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31-12-2006, 03:02 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 4,284
| | | where have all my garden birds gone?
The last 2-3 weeks I have hardly had any birds in my garden, normally I get quite a few. The greenfinches are only popping in very occasionally and I've not seen the goldfinches for at least 10 days or so. Other birds are few and far between. Is anyone else noticing the same thing? Could it be the mild weather? I've got loads of feeders up with mixed seed, sunflower seed, nyjer seed and fat balls. Normally I have to keep replenishing them, but not lately.
It's particularly annoying because I was hoping to get some decent photos of them while I'm off work over Xmas  
Matt |
31-12-2006, 03:09 PM
|  | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,541
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by matt_xyz  The last 2-3 weeks I have hardly had any birds in my garden, normally I get quite a few. The greenfinches are only popping in very occasionally and I've not seen the goldfinches for at least 10 days or so. Other birds are few and far between. Is anyone else noticing the same thing? Could it be the mild weather? I've got loads of feeders up with mixed seed, sunflower seed, nyjer seed and fat balls. Normally I have to keep replenishing them, but not lately.
It's particularly annoying because I was hoping to get some decent photos of them while I'm off work over Xmas
Matt | Spasmodic is the word I'd use for our birds.Some days hoards, some days just a couple or so. Don't think they like this wind much-must wear them out fighting against it. 
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The female of the species is more deadly than the male.:p |
31-12-2006, 03:25 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lincolnshire/Cambs/Norfolk border right on The Wash
Posts: 2,196
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Two feeders up for a week.. and only an inch of food gone from one!! Today I could hear lots of noise out there but nothing on the feeders.
jaki
PS Anyone noticed that if you drop niger on the work top and dont get em all up.. the ones under things, like the toaster etc, look like mouscrement when you clean up.!!!
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too many books... not enough money!!!!!!!!!! |
31-12-2006, 03:31 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Perthshire, Scotland
Posts: 1,055
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Well the opposite seems to be happening up here there are loads of them, Tree Sparrows, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Collar Doves, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows, Wood Pidgeons, Starlings, Sparrowhawk, GSW, Robins, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Bullfinch(2 made a brief apperence), Pheasant, Yellowhammer and two Goldfinch(Goldfinches are a rare sight in my garden does anyone know how I could try to entice them to hang around besides putting up a new niger feeder which I did on Christmas day  ?) All of these were seen in about 5 minutes yesterday morning!
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Fergus
www.scottishnaturephotography.com |
31-12-2006, 03:38 PM
| | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,541
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfhill Well the opposite seems to be happening up here there are loads of them, Tree Sparrows, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Collar Doves, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows, Wood Pidgeons, Starlings, Sparrowhawk, GSW, Robins, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Bullfinch(2 made a brief apperence), Pheasant, Yellowhammer and two Goldfinch(Goldfinches are a rare sight in my garden does anyone know how I could try to entice them to hang around besides putting up a new niger feeder which I did on Christmas day ?) All of these were seen in about 5 minutes yesterday morning! | There's your answer Matt, Fergus has got them all!
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The female of the species is more deadly than the male.:p |
31-12-2006, 03:42 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mayford, Surrey
Posts: 312
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfhill (Goldfinches are a rare sight in my garden does anyone know how I could try to entice them to hang around besides putting up a new niger feeder which I did on Christmas day ?) | I used niger to attract goldfinches to our garden a few years ago, but now they prefer sunflower hearts. We had 19 together at one time last week, and this afternoon we had 13. Fortunately I can buy a 25kg sack at a local animal foods supplier for a much more modest price than any of the mail order places, or pet shops. |
31-12-2006, 03:45 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,090
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Well, I had as many species and more individuals on Friday as in the previous week ... nothing special but my first siskin of the year (may have been more than one - with a small group of chaffinches). |
31-12-2006, 03:45 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 4,284
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
I wondered where they'd all gone Fergus
I always found nyjer (niger? nyger?) seed to be great at attracting goldfinches, they never touch anything else in my garden. Having said that, I've never tried sunflower hearts.
Matt |
31-12-2006, 04:05 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Perthshire, Scotland
Posts: 1,055
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Well one of my presents from santa was a niger feeder and some seed to fill it with. I first spotted the goldfinches on the 24th eating teasel in my back garden, i took some photographs as the teasels were covered in frost, it was beautiful! They have stayed in the garden every day since and have been seen at the niger feeder regularly for the last two days so I'm hopeful they will decide to hang around. I use a mixed seed in my feeders for the other birds eg Tree Sparrow as when I tried sunflower hearts the birds barely touched them!!
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Fergus
www.scottishnaturephotography.com |
31-12-2006, 04:15 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,334
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Mine seems much the same as ususal. The two chaffinches that turned up just before Christmas have stopped their anguished fluttering and learned to land on the feeders while we were away for a few days and all the others are still here. We even saw a flight of what we thought were fieldfares casing the trees at the bottom of the garden at lunchtime, but they didn't get quite close enough for me to be sure. |
31-12-2006, 04:21 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 3,608
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by matt_xyz The last 2-3 weeks I have hardly had any birds in my garden, normally I get quite a few. The greenfinches are only popping in very occasionally and I've not seen the goldfinches for at least 10 days or so. Other birds are few and far between. Is anyone else noticing the same thing? Could it be the mild weather? I've got loads of feeders up with mixed seed, sunflower seed, nyjer seed and fat balls. Normally I have to keep replenishing them, but not lately.
