Hobbies and Crafts

Jude I have had a chuckle myself ,with the empty holes.I don't think OH has seen the mess the lawn is in yet.He will have a dicky fit lol :-S :-S....Such is life ;-)

Sorry Jane......l'm laughing at the holes and no nuts in the lawn :-D :-D

Jude our lawn is just full of little holes about an inch deep .I have watched the squirrels doing it ,then gone and had a look to see if anything(like peanuts) are in there.But there is nothing....just a flipping hole :-S
I hope I don't find any poorly birds.Touch wood they all look healthy at the moment.

Hello Shaun....

l think we had 3 Wood Pigeons recently that had this, and yesterday & today a collared Dove is'nt looking too good, but not like the Wood Pigeon. We tried to catch the Dove this morning and get it to the vets...no luck:(

Good news or hopefully it is......
l filled inthat form you sent me via email and the man that runs it has just emailed back....oooo fingers crossed the photo's l've just sent are really TREE SPARROWS, he said he'd let me know!!

l'm about to go back and read the rest of your post on here....thanks Shaun.

Jane....we have upto 3 squirrels sometimes, they dig in the soil not the lawn, well as far as we can tell anyways, we do get the odd tree growing every now and then too...lol

Take care

jude xx

PS...EDITED...
Shaun, we have'nt seen warts etc but the Pigeons beaks are all sticky and possibly bloody. We watch them and can see its very hard for them to eat and swallow, they sometimes sit with see in their beaks for a while:(

That sounds awful Shaun.I will give my Bird Bath a good scrub tomorrow.Touch wood I haven't seen any birds that look sick.

Thought you would like to see this article, I have a great Tit with it and took a photo of the poor little thing last week. I'm going to send the photo to Jude so she can put it on her blog, it's not a nice site so be warned.

Avian pox in garden birds

Avian pox is a viral skin infection that shows up as unsightly growths on the bird, mainly on the head and neck, and at the base of the wings.

Which birds are affected?
Avian poxvirus infections have been reported sporadically in British garden birds, mainly wood pigeons and dunnocks, for many years.

Since 2007, there have been reports of pox lesions in tits, mostly great tits, particularly during the late summer and autumn months. It is common for a number of tits to be affected in one garden, and their lesions can be quite severe.

The extent to which different bird species are susceptible to different strains of avian poxvirus is unknown. However, the disease could potentially be infectious to poultry, cage and aviary birds. Avian pox is found only in birds, and so it does not pose a threat to the health of humans or other mammals, such as cats and dogs.

What happens?
Affected birds develop warty or tumour-like growths, on the head (particularly next to the eyes or beak), legs, wings, or other body parts. The growths are usually grey, pinkish, red or yellow in colour. Affected birds often appear to feed and move around normally.

In many species, including wood pigeons and dunnocks, the growths can be relatively mild and may regress with time. However, in some cases, especially in tits, the growths can become very large and may impede the ability of birds to see, feed or move around. In these cases the birds become more susceptible to predation and other infections.

Although large pox growths can be very characteristic, smaller or medium-sized growths can easily be confused with a number of other conditions, including ticks. The disease can only be confirmed by further investigation, such as post mortem examination and subsequent laboratory analysis.

How is it passed on?
Avian poxvirus is thought to be spread between birds in three main ways:

• by biting insects (e.g. mosquitoes, mites and flies)
• by direct bird-to-bird contact
• by indirect contact via contaminated surfaces such as perches or bird tables.

The virus is relatively resistant and can persist on contaminated surfaces, such as perches and bird tables, for long periods of time.

What can I do?
Whilst supportive care can be attempted in captive birds, there is no treatment that could be given to free-living birds.

Where an avian poxvirus outbreak exists, general measures of disease control in wild bird populations should be adopted. Ensure optimal hygiene at garden bird feeding stations, paying particular attention to regular disinfection of surfaces that the affected birds have been in contact with, such as perches and feeder ports. Clean out bird baths on a daily basis, and refill with fresh water.

If a large number of sick birds congregate, consider reducing the amount you feed for up to a month to help reduce close contact between the sick and healthy birds.

If you keep domestic birds, you should prevent contact between captive and wild birds as much as possible. Wash and disinfect your hands thoroughly after handling wild bird feeders or equipment, and reduce the exposure of your birds to biting insects where feasible.

