dancing cloud Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 This weekend - anyone else going to do it? Doesn't seem like a year since the last one. https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch?gclid=CNSAgObz4dECFcG7Gwod74QLew Will be all ready with laptop plugged in, binoculars in hand, coffee on the go ... and the birds will all disappear again like they have for the last couple of years . How do they know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Argggh! If only All we seem to have in our garden (ruralish - central village) are bullying pigeons. Any food put out gets gobbled by these thuggish rats with wings whilst the poor starlings, robins and the lovely wren pair go hungry So I have given up! The 'native' birds seem to have been driven out recently by these horrible pigeons.....who must be in league with next doors cat! It wasn't always this way; until a couple of years ago we had masses of 'native' birds in the garden. I remember jumping up and down (literally ) at the sight of a nuthatch on the silver birch...happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Yep - I'm in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Looking forward to doing an hour of nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 We used to. Hubby set himself down and all the wild birds disappeared. Every year! When he'd finished they'd all know and come back to visit again. He recorded things like 2 blackbirds, a robin and a couple of magpies - when there'd be much more plus different birds like woodpeckers, siskins, redpolls, goldfinches and the mob of greenfinches were nowhere to be seen when he got out his notepad! Soooo - not done it for 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Argggh! If only All we seem to have in our garden (ruralish - central village) are bullying pigeons. Any food put out gets gobbled by these thuggish rats with wings whilst the poor starlings, robins and the lovely wren pair go hungry So I have given up! The 'native' birds seem to have been driven out recently by these horrible pigeons.....who must be in league with next doors cat! It wasn't always this way; until a couple of years ago we had masses of 'native' birds in the garden. I remember jumping up and down (literally ) at the sight of a nuthatch on the silver birch...happy days Maybe that's the problem in my garden ? I used to have loads of posh birds when we first moved here. I started at 2pm yesterday afternoon and for the whole hour just one blue tit came. I started again at 3.15 and in the space of 10 minutes I had 3 woodies, 2 doves, a robin, 2 blackbirds and 2 blue tits and nothing else for the next 50 minutes. I'd put out loads of food and the woodies have gobbled what was left this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 as I keep telling my Auntie when she complains and the pigeons if you don't want them don't feed the beggars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Well most of my usual suspects turned up this time, except for the collared doves. Only problem now is that the IT won't let me finish the survey and submit my results . Maybe too many people are using the website at once. Will try later ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I was watching tennis this morning and it has been tipping down all afternoon and apart from our sparrows on the feeder not another bird in sight Edited to say that in the last week I have seen blackbirds. A thrush, blue tits, a wren, a chaffinch, crows, pigeons, etc. I am sure that they pick the worst weekend every year. The birds all have a secret meeting somewhere and laugh at us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 as I keep telling my Auntie when she complains and the pigeons if you don't want them don't feed the beggars I gave up putting food out some years ago (unless its very,very cold and the ground is frozen) but we still get the grey bullies strutting round like they own the place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 We have red kites at my Mum's, I think they are slowly colonising southwards down from the Chilterns. Anyway, low flying kites have decimated the pigeon population and now we have crows and magpies in abundance tho they spend most of their time on roofs. It doesn't feel like a good swap although I guess veggies stand more of a chance, especially brassicas. In the garden we had several blackbirds, a few sparrows, blue tits and robins. We used to get a lot of chaffinchs, but not so many now and none today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
