One for the birds ...

[Spinney]

A bit of good news for bird lovers.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-are-supporting-rising-numbers-of-urban-birds

 

[Dave7]

A bit of good news for bird lovers.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-are-supporting-rising-numbers-of-urban-birds

I read that Sparrows are declining. They are NOT, they have just relocated to my garden!!! There are dozens of them all the time.
We used to regularly get Goldfinches but thats rare now.
I am sick of wood pigeons, we always seem to have 3 or 4 waddling about as though they own the place.

 

[I like Skol]

I am sick of wood pigeons, we always seem to have 3 or 4 waddling about as though they own the place.

One less now! Got home from work last night to be told that just minutes before one of the local cats had walked past carrying one of the fat buggers in it's mouth.... Nature, red in tooth and claw.

 

[Paulus]

I read that Sparrows are declining. They are NOT, they have just relocated to my garden!!!
.

Sparrows in general are in decline because of the loss of nesting/breeding places, ie old barns, under the eaves of houses and old style warehouse and factory units where they can get into the roof and loft spaces. I am lucky where i live that just across the railway lines there is such a old complex, so we have lots of chirpy Hedge Sparrows around. I haven't seen a tree Sparrow for years.

 

[nickyboy]

Sparrows in general are in decline because of the loss of nesting/breeding places, ie old barns, under the eaves of houses and old style warehouse and factory units where they can get into the roof and loft spaces. I am lucky where i live that just across the railway lines there is such a old complex, so we have lots of chirpy Hedge Sparrows around. I haven't seen a tree Sparrow for years.

Tree Sparrows have suffered in recent years as they (like Yellowhammers) rely on seeds in stubble in the winter. Modern agricultural practices mean that this is less common so the birds can't survive the winter. They don't seem to have adapted to the increase in winter food available in gardens, unlike Goldfinches.

What's happening in agriculture in the UK is that there has been a break in the Agricultural Environmental Agreements (basically a subsidy) which has meant that farmers are, for example, growing more sileage. OK for the farmer, crap for birds.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Sparrows in general are in decline because of the loss of nesting/breeding places, ie old barns, under the eaves of houses and old style warehouse and factory units where they can get into the roof and loft spaces. I am lucky where i live that just across the railway lines there is such a old complex, so we have lots of chirpy Hedge Sparrows around. I haven't seen a tree Sparrow for years.

There are other reasons for the sparrow population decline. Even where there has been no significant change in buildings sparrows have disappeared. One theory about this drop in numbers is that, though adults are omnivorous, their young are insectivorous. With a huge fall in our insect population, adults may be finding it impossible to feed their young.

Meanwhile, @Dave7 's goldfinches all seem to have come to London - they're all over the place. I can hear one singing right now.

 

[ColinJ]

Funnily enough, I was thinking about wild birds the other day ... ( 70s humour that way ---->)

There used to be hundreds of them in our back garden every day when I was a child but by the time I was visiting my elderly mother in the mid-2000s there were hardly any to be seen. In the 1960s we used to chuck any stale bread into the garden and flocks of birds would descend on it within seconds. By 2005 I could throw bread out and it would still be there 4 or 5 days later!

Anyway, back to the present... On Monday I was looking out of my kitchen window and spotted a pair of sparrows fly into my back yard. One hopped up onto the wall, the other followed a second later. The first flew to the fence, the other followed ... I kept on watching and realised that the second bird was copying everything that the first one did. Suddenly, the first bird flew to the kitchen window ledge about 20 cms from my face, on the other side of the glass; its companion followed. It was a sunny day and I know that the coating on the glass makes it very reflective in bright sunshine. The birds were hopping about directly in front of me, looking at their own reflections. I have never seen wild birds so close up before! I could see delicate details in their feathers and the little crinkles on their claws. Eventually, bird #1 flew off in a looping trajectory towards the roof of the house opposite, trailed perfectly by bird #2. It was quite fascinating.

 

[Beebo]

The green parrot population in my area is totally out of control. They are so common that no one gives them a second glance now.

 

[Fnaar]

The green parrot population in my area is totally out of control. They are so common that no one gives them a second glance now.

I saw one in Newcastle recently!!!!

 

[Fnaar]

I love birdsong, and am lucky enough to wake up to it most mornings, there being lots of trees around, and a surprising variety of birds for a town centre.
But I can't help thinking that, despite the beautiful sound, what they are saying is basically
1) Oy, this is my bit, get yer own tree!
2) Anyone up for a sh@g?

 

[ColinJ]

I love birdsong, and am lucky enough to wake up to it most mornings, there being lots of trees around, and a surprising variety of birds for a town centre.
But I can't help thinking that, despite the beautiful sound, what they are saying is basically
1) Oy, this is my bit, get yer own tree!
2) Anyone up for a sh@g?

Pretty much like many people then!

 

[Globalti]

I can seduce cuckoos, when you hear one you just cup your hands and make a two-tone owl hoot in the right keys. Within a couple of minutes you'll see the cuckoo whizzing around you - but I've never been sure if that's because they are looking to duff you over as a rival or jump into the nest with you.

 

[Dave7]

Sparrows in general are in decline because of the loss of nesting/breeding places, ie old barns, under the eaves of houses and old style warehouse and factory units where they can get into the roof and loft spaces. I am lucky where i live that just across the railway lines there is such a old complex, so we have lots of chirpy Hedge Sparrows around. I haven't seen a tree Sparrow for years.

Last tree sparrow I saw was a flock just in north Warrington. Before that near Bempton cliffs.
As I say we are inundated with hedge/house sparrows that empty our feeders in no time.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Uhmmm .... I really want to feed the wee birds, but I'm spending a fortune feeding a colony of pigeons and a family of Jackdaws too

 

[Beebo]

Parklife!