It's particularly annoying because I was hoping to get some decent photos of them while I'm off work over Xmas
Matt | Hi Matt
My guess would be that a Sparrow Hawk has added your garden to its hunting grounds.
My mum and several of her neighbours have had this happen and sure enough if you keep your eye out you will eventually see it zip through or if you are lucky it may perch and give you the chance of a photo.
Unfortunately the Sparrow Hawks soon catch on to the Gardens with the most birds, by feeding the small birds them we are unwittingly creating the perfect "fly-by" fast food resturant for raptors, its a catch 22 situation really, with no easily solution.
Last edited by Fourwings; 31-12-2006 at 04:22 PM.
Reason: typos
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31-12-2006, 04:25 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: near Cambridge
Posts: 1,095
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
I'm really sorry to add to your disappointment Matt but the opposite seems to be happening here in rural Cambridgeshire as well, though whilst I've been off work this week I have noticed that the birds seem to have regular feeding frenzies at about 2-3 hourly intervals. For instance, there's lots around just after dawn for their first feed of the day but then it goes fairly quiet until about 10am when there's another feeding frenzy. After that it's quiet again until about 1pm and there's lots about again in the last hour or so of daylight.
Species seen in my garden in the last couple of days include:- Sparrowhawk; Great Spotted & Green Woodpeckers; Carrion Crow; Collared Doves; Wood Pigeons; feral Pigeons (& White Doves); Pheasant; Mallard; Moorhen; Wren; Robin; Starlings (in large numbers); Blackbirds; House Sparrows; Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits; Chaffinches (also in large nos.); Goldfinches; Greenfinches...and oh, nearly forgot  -
not to mention our locally resident Kingfisher which has visited us at least 15 times today and been in the garden for at least two hours. He was there nearly every time me or my wife looked out of the window and has given me the best day's bird watching, as opposed to spotting, I've had for many years. I've taken literally hundreds of photos from only 30' - 40' away (I've posted some on the Gallery but they haven't yet appeared at the time of writing) and all from the comfort of my own home and for the cost of a few small fish. To think that I nearly went out birding this morning but, thankfully, was put off by the weather forecast.
Late this afternoon I re-stocked my ponds with small fish in the hope that he'll be back again tomorrow. If so, I hope to get a decent shot of him diving or hovering/in flight.
In the meantime a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all, with special thanks to Stu, all the gallery editors and moderators and the techies working behind the scenes and everyone else who help make WAB such a fantastic website for sharing and seeking information/advice about wildlife and related matters. May you all have a truly wild 2007.
Jeff  |
01-01-2007, 12:30 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Perthshire, Scotland
Posts: 1,055
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Well I've just looked out of the kitchen window and noticed that a new Goldfinch has joined the two I have been seeing in my garden for the last week, then the next thing I know the Sparrowhawk darts over the hedge in hot persuit of another small bird, I didn't have time to identify it though!
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Fergus
www.scottishnaturephotography.com |
01-01-2007, 01:00 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Berkshire
Posts: 1,741
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
When the sun shines here, the birds really seem to get hyperactive - making up for lack of feeding in the awful weather, I suppose.
In the last couple of days, in my garden, I have seen:
Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Redwings (flock), Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeons (dozens of them), Pheasants, Robins, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Willow Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinch, Nuthatch.
The tits are really greedy with the sunflower hearts and finish off a large feeder in a day.
Jenny |
02-01-2007, 09:20 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,828
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
I think birds move about quite a bit during the winter many of 'ours' go over to Europe and Scandinavian birds move in instead and it's possible that as some migrate off it takes newcomers a while to find the feeders.
My house is on a sparrowhawk's route and I still have lots of birds. |
02-01-2007, 09:35 AM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,667
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
I have a steady influx of Goldfinches for sunflower hearts,and a few brave Black-Caps
that come in under the porch.Driving to work there are flowers blooming (too dark to
see what they are)so there must be so much food about they do not need us
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You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
02-01-2007, 10:22 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,334
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
"My" population of greenfinches is growing by the day. I think I'll have to get yet another feeder or there is going to be bloodshed soon. Everything else - including the squirrels - dives for cover when the greenies' posse arrives. |
02-01-2007, 01:02 PM
|  | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,916
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
We're suffering the same as Matt. Our Garden bird numbers have dropped off to almost nothing. A couple of blackbirds, one dunnock, and two blue tits just about sums up our current daily visitors.
I just assume there's plenty of wild food still available. No frost about, nothing to force them into the garden. |
02-01-2007, 07:23 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Worcestershire
Posts: 126
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
I have suffered the same fate. This time last year I could count as many as 20 plus Goldfinches at any one time on the feeders but this year not one to be seen. I feed all year round and can only put it down to too much wild food still available due to the mild (if wet and windy) weather which I guess is a good thing. Mind you, I did have a brief visit from a Kingfisher on the 27th od Dec - sat on the garden fence eyeing up the pond - and even manage to snap a few shots. I guess that the local bird populations could be considered fickle but then they know where the best grub is to be had. I still have a visit from the local Robin who gets a daily feed of re-hydrated meal worms as a loyalty reward. (I wonder if it will catch on with the local supermarkets?) |
02-01-2007, 08:07 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent
Posts: 1,559
| | | Re: where have all my garden birds gone?
Real lack of Birds here to except for magpies!! But think this maybe down to my two Alsatian Pups <year old> be glad when i can properly separate My Garden properly and have a dog free, Safe area for my wildlife . | | |
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