Sparrow is not a happy bunny

Good Morning everyone,

I am not happy right now because my garden is really quiet and doesn't seem to be picking up at all. A couple of blackbirds, a robin, two blue tits, a couple of dunnocks, a handful of sparrows, three goldfinches,  very few starlings and that's about it.

It isn't just me, From my office window I can see a couple of neighbouring gardens where they feed birds and they are the same. I am used to dozens of goldfinches with the odd greenfinch, redpoll, siskin and chaffie. Right through the year my goldies are here, but not at the moment.

Yesterday I got really excited because one feral pigeon and two collared doves made an appearance. Yes! It's that bad!

It doesn't bode well for the BGBW count this weekend.

Oh dear hopefully they will be back for the weekend

My garden is much the same at the moment,

It's raining hard again today, & we have had rain & grey miserable days for most of the week, so i think the birds must be hunkering down somewhere to keep dry & warm,

as you say it doesn't bode well for the week-ends count

It's a beautiful day here..just waiting for a parcel then off out for a walk

Hi Sparrow

My garden is the same.  Compared to last years count I am way down.  No bramblings, reed buntings, no bullfinches.  Only 3 siskins.  I do have about 10 collared doves and 3 feral pigeons and 2 woodpigeons.  I have also found that there is no need for me to put seed feeders up and compared to my garden last year it looks really bare.  Last year it took me an hour to sort the feeders in the morning, now I am lucky if it is 5 minutes.

Some thing is happening with the movement of birds at around 3pm yesterday that sky was full of what i thought were Goldfinches about half of the flock landed in a tree down the garden, i had them ID'd as Linnets and in one photo there were around 85..sadly they kept going so i'm off over the fields to see if they landed there.

Mine is the same, a few Goldfinches every so often where as it used to be a scene from 'The Birds' out there. A few Woodpigeons, a couple of Collared Doves, I'm lucky to see a Greenfinch, a Blue Tit or a Dunnock!

Out the front the Goldfinches are the same, plus a couple of Woodpigeons then I'll put the suet out and all the Magpies appear.

Struggling for birds this year.

Hi Folks,

I do feel a little relieved that it's not just here. I was beginning to get paranoid about it!

I am wasting so much seed because it isn't getting eaten, then ends up wet and soggy in the feeders so I have to replace it. I have taken some feeders down for the time being and considerably reduced what I put in the trays. This time last year I was buying extra ones! We've had a lot of rain recently, although yesterday was lovely, as is today, but still no takers. Hey ho.

Good luck with the linnets Doggie.

I wonder with the mild weather and still lots of natural food that they've stayed in the area they first land in if they are migrants..i'm still seeing Redpolls over the fields and i wonder if they've decided not to roam as far as usual. just a thought

Oh ... and also my two bluetit roosters have deserted me now. They have been roosting in my two camera boxes every night, without fail, since October. Last night they were both missing. I am getting a complex!

I'm sure you are right, Doggie, but the natural food supply must be getting thin by now you would think.

doggie

It's a beautiful day here..

Talk about speaking too soon..in one hour it's gone from sunshine to dark clouds and rain..no wonder the birds are confused.

There still seems to be plenty on my local patch and it's not a very big site so i suppose in large wooded areas there could be plenty left.

Sparrow

Yesterday I got really excited because one feral pigeon and two collared doves made an appearance. Yes! It's that bad!

Good grief that is really bad!

I'm sorry to hear that your birds are off gallivanting somewhere else at the moment and I hope they come back to you for this weekend.

I thought my garden was quiet, but it isn't that quiet.

Yesterday I put some meat scraps out for the mapies and carrion crows and lo and behold a red kite swooped down and grabbed a morsel. I nearly fainted, and I was so excited I had to phone my OH and tell him!

Now wouldn't that be a tick for the BGBW LOL

Something is afoot, it might be worth taking a quick look at the long range weather forecast as we have just had an influx of redwings - the sea/wader watchers counted over 1000 black headed gulls yesterday.  I spotted flocks of Linnets when I was out riding this morning, they are still working the fields and hedgerows and the Harriers were giving the pheasants a hard time.

Caroline in Jersey

WISH I COULD SAY I'V SEEN A LOT OF BIRD'S BUT HAVEN'T SEEN A ONE THIS MORNING YESTERDAY SEEN A FEW SPARROW'S BATHING IN A PUDDLE AND THE ODD MAGPIE BUT IT'S ALL QUIET HERE THE WEATHER IS COLD AND WET SO THEY MUST BEE ALL HIDING IN THE TREE'S KEEPING WARM WHICH I DON'T BLAME THEM