How you can help
Whilst a range of species are known to be susceptible to the avian poxvirus, the cases of infection in tits are not typical of the type of avian pox we are used to seeing, because the lesions are particularly large. It is possible that they are caused by a new strain of avian pox. The early reports were strongly concentrated in south-east England, but there are now indications that the outbreaks are spreading west and north.

We are investigating the spread and intensity of avian pox in the UK, and the full range of species affected by it. If you see any garden bird with growths, please report this to us.

You can access a recording form by clicking on the link on the right. If you have any photographs of the affected birds, it would be helpful if you could attach these to the report, as they will help us identify what may be causing the growths. Your contribution will be valuable for our monitoring work.

If you require further information or advice, please e-mail our Wildlife Enquiries team at [email protected] or call 01767 693690 (Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm).

Garden Bird Health Initiative
The Garden Bird Health initiative (GBHi) was set up as a UFAW (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare) Working Group in 2003, including among others the RSPB, the BTO, and the Institute of Zoology.

In 2005, the GBHi was extended to become a major research and surveillance project studying garden bird health and disease outbreaks. This unique combination of scientists, conservationists and wildlife vets has proved to be a very successful partnership.

The group develops and publishes guidelines about how to best feed garden birds in order to maximise the benefits for their welfare and conservation, and minimise the risks from infections. It also researches the impacts of disease outbreaks on bird populations.

Shaun

I have had to make a decision today to move the peanut ball.There are now 3 squirrels feasting on it and then wrecking our lawn by digging loads of holes all over it :-S.So I have moved it down to the bottom of the garden on an apple tree.I'm not bothered about holes in the grass down there.But I now can't see it so can't see the birds on it. :-S :-S.I may have to do away with it altogether.The squirrels are also eating all the bird seed that I put out on some old tree trunks.I do love to watch their antics ,but I think it is time they went and fed somewhere else :-(.Three squirrels are just too destructive.They are digging in the flower beds too and OH is not impressed lol

Check this link out:)

This is definately what we have :-D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Tree_Sparrow

Thanks Jane....have the photo's but still not on blog:(...lol

We have more Tree Sparrows, l'm really sure now, so l'm filling in the form that Shaun sent me, thanks Shaun:)
Will try and get photo's of them on blog too .......there are now 2 or even 3 and definately different to the House Sparrow:)

See you
jude xx :-D

Acrobatic for sure Ann.I will send Jude a couple of pics lol.OH saw 3 of the little devils yesterday morning.They are wrecking our lawn too by digging little holes all over it :-S

I bet they were fun to watch Jane. acrobatic little creatures aren't they?

Yesterday 2 squirrels both wanting to get to the peanut ball.They were chasing eachother around the Lilac Tree where the ball is hanging.One of the Squirrels was chased up into the top of the tree where the really thin branches are.Then all of a sudden it lost it's grip and flew out , landing on it's back in the snow on the lawn.It picked itself up, dusted itself off,looked up and gave the other Squirrel a dirty look and then scampered back up the tree again to resume the chase lolol

Lol Jane!

If they are good enough Von I hope we shall see them on Jude's blog. :-)

It was exceedingly cold here today. Minus 10 when we got up this morning.
However the cold weather has bought the redwings into the garden.
Took quite a few photos but haven't looked at them yet to see if they are any good.
There were also loads of blue tits and other small birds datring about.
We still have a fair amount of snow lying about
Take care everyone
Von

Ann I have 2 Magpies too.They sit under the peanut ball when the squirrel is scoffing lol.

We had two magpies feeding from the seed dropped from the feeders this afternoon. Lovely looking birds but I don't want them getting too comfortable in the garden so i tapped the window and they flew away.

Guess what the Sparrow Hawk returned.....:)

l'm about to send you one:))

jude :-D

JUDE,
I do not understand why the birds are not using the feeder you made, it just don't make sense .

Can you send me a photo of the feeder please.

Very cold wet, misty and icy in places.
Shaun

Morning:)

Foggy here but no snow, l think it tried to though!

We're busy with the black birds:)

and saw one thrush as we drove round the corner yesterday. we nearly hit it, it was in the road, there was a blackbird there too, maybe they were having a squabble over worms!!

Take care

jude x
:-D