Birds in your garden

Garden birds around feeders


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This is not for the purists among you! However, I feel it is a sign of hope for the future. For the last eighteen months or so we have had very few birds, of any size, except perhaps wood pigeons, in the garden now I'm pleased to say some of the tits have started to return, so hopefully this is the start of a come back, who knows. Taken from the kitchen through double glazing yesterday afternoon, and it is a rather large crop.

feeding_time.jpg

Howard
 
While it appears to me the numbers are up a little but it may be that is because I am stuck at home most of the time now. What I do notice that, if I set my camera up, the numbers drop. I do get Pidgeon, Magpies, Robins, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Jays. Less often, Dunnock, Chaffinch, and Woodpeckers. Probably the most frequent visitor to the bird feeders is a grey Squirrel. I have a special feeder with dried mealworms for the robins and placed a stick nearby. I am hoping that they will regularly land on the stick so I can set up my camera focussed on the top of the stick. The Robins ignored the stick for 3 days but now occasionally land on it. I may set up my camera again tomorrow.

More unusually after restocking our small pond with a few Goldfish (normally get eaten by a heron), we saw a Seagull leap into the pond and have not seen half the fish since.

Dave
 
So, I've been trying out my new Sigma 150-600 C lens and must say I'm mightily impressed with it so far. Here are a few from the last few days. Despite having grown up in the countryside I am very definitely NOT very knowledgeable about birds so if I have got these wrong then please let me know.
#1: Female House Sparrow
House Sparrow 1.jpg
#2: Male House Sparrow
House Sparrow 3.jpg
#3: Sea Gull taking off
Sea Gull Taking Off.jpg
#4: Pigeon in the bird feeder basket
Pigeon in Feeder Basket.jpg

I appreciate the composition of these isn't up to standard seen on here but at the moment I am concentrating on getting images in focus and I appreciate I still have some way to go on that score.

Your comments are awaited with eager trepidation :)
 
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Young Starlings, squabbling as usual :giggle:

Juv Starlings 3.jpg
 
More birds than last year, Blue Tits nested in bird box, Blackbirds nesting in Bush, Bloody Pigeons in tree, woodpeckers in copse behind garden.
Only problems are Magpies which I frighten off and RATS who scavenge from under the feeders. Tried all sorts of traps with limited success, reluctant to use poison as we also have a visiting fox cub and badgers from copse.
 
Only problems are Magpies which I frighten off and RATS who scavenge from under the feeders. Tried all sorts of traps with limited success, reluctant to use poison as we also have a visiting fox cub and badgers from copse.

I had a problem with rats at the begining, they came from the next door neighbour's garden but when she had a bad smell in the kitchen they found two dead under her kitchen floor and they put poison down. All the rats went quickly and fortunately no ill effects to the foxes or badgers it seems.
I got fedup with Magpies initially but having a family of six now I find them quite amusing. :)
It's the pigeons that annoy me, just sit there stuffing themselves ... they have to go!
 
Just a common-or-garden house sparrow. Thats mostly what I get, that and the odd Blackbird looking for worms. I don't have a bird friendly garden, small oblong shaped and pretty featureless that and the 1/2 doz murderous cats that live close by doesn't help. I've started putting bird seed on the fence post tops, which has started to encourage a few birds, just sparrows at the moment, but I live in hope.

House Sparrow by Steve Vickers, on Flickr
 
Some juveniles. Taken through double glazing.

Song thrush

juvenile_thrush.jpg
Robin

juvenile_robin.jpg


Pentax K3 + Sigma 18-250

Howard
 
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