho.
Back garden still covered in snow after 3/4 inch fell Tues morn .

Julian

[big bill]

Considering the winter we are experiancing up here ,I have seen a dramatic increase in Goldfinchs at present have about 12 coming in plus Chaffinch Bluetit,Great tit,Coal Tit Starlings so had no effect actually the reverse have had some that normally dont come to the garden like Yellowhammer,Wagtail

[Dogghound]

Over the long periods of winter snow I had nothing, now the garden is full of birds. Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Great tit, Blue tit, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Bullfinch etc.

[AshLee]

I didn't see much difference, except:

1. I found a dead Coal Tit and didn't see any during the Birdwatch, so I'm fearing the worst for this species.

2. This year was the first time I saw a Fieldfare in the garden.

3. I have not seen Goldcrests yet, although this may not be unusual.

[darrenm]

had a lot more bird activity during the real cold spell than now. Back down to a pair of Blackbird, three Dunnock, a single Robin and Wren and a few House Sparrow, single Wood Pigeon and Two Collard Dove but do get a passing mixed Tit flock through once a day. A female Blackcap was also present at the feeding station in the last two days after a spell of nearly a week without seeing one. With a new period of snow now forecast later in the week in this area i expect the situation to change again.

[Jez]

It's been good for us, along with the regulars which include robins, blue, great, coal, longtail, marsh & willow tits, chaffinchs, dunnocks, blackbirds, pigeons, pheasants the song thrushes are coming back to feed aswell moorhens and a jay on the days when it threatens to snow such as today. Though normally we get flocks of around 30 siskins at this time of year making all the noise and I have still yet to hear any!

[SheffieldLass]

Lots and lots of garden birds here, and in seemingly excellent condition, but they are very well supplied with supplementary food in this hamlet .... And plenty of coal tits, so no need to worry about them. Since Feb 14th they have all burst into song, (they do seem to recognise Valentines Day ) ... or for those that aren't melodious (like the tree sparrows), have burst into cheeps or other sounds that their potential partners are supposed to find attractive ... Very much the sound of spring, even if the weather isn't obliging. Though we've not had any snow on the ground for 2 days ...... Think we've only had about 7 days without some snow around since before Christmas.

[Sprout]

we've had a complete invasion of birds over the last two weeks, and today alone have seen:
8 goldfinches, 6 greenfinches, lots of chaffinch, coal tits by the dozen along with plenty of blue and great tits, a male and femal bullfinch who have become regulars this year never having visited us before, 2 long tailed tits which i hope are the beginnings of our usual flock, 3 robins, 1 blackcap, 1 thrush, 3 blackbirds, 1 dunnock, 5 collared doves, more than enough wood pigeons......and best of all a gold crest - couldn't believe my eyes!!!!
we also have what we think is a wren in one of the nest boxes, and perhaps a blue tit in the other, they're both a bit out of sight so difficult to tell. the goldfinches are still steadfastly ignoring the nijer seed preferring instead the sunflower hearts that all the others like, so i won't be wasting my money on it in future.
all in all, a lot of fluttering and munching in our garden, totally wonderful