On 26/2/07 20:43, in article ,
"Alan McKenzie" wrote:

Thanks Jenny I'll give it a go.
"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Alan McKenzie" wrote in message
...
Birds in the last few days have been very sparse - usually get a few
Blackbirds, one male with a white patch on his right chest - been here a
few years, Robins, Sparrows and the mandatory Ring Necked or Collared
Doves and pigeons.

However two days ago had a sparrow hawk perched on the main feeding
station - only seen the pigeons the last day or two.

Have tried to attract tits and other species with sunflower hearts and
nigra seed - over the last three months but to know avail - my friend a
few streets away gets loads feeding from feeders filled with those seeds.

I have most success with 'fat balls'. I use any seed mixes I can get from
various sources. There always seems to be one bird or another that eats
it.

Saw a tip in a magazine for feeding peanut butter. Take a large old pine
cone - hang it upside down on a bit of string - smear peanut butter on and
into the cone......wait for the birds to arrive :~))

Jenny




Isn't peanut butter very salty for birds? I don't know but it strikes me as
a processed food from which birds might not benefit.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

"Sacha" wrote (9snip)
Did you see the press photographs of the blackbird that is pied? It's
not
an albino and it doesn't just have a fleck here or there, it's genuinely
pied. Apparently, hopes are not high for its survival because it is so
conspicuous. I would add to that my fear/belief that its own kind will
kill
it.

When I was a lad we had one in the neighbourhood that was around for years,
he was so distinctive.

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

On 26/2/07 23:12, in article , "Bob
Hobden" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote (9snip)
Did you see the press photographs of the blackbird that is pied? It's
not
an albino and it doesn't just have a fleck here or there, it's genuinely
pied. Apparently, hopes are not high for its survival because it is so
conspicuous. I would add to that my fear/belief that its own kind will
kill
it.

When I was a lad we had one in the neighbourhood that was around for years,
he was so distinctive.

We used to have a sparrow with a white bar to the lower part of one wing.
He looked just as if he was carrying a newspaper tucked under his wing and
we called him The Times Reader.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On 26/2/07 18:57, in article , "Bob
Hobden" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote
Take a look at the following link where there are some short (very short
unfortunately!) call sounds for all the Owls, click on the bird you are
interested in and then the song/call. You can choose QuickTime or MP3.
Let us know if any are what you describe.
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birdindex.htm

Hearing this and reading the info on Little Owls and Tawny Owls makes me
wonder if we've got both! Certainly, we hear the hooo, hooo, oooo call
during the day time, sometimes around 2pm and on into the night. I'm very
confused!

The problem is they are very short recordings and if you heard the full
"song" it would become clearer but I can't find a site that has such, sorry.
There are DVD's that have the sounds of all UK birds btw.

Just to go back to this, Bob - I've found the BTO site and the downloads
there for the Tawny are longer and make me quite sure this is the owl we
have around here.
http://www.bto.org/gbw/Tawny_Owl_Sur...Tawny_Owls.htm

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Message from Sacha on Mon, 26 Feb
2007 21:35:08 Garden Birds:


However two days ago had a sparrow hawk perched on the main feeding
station - only seen the pigeons the last day or two.

They don't usually take wood pigeons, or so we're told, but they will take
collared doves.

I have actually seen a sparrow hawk plucking a rock dove in my back
garden
--

Message from Sacha on Tue, 27 Feb
2007 07:18:04 Garden Birds:

Did you see the press photographs of the blackbird that is pied? It's
not
an albino and it doesn't just have a fleck here or there, it's genuinely
pied. Apparently, hopes are not high for its survival because it is so
conspicuous. I would add to that my fear/belief that its own kind will
kill
it.

When I was a lad we had one in the neighbourhood that was around for years,
he was so distinctive.

We used to have a sparrow with a white bar to the lower part of one wing.
He looked just as if he was carrying a newspaper tucked under his wing and
we called him The Times Reader.

We presently have a robin with a light pinkish breast. Surprisingly, it
has a mate!

--

Message from Paul Luton on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:13:15
Garden Birds:

In message
Josie wrote:

This winter wasn't good for garden birds in SW London. Greenfinch and
Goldfinch numbers were down, no siskins, no sparrows, starlings became
rare and we hardly saw any chaffinches.

I wonder whether other gardeners in the area had the same experience.

Is that because all the greenfinches in SW London are queuing up at our
sunflower feeder to the annoyance of the regular tits and chaffinches ?
Agree with lack of sparrows and siskins but Goldfinches are around these
parts.

I also feed sunflower, but greenfinch numbers were down by 90% I'd say
in winter. Numbers are picking up now. The chaffinches in my garden
don't feed at the feeders but on the ground beneath them.
--

On 3/3/07 00:18, in article , "Josie"
wrote:

Message from Sacha on Mon, 26 Feb
2007 21:35:08 Garden Birds:


However two days ago had a sparrow hawk perched on the main feeding
station - only seen the pigeons the last day or two.

They don't usually take wood pigeons, or so we're told, but they will take
collared doves.

I have actually seen a sparrow hawk plucking a rock dove in my back
garden

I'm afraid I've seen one doing that to one of our own white doves. In the
end, we had to get rid of them because the sparrowhawk obviously saw our
dovecote as a sort of running buffet.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

In message
Josie wrote:


I also feed sunflower, but greenfinch numbers were down by 90% I'd say
in winter. Numbers are picking up now. The chaffinches in my garden
don't feed at the feeders but on the ground beneath them.

