No blackbirds!

[Jim Ford]

We used to have 4 resident blackbirds in the garden and a songthrush. One of the male blackbirds used to come through the open window in the bedroom for digestive biscuits we used to leave in a dish on a table for him. He became so acclimatised to us that we could walk around the room and get to within a yard, and he would carry on feeding unconcerned.

We haven't seen any blackbirds this summer and also the songthrush has gone. A few starlings came last year, but none this. No greenfinches either, though they used to flock to the sunflower feeders. We also used to have wrens but I haven't seen or heard one anywhere this year, I guess the hard winter 'did' for them!

As the blackbirds are ground feeders, I guess the neighbours' cats have had them all - the usual story!

Basically we just get blue, great and coal tits, robins, goldfinches, a pair of chaffinches, nuthatches, dunnocks, pigeons and crows.

Jim

[Dogghound]

You always get more birds in winter when food is in shorter supply and populations are higher due to continental migrants. It could be that the local area does not have enough nesting areas for them, they hold territories in summer (when breeding) so will no freely travel around. Wren and Blackbirds seen as common here, less obvious the last month or so due to them moulting. Song thrush numbers are still low, the dry nesting period is unlikely to have helped. However the song thrush problem is quite deep rooted and I could spend all day on that topic.

[accipter]

We have lost a lot of birds too this year, cats have been the problem Jim,

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

You always get more birds in winter when food is in shorter supply and populations are higher due to continental migrants. It could be that the local area does not have enough nesting areas for them, they hold territories in summer (when breeding) so will no freely travel around.

It seems deeper than as you describe. We have plenty of nesting sites and had blackbirds all year round in the past. Our garden and those adjacent are mature, somewhat unkempt and very 'bird friendly'.

Jim

[Littlesparrow]

Loads of blackbirds visiting my garden this morning, at least four at once, fighting over a piece of bread and nicking my blueberries.
About an hour after dawn seems to be a favorite time of the day for a whole bunch of birds to turn up, robins, pigeons, doves ,blue tits, thrush, sparrows. Then it all goes quiet again.
I always put the bird feed up high, either on a platform up a tree or on top of the animal runs, so that if there are any cats around the birds will get a good warning, and not become a cats dinner.

[rossy]

funny you mention this jim, same here only seen the resident one once, but having said that got at least 100 house sparrows, and plenty of starlings, plus the usual tits, robin, collard doves, wood pigeons, magpies, jackdaws, but they are very nervous ,as a sparrowhawks in the area, im pretty sure he will be around, rossy.

[2dogs2000]

My birds have all flown. No blackbirds, no starlings, no greenfinches. Even the magpie has abondoned us. The sparrows are the only thing guaranteed in our garden at the moment. Collared doves and woodpigeons show a rare appearance now and then.