Yesterday morning and this morning we have had quite hard frosts and it
occured to me that I have not heard a Thrush making that loud noise that
they do in these mornings. In fact, I can't remember seeing a bird this
autumn. Come to that, this year.

Baz

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:37:30 GMT, Baz wrote:

Yesterday morning and this morning we have had quite hard frosts and it
occured to me that I have not heard a Thrush making that loud noise that
they do in these mornings. In fact, I can't remember seeing a bird this
autumn. Come to that, this year.

Baz

What, no Birds at all or just no Thrushes?

If it is none the I'm amazed but not seeing a Thrush I wouldn't be
surprised about. A couple usually visit our garden in the Spring but
because the Blackbirds bully them visits after that are rare until
about now.A thrush started to venture in again this week and has
returned frequently despite the Blackbirds regularly seeing it off.
The numbers of birds of various types around here seems reasonably
healthy at the moment, a relative commented during a phone call that
she could hear the chattering chorus in the background.

G.Harman

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:57:52 +0000, wrote:

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:37:30 GMT, Baz wrote:

Yesterday morning and this morning we have had quite hard frosts and it
occured to me that I have not heard a Thrush making that loud noise that
they do in these mornings. In fact, I can't remember seeing a bird this
autumn. Come to that, this year.

Baz

What, no Birds at all or just no Thrushes?

If it is none the I'm amazed but not seeing a Thrush I wouldn't be
surprised about. A couple usually visit our garden in the Spring but
because the Blackbirds bully them visits after that are rare until
about now.A thrush started to venture in again this week and has
returned frequently despite the Blackbirds regularly seeing it off.
The numbers of birds of various types around here seems reasonably
healthy at the moment, a relative commented during a phone call that
she could hear the chattering chorus in the background.

G.Harman

The only blackbird bully here is a feisty female who bullies the males
if they dare land in the same garden as her. I have never noticed any
inter-species bullying apart from magpies who bully everything and
starlings who invade in such numbers as to scare everything else away
by sheer quantity.

The woodpecker (only one now) doesn't like the squirrel that tries
(unsuccessfully) to break into the peanut feeder and sees it off with
some head pecks but if something small like a tit or sparrow then
lands on the feeder, woodpecker gets scared off!

Overall bird numbers and varieties are, if anything, higher this year
than in previous years.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:18:16 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:57:52 +0000, wrote:


because the Blackbirds bully them visits after that are rare until
about now.A thrush started to venture in again this week and has
returned frequently despite the Blackbirds regularly seeing it off.


The only blackbird bully here is a feisty female who bullies the males
if they dare land in the same garden as her.

This spring one of the young ones I could tell was going too trouble,
the various antics it did to get into places and later in the year the
fruit cages fully justified the nickname we gave it of Asbo becuse it
should have been given one . Little sod used to use me as protection ,
attack one of it's relations then fly back and sit on my foot.

The woodpecker (only one now) doesn't like the squirrel that tries
(unsuccessfully) to break into the peanut feeder and sees it off with
some head pecks but if something small like a tit or sparrow then
lands on the feeder, woodpecker gets scared off!

Watched last year as a blue tit having been bumped off by a Woodpecker
appeared to work out that flying back onto the bottom of the feeder at
speed swung it violently, enough to disconcert the Woodpecker into
leaving.
I probably spend as much on birdfood as the TV licence . The Birds are
often more entertaining.

G.Harman

wrote in news:cfbi98lr2flrelt2kvs8b9na2ug239rpbi@
4ax.com:

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:37:30 GMT, Baz wrote:

Yesterday morning and this morning we have had quite hard frosts and it
occured to me that I have not heard a Thrush making that loud noise that
they do in these mornings. In fact, I can't remember seeing a bird this
autumn. Come to that, this year.

Baz

What, no Birds at all or just no Thrushes?

If it is none the I'm amazed but not seeing a Thrush I wouldn't be
surprised about. A couple usually visit our garden in the Spring but
because the Blackbirds bully them visits after that are rare until
about now.A thrush started to venture in again this week and has
returned frequently despite the Blackbirds regularly seeing it off.
The numbers of birds of various types around here seems reasonably
healthy at the moment, a relative commented during a phone call that
she could hear the chattering chorus in the background.

G.Harman


Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden apart from
pigeons.

Baz

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:53:59 +0000, wrote:


I probably spend as much on birdfood as the TV licence . The Birds are
often more entertaining.