Our chaffinches do at least try the feeder with much fluttering. The tits
grab a seed and take it to a branch to eat and the greefinches just sit and
munch. The space underneath is popular with dunnocks and the blackbirds.

--
CTC Right to Ride Representative for Richmond upon Thames

On 3 Mar, 17:50, Martin wrote:
On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:19:57 GMT, Paul Luton wrote:
In message
Josie wrote:

I also feed sunflower, but greenfinch numbers were down by 90% I'd say
in winter. Numbers are picking up now. The chaffinches in my garden
don't feed at the feeders but on the ground beneath them.

Our chaffinches do at least try the feeder with much fluttering. The tits
grab a seed and take it to a branch to eat and the greefinches just sit and
munch. The space underneath is popular with dunnocks and the blackbirds.

For two years we had a white painted metal bird feeder. As it was getting rusty
we bought a transparent plastic one. The birds didn't appear to be interested in
the transparent plastic feeder. I put the same sort of food in the old white
metal feeder and it had all gone in two days.The plastic feeder is still half
full after two months.
--

Martin

I make my own bird food, 1loaf bread crumbed, Porridge oats, 1 mug
wild bird seed and 1 mug parakeet mix with 1 pack of dripping.
Cut the dripping into pieces and melt in the microwave on top of
breadcrumbs, mix in oats and rest of dripping melt and mix it all
together, then add the seed, mix, then I cut the tops off a couple of
2 litre pop bottles and ram the mixture into them with a rolling pin.
When set I cut the plastic bottle away and put the "Cake" in the nets
you get Oranges etc. in. Then these are hung in side a couple of empty
hanging baskets fastened together by 2 chains at the top to form
hinges with the 3rd chain having the food hung on it.
We have had up to 16 birds on the feeder at one time, and have greater
spotted wood peckers on them daily as well as a colony of long tailed
tits. in all we are feeding around 200 birds a day from 4 feeders.
If I change the colour of the nets, or hang the food flat instead of
down then they are less inclined to feed than from vertical orange
nets
Strange things birds
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Message from Dave Hill on Sat, 3 Mar 2007
11:27:11 Garden Birds:

in all we are feeding around 200 birds a day from 4 feeders.
If I change the colour of the nets, or hang the food flat instead of
down then they are less inclined to feed than from vertical orange
nets
Strange things birds

Finches in my garden won't touch the table feeder, yet readily feed from
the tube type seed and nuts feeders.

--

Sue writes

"Josie" wrote
This winter wasn't good for garden birds in SW London. Greenfinch and
Goldfinch numbers were down, no siskins, no sparrows, starlings became
rare and we hardly saw any chaffinches.

I wonder whether other gardeners in the area had the same experience.

I was thinking only last week that this winter we've had far fewer birds
come to the feeders and birdtable. Whether that's because the weather's
been mild enough that they've had plenty of natural food around I don't
know.

BTO were predicting earlier that we'd get fewer birds at garden feeders
this winter for that very reason
--
Kay

On 4/3/07 17:34, in article , "K"
wrote:

Sue writes

"Josie" wrote
This winter wasn't good for garden birds in SW London. Greenfinch and
Goldfinch numbers were down, no siskins, no sparrows, starlings became
rare and we hardly saw any chaffinches.

I wonder whether other gardeners in the area had the same experience.

I was thinking only last week that this winter we've had far fewer birds
come to the feeders and birdtable. Whether that's because the weather's
been mild enough that they've had plenty of natural food around I don't
know.

BTO were predicting earlier that we'd get fewer birds at garden feeders
this winter for that very reason

They've actually said recently that many birds have been feeding in fields
etc. and haven't needed garden feeders.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On 4 Mar, 17:50, Sacha wrote:
On 4/3/07 17:34, in article , "K"



wrote:
Sue writes

"Josie" wrote
This winter wasn't good for garden birds in SW London. Greenfinch and
Goldfinch numbers were down, no siskins, no sparrows, starlings became
rare and we hardly saw any chaffinches.

I wonder whether other gardeners in the area had the same experience.

I was thinking only last week that this winter we've had far fewer birds
come to the feeders and birdtable. Whether that's because the weather's
been mild enough that they've had plenty of natural food around I don't
know.

BTO were predicting earlier that we'd get fewer birds at garden feeders
this winter for that very reason

They've actually said recently that many birds have been feeding in fields
etc. and haven't needed garden feeders.
--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devonhttp://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

This afternoon in the rain I was putting out another net of food and
the poor little long tailed tits were on another feeder not 6ft away
from me, poor things were soggy.
The blue tits are feeding on the bushes outside the window, probably
after a bit of meat, our birds do feed naturally as well as from our
feeders, now if we could only keep the Magpies off..........
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

On 4/3/07 18:17, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

snip

This afternoon in the rain I was putting out another net of food and
the poor little long tailed tits were on another feeder not 6ft away
from me, poor things were soggy.

We don't get those here - wish we did.

The blue tits are feeding on the bushes outside the window, probably
after a bit of meat, our birds do feed naturally as well as from our
feeders, now if we could only keep the Magpies off..........
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

We hang up loads of peanut and seed and fatball feeders and they're usually
pretty well attended. Since I've known this place (8 years) I've seen a
great decline in some birds, such as blue tits but they seem to be returning
now. Occasionally we get Magpies but mostly, they live in a flock (murder?)
a couple of miles from here and don't come much to our garden. Are they
considered to be vermin? There was a sort of questionnaire published just
recently which said that many garden owners blame magpies for the decline in
songbirds, plus of course, sparrowhawks (which we get here, too) and
domestic cats, which the dogs ensure that we do NOT get here!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)