Lack of birds?

Cobra

Cobra

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Has anyone else noticed a dramatic drop in general garden bird visitors, over the last few days or so?
Despite having a wide variety of food items and 2 bathing sources, a designated bird bath and a shallow end of a pond,
I'm seeing nothing like the quantity I was 3 or 4 weeks ago ( and not just the last couple of days in the heat wave)

Having said that, finding an explosion of feral pigeon feathers this morning, on my lawn, it looks like the local sparrow hawk
had her weetabix breakfast.
 
Same here, only a few Goldfinch, one Greenfinch pair with we think one fledgling and a bluetit left.

I wonder if they have all moved to the fields as the harvest started a few weeks ago, so seeds, crop and bugs?
 
It has dropped off here the last few weeks, not long ago, it was teeming. I still have activity at my feeders though, just not as much.

The feeders at my hide seem to go through this every year. We hardly see a house sparrow over the winter months but come about this time every year, there are 40 or 50 houseys about and far less goldfinch, siskin etc. This year, it's happening again but far less house sparrows than other years have been and some finches are still hanging about.

I suspect, with seeds now starting to ripen further afield, the finches are feeding there more than garden feeders. A little later in the year, about the end of August, begining of September, there will be hundreds of goldfinches for example, on the thistle heads here, which are located on the hills. Thistle heads are nyger seed, finches love them.

On top of that, I wonder what effect the recent heatwave had on numbers, hopefully none but who knows?
 
I don't get anything exotic here its starlings, sparrows, by their dozens, a few blackbirds,
Magpies, feral pigeons ( now -1) not seen a blue tit since they fledged from the nest box, weeks ago, And the odd crow or two.

At the moment, I hardly see anything including the feral's.
The ground feeder was being emptied every day and the hanging feeders ever 2 days.
I've not topped up either of them for a couple of weeks,
That's what prompted me to post.
 
Our starlings (20-30) are now in single figures, was a lot of fighting 2-3 weeks ago so I think fledglings growing up and the group dividing has played a part in the number drop.

Still have our 2 Blackbird pairs and a robin


Plus the flying rats
 
Gav-canon said:
Our starlings (20-30) are now in single figures,
Click to expand...
I saw one yesterday, does that count as single figures ?
:D

Starlings, yes, it was fun watching them squabbling over the ample food a few weeks back,
plus, all year they gather in the trees behind me, before heading off to roost.
I've not seen that in a long time either.
 
I live next to the river Hull. past couple of years a healthy amount of Starlings that would flock under Myton bridge an murmurate. This year there is about a dozen. No expert on starling seasons, but the difference in numbers is stark.
 
Same here, not even our usual pigeons, though did have a family of Magpies a few days ago.
 
Normal at this time of year. Plenty of 'natural' food available, no/little manic feeding of young plus fewer birds in the overall bird population - Storm in November dsecimated our house & tree sparrows!
They will come back!!
 
Here in the smoke the second brood of blue tits have just arrived and appear to be doing well.

However, an interesting point Cobra. For the last five years at least, Goldfinches have out numbered every other bird on the feeders by a wide margin but I haven't seen one for a couple of weeks. I also haven't seen a greenfinch or chaffinch for a good while - can't remember how long.

More widely the birds that have disappeared over a few years are

green woodpecker
dunnock,
tawny owl

Dave
 
Probably a combination of the extreme heat, finished feeding their fledglings and get ready to moult. Goldfinches are filling the field in front of my house eating the thistle seeds. Only seen one on the feeders today.
 
Natural food available so don't need to go to feeders. Have feeders in a wood, have a hide there, in there this morning 0600 and had Great, Blue and Coal Tits young an old, Robins again Y&O, 4 x Woodpeckers, Blackbirds Y&O, Thrush (think it was a young one), Stock Doves, 2 x Wren, 2 x Siskin, Tree creeper, Nuthatch , Gold crest came twice Jay, Bullfinch Y&O.
What we do have is a small water area just a builders cement tray and they love it. Russ.
 
Currently sat in the hide, just over 30 minutes now and so far had 3 Siskin, 1 goldfinch, 2 chaffinch, 3 house sparrow. 1 wood pigeon and feral on the ground.

Nothing like what I was getting just a few weeks ago, the last time I was out here.
 
......... and now a single redpoll, just not the numbers I’m used to.
 
Cobra said:
Has anyone else noticed a dramatic drop in general garden bird visitors, over the last few days or so?
Despite having a wide variety of food items and 2 bathing sources, a designated bird bath and a shallow end of a pond,
I'm seeing nothing like the quantity I was 3 or 4 weeks ago ( and not just the last couple of days in the heat wave)

Having said that, finding an explosion of feral pigeon feathers this morning, on my lawn, it looks like the local sparrow hawk
had her weetabix breakfast.
Click to expand...

Yes. I think they're sheltering from the sun during the day.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Yes. I think they're sheltering from the sun during the day.
Click to expand...
As above its been decreasing for awhile. They were around a few weeks ago, when it was hot then too.