TV licence around £12 a month. Bird food averages around £40 a month
over a year. Comparative value? I spend far more time each day
watching birds than TV.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

On 06/11/2012 18:12, Baz wrote:
wrote in news:cfbi98lr2flrelt2kvs8b9na2ug239rpbi@
4ax.com:

On Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:37:30 GMT, Baz wrote:

Yesterday morning and this morning we have had quite hard frosts and it
occured to me that I have not heard a Thrush making that loud noise that
they do in these mornings. In fact, I can't remember seeing a bird this
autumn. Come to that, this year.

Baz

What, no Birds at all or just no Thrushes?

If it is none the I'm amazed but not seeing a Thrush I wouldn't be
surprised about. A couple usually visit our garden in the Spring but
because the Blackbirds bully them visits after that are rare until
about now.A thrush started to venture in again this week and has
returned frequently despite the Blackbirds regularly seeing it off.
The numbers of birds of various types around here seems reasonably
healthy at the moment, a relative commented during a phone call that
she could hear the chattering chorus in the background.

G.Harman


Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden apart from
pigeons.

Baz

With the luck you have had with the weather this year Baz you should
have ducks there.

In article ,
writes
I probably spend as much on birdfood as the TV licence . The Birds are
often more entertaining.


Same here but my birds are really fussy. Won't touch local seed mixes
but adore the CJ wildbirdfoods hi energy no mess one. Have tried several
times with nyjer but it remains uneaten so on that basis I may as well
give up and go for the food they like! Have stopped putting out anything
with cereal in if possible as it attracts far too many pigeons.

The smaller birds will opt for fat balls (without that awful netting)
before seed mix though.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Baz
writes
Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden apart from
pigeons.

Baz


Try changing the feed mix Baz that might help
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Thrushes have been declining for quite a while, so not surprising if you haven't seen them. You might get a mistle thrush after Christmas for the last of the holly berries.

Blackbirds at this time of year are busy scoffing fruit so you may not see them on feeders. But our native blackbirds are supplemented by winter migrants, so numbers should increase soon. You need seed on the ground or on a table for them and other ground-feeders like dunnocks.

If you've got pigeons, they like seed with cereal in, so if you went to a non-cereal mix, you should have fewer pigeons. No guarantee that that will lead to an influx of other birds, but it's a possibility. You can make a cage of wire mesh to put over the table and keep larger birds out. Ours keeps out the wood pigeons, although magpies, jackdaws and collared doves all get in, but they don't seem to upset the other birds and don't have the appetite of the wood pigeons.

At this time of year, fat is highly regarded, especially by the tits, including the long-tailed tits which are back into big feeding flocks.

David Hill wrote in
:


Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden
apart from pigeons.

Baz

With the luck you have had with the weather this year Baz you should
have ducks there.

Yes, and already some unlucky buggers in this group are starting to have a
bit too much water. My best wishes to them.

Baz

Malcolm wrote in
:


In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
In article , Baz
writes
Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden
apart from pigeons.

Baz


Try changing the feed mix Baz that might help

It might be a case of "try feeding the birds, Baz" :-)



?
Baz

On 08/11/2012 10:55, Baz wrote:
Malcolm wrote in
:


In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
In article , Baz
writes
Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden
apart from pigeons.

Baz


Try changing the feed mix Baz that might help

It might be a case of "try feeding the birds, Baz" :-)



?
Baz

Which comes first the birds or the bird food?

On 08/11/2012 16:52, Janet wrote:
In article , david@abacus-
nurseries.co.uk says...

On 08/11/2012 10:55, Baz wrote:
Malcolm wrote in
:


In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
In article , Baz
writes
Well, I can't remember the last time I saw any bird in my garden
apart from pigeons.

Baz


Try changing the feed mix Baz that might help

It might be a case of "try feeding the birds, Baz" :-)



?
Baz

Which comes first the birds or the bird food?

:-) When we moved here ten years ago this month, the garden had no
bird feeders and hardly any bird cover; plenty of crows gulls and
buzzards but hardly any smaller birds were seen or heard.

Breakfasting on or below our bird tables this morning were house and
hedge sparrows, blue, coal and great tits, chaffinches, greenfinches,
robins, blackbirds, collar doves, a wood pigeon and pheasants. At the
moment I'm putting out a seed mix, wheat, fatballs and peanuts. I'll be
adding niger seed to the menu later, for the goldfinches.

Janet, Arran.

Have you tried packing Teasel heads with a mix of dripping, or suet and
Niger seeds?

In article , David Hill
writes
Which comes first the birds or the bird food?


In my experience it's the bird food, once they are used to whatever
holder the seed is in you get birds attracted in that never appeared
before!

We got a lot more birds by also putting out one of those flat seed trays
hanging from a tree so that the birds that didn't like perching could
have a go.
--
Janet Tweedy