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I've never had a bird feeder before - having cats, it seemed like a no-no.
However, with the death of Betty (cat) last year, my daughter bought me a feeder for Mother's Day, and we put it in the front garden.
There wasn't much action for a few weeks - then I put some suet balls out.
These went within a couple of days.
By now, the birds knew the feeder was there.
I had mainly starlings (they're nesting in the trees behind the house), sparrows, 2 pigeons and 4 collared doves, plus, occasionally, a couple of jackdaws.
The pigeons and doves hang around at the bottom, picking up spilt seed.
I put the usual, seed and peanuts out, then decided to try the suet balls again.
They were gone within the hour.
It was like a scene from 'The Birds'!! :-0
I had 8 Jackdaws, and over 30 starlings - many were fledglings, squawking for food, plus sparrows, determined to get the seed.
The suet balls will now only be out there in the Winter!
That evening, when the feeder was empty, I counted over 50 starlings - these were just the ones I could see - on a fir tree behind the house. Occasionally, they seemed to be practising murmurations. There would suddenly be silence - this happened when a buzzard or kite was in the vicinity - but there were no predators visible, then they'd all fly up together and do a mini murmuration over the house, and back to the tree, where they'd carry on squawking.
Most of the starlings have gone now, so I've just got a few - they're late fledglings and their parents - along with the sparrows, and one slowly fattening wood pigeon that eats the dropped seed.
Where I used to live, 30 years ago, one of the starlings in the vicinity could impersonate a 'trim' phone.
Next year, I shall be attempting to 'teach' the starlings some noises :-D
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What fun watching them all :-D
With seagulls nesting on our roof and that of our next door neighbour, I'm not feeding the birds in the garden at the moment, although I do top up the bird bath, usually in the cooler part of the evening and early morning views from the kitchen window shows them appreciating that.
I can imagine the scene with the fat balls :-0
In the winter, I buy a square block of food from Wilko and they are similar.
Sometimes the birds are onto them as soon as my back is turned and before I can even get back indoors.
Our most frequent visitors are seagulls, wood pigeons, starlings and collared doves.
Haven't seen the woodpecker for ages.
They all have to compete with a local squirrel, whose acrobatic moves are amazing.
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I just buy wild bird seed online in a huge bag. I fill a small dish and then go around the back garden and scatter in different places.
The pigeons amuse me as there are a couple of fat amorous males who chase the smaller females all around the garden turning in circles round and round as that is part of their mating dance :-D
We have a little bird called a Weater(spelling?)tiny wee bird that makes a funny chirp but is quite vocal. The seagulls don't get a look in or the huge crows as the pigeons rule! I did have feeders Maggie but the blooming seagulls landed on them and broke them so haven't replaced them.
Florence in the hebrides
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It is amusing watching them, isn't it?
When the Jackdaws came, I was a little concerned about the fledglings.
One of the Jackdaws 'went' for a smaller bird - I shouted, it looked, and they all behaved themselves after that.
The most 'vicious' bird is one of the doves. I shouted at him, but he's not as clever as a Jackdaw.
Just had a magpie in the garden - along with the plump pigeon.
I started opening the door - the magpie flew off, the pigeon didn't :-D :-D
I've got house sparrows nesting in my soffit at the back - and they have new babies. :-D
Since the Council renewed the guttering at the front, I have starlings in there!
I had a goldfinch eating the dandelion clocks last year, so now I have teasles growing in various places :-D
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I don't buy seed, etc for the birds, but there's a robin which hangs around near the back door, and watches me through the kitchen window until I put out the scrapings of my porridge pan in the morning.
No starlings here, unfortunately. I used to see them when I lived on the east coast. Beautiful birds, with that metallic sheen on their feathers. I miss the murmurations.
Lots of blackbirds, thrushes, sparrows, chaffinches, pied wagtails, various kinds of tits (blue, great, long-tailed).
Wrens live in/near a bank at the back of the house. In spring, bullfinches come and eat the buds off a wild damson tree. Goldfinches appear from time to time.
A greater spotted woodpecker the other day - the first time I've seen one in my garden, although my neighbour two doors along often has them in hers.
Maybe because she feed birds and I don't!
There used to be swallows and house martins in this area - but none for the last few years.
A cuckoo (at least it sounds like only one) - there used to be more.
That bird you mentioned, Florence - it's a wheatear.
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I love watching the birds while having breakfast every morning. We have a couple (a dunnock and a blackbird) who brave it onto our back step and often stop to look in at me sitting having breakfast (or so I think!) even when the back door is ajar.
Our bird bath-cum-fountain is next to a long seat in the back garden and one blackbird splashes around when OH is sitting only a couple of feet away - and once it sat on the arm of his seat right next to him.
The only drawback is I worry that they may become too close to being tame and all the risks that would bring them.
Last night while sitting out we discovered two of ‘our’ bats are back. There were several flying around in the evening a few years ago and then they seemed to disappear so we were happy that two were back.
This year two of our bird boxes had nesting birds in them. <3
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Ooh, I'd love bats!
There are hedgehogs behind the fence. I found this out, when one went into next door's garden, via a hole in the fence, onto a walled bank that runs through our gardens..
They're obviously living under the trees/overgrown shrubs in the gardens of the houses behind.
Unfortunately, my neighbour's son 'fixed' the fence.
However, once it rains, I shall be digging up some hyacinth bulbs, and I'll create a hole under the fence.
I don't think you need to worry about the birds becoming too tame.
They trust you - no-one else! <3
I have house sparrows in my soffit out the back - they/their ancestors have been using it at least since I moved in - possibly before. I live in a bungalow - so it's quite low.
When I'm in the garden, the parents happily flit over my head, to feed their squawking babies.
When anyone else is in the garden, the babies are silent, and the parents are nowhere to be seen!
This made it a bit awkward when the Council wanted to replace the (asbestos) soffit. I said they couldn't yet, because of the birds. The surveyor came around and looked - silence.
Fortunately the parents thought he was too close and sat on the gutter screaming the place down.
I explained to the surveyor that they didn't him being so close to their nest, and suggested he stood by the back door, and watched.
I moved a few feet away - but between him and the nest. The parents went into the nest, and the babies started squawking.
My case was proved!
....but it probably also means another tick on the 'weird, obnoxious woman at number 5' list :-S
Me and the surveyor didn't get off to a good start.
When I'd first met him, it was during lockdown, so he had no specs, a mask, and as it was winter, a hat on.
He came around to view the broken asbestos tiles he and his ilk had left in the place, which he tried to fob off as 'harmless' - even the pot-hole trip hazard in the living room floor!
The next time I saw hi, he had specs, no mask and no hat - I didn't recognise him.
He admitted the hole was a safety risk, and I said, something like 'At least you're less of a T*** than the last one' - to which he replied, he was the 'last one'. :-D :-D
After 23 months, after many emails and my pointing out the actual LAW on broken asbestos tiles, ALL the tiles in the place had been removed.
Then they realised the soffits were asbestos.....
I again quoted the law. This time, on disturbing nesting birds....
To be fair, after the tiles, you'd think he'd realise I DO know what I'm talking about :-D :-D
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