Tringa said:
However, an interesting point Cobra. For the last five years at least, Goldfinches have out numbered every other bird on the feeders by a wide margin
Click to expand...
The only time I see gold finches is when they drop by for a bath in the pond. (and that's rare)
No amount niger seeds bring them into my feeders, ever.
 
We had a couple of niger feeders for the goldies but they seemed to prefer the sunflower hearts, especially when they were chopped up (I know how to spoil a bird!). Numbers have dropped a little but then again, we've not been in much to see them!
 
I think it is just normal for this time of year. I went to Leighton Moss last week and was told by the person at the welcome desk that the reserve was very quiet at this time of year. I did however see a family of marsh harriers which made it worthwhile.
 
Cobra said:
As above its been decreasing for awhile. They were around a few weeks ago, when it was hot then too.


The only time I see gold finches is when they drop by for a bath in the pond. (and that's rare)
No amount niger seeds bring them into my feeders, ever.
Click to expand...

Even when we had loads of goldfinches(10 was a common number at one time and sometimes we had double that) we saw the same.

Very occasionally a goldfinch would take some niger seed but much more often they would sit on the top of the niger feeder waiting for a chance to get to the sunflower hearts, though I've read in some gardens niger seeds are eaten by the goldfinches.

Dave
 
I have noticed the long tailed tits have disappeared - they would come as a family of 9 or so at a time, also the GS woodpeckers, goldfinches and greenfinches... having said that we had a juvenile GSW yesterday and I saw a greenfinch the other day.

I think this may be natural as my friend who is my guru on such matters, told me to expect my long tailed tits to disappear... no funny jokes please :ROFLMAO: I must ask her about it. Perhaps the adults take the juveniles off to learn how to forage and feed in more natural environments?

My goldfinches seem to prefer sunflower hearts to nyger seeds.

We still have a murder on the lawn every day... two adults and two juveniles currently.
 
Bebop said:
My goldfinches seem to prefer sunflower hearts to nyger seeds.
Click to expand...
I have both, plus an array of others.

Oh and the Sparrowhawk dropped by for breakfast this morning, a blackbird this time.
Tringa said:
I've read in some gardens niger seeds are eaten by the goldfinches.
Click to expand...
That's what I was led to believe too, seems it may not be particularly so, reading through here..
 
I'm glad we are not the only ones experiencing this lack of birds. Our finches have disappeared altogether for two or three years now. We currently have several sparrows, some blue and great tits, the occasional long tailed tits, a regular visit from a GSW and most of the usual corvids. Not forgetting the blackbirds and a lovely song thrush. We also have frequent visits by a grey squirrel, would that affect the number of birds coming?? A special treat this morning, a fleeting visit by a sparrow hawk which left empty beaked.

Howard
 
gogleddwr said:
also have frequent visits by a grey squirrel, would that affect the number of birds coming??
Click to expand...
I often see a squirrel hang from the "nut" feeder.
Thankfully it gets it fill without chewing through the "cage"

I've seen it hanging there, with ground feeders underneath, a couple of feet away.
So I don't think that would be a problem.
 
Bird flu?
 
Just this morning I was reading about robins and that when they’re moulting, you won’t see them as they are vulnerable, so they tend to stay well hidden in the undergrowth.
 
TBH The only bird I know that goes flightless are Canada Geese, during the breeding season.
Seems a bit odd to me though.
Other birds just moult primaries and secondary, it opposing pairs (wings) and the new ones grow from the middle out, protected by the older ones either side.
 
At the risk of sounding really stupid ..
Is moult the reason why we have a few scruffy headed birds? It's not mites as they have feathers, just 'bad hair day' look.

Edit - I'd always put it down to stress of raising the young
 
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Gav-canon said:
At the risk of sounding really stupid ..
Is moult the reason why we have a few scruffy headed birds? It's not mites as they have feathers, just 'bad hair day' look.
Click to expand...
They eventually moult all the feathers, I'm not sure about the other species, but all the Birds of prey that I have ever owned and flown,
the 2 center decks ( tail feathers) are the first to go. the head and neck are the last.
 
Might the scruffy headed ones be juveniles, not long fledged and still shedding "down"?
 
Nod said:
Might the scruffy headed ones be juveniles, not long fledged and still shedding "down"?
Click to expand...
We had Bluetits feeding three young, both looked like they'd been through the hedge backwards :LOL: same with the Goldfinch
 
Cobra said:
TBH The only bird I know that goes flightless are Canada Geese, during the breeding season.
Seems a bit odd to me though.
Other birds just moult primaries and secondary, it opposing pairs (wings) and the new ones grow from the middle out, protected by the older ones either side.
Click to expand...
Gosh they must become very vulnerable if they become flightless. I got the impression the robin can still fly but just not as well. It also said there had been a big increase since the 70s in their population, around 40% IIRC. This was in a gardening for wildlife magazine.
 
Bebop said:
Gosh they must become very vulnerable if they become flightless.
Click to expand...
They do go around in gangs, literally, and they are obviously a formidable force.
Still crazy though!
 
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