Any ED Twitchers?

[Loz]

A small, brownish, mouse-sized bird is new to our garden this year and has set up a nest in the ivy outside our window. In fact, the first time I saw it it was running/hopping across the paving and I thought it was a mouse.

Can anyone identify the bird on that rather poor description? Or do I need to see if I can get a photo? I am rather intrigued as to what it is.

[Sue]

Sounds like a wren to me

[Sue]

Attached (I hope) is a pic of a wren :)

I had one in my garden in ED, so they are around. They are very small, and have thinner beaks than, say, a sparrow.

[jimbo1964]

We've had Wrens too. Nice to have around.

[Loz]

That looks like it! Many thanks.

The male (I assume) is busy collecting food and flying it into the nest - I'm not sure if it's for the female or if the chicks are out as I can't see into the nest. It then flies off with a white, ball looking thing. I assume this is regurgitated waste disposal?

I am a bit put out, too. I put up a nesting box two years ago and nothing has ever made use of it. The wrens (if they are) built their own nest two feet away from it!

[Sue]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> I am a bit put out, too. I put up a nesting box

> two years ago and nothing has ever made use of it.

> The wrens (if they are) built their own nest two

> feet away from it!

xxxxx

I'm by no means an expert, but I think nesting boxes vary depending on the kind of bird you are hoping will make use of it, eg they have different size entry holes.

Maybe the one you put up wasn't suitable for a wren?

[bonniebird]

We had a Wren nesting in our Cordyline in our front garden last year, tiny beautiful birds with big singing voices :)) I found there old nest on the floor recently, it was beautifully made and sooo tiny.

[Loz]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm by no means an expert, but I think nesting

> boxes vary depending on the kind of bird you are

> hoping will make use of it, eg they have different

> size entry holes.

>

> Maybe the one you put up wasn't suitable for a

> wren?

Maybe, but I am still *very* miffed! Though very pleased soemthing in nesting in the garden. Last time was a few years ago when we had a nest of sparrows (I think - not very good at bird identification). Every time we stepped out the back door 20-odd sparrows took off!

[Saila]

There's a really amazing website which you can go to. You can click on the type of bird you're interested in and it sings you their song.

That way you can identify them by sound too.

They are quite loud and sing a lovely song.

I think it's a bbc website, google will get you there.

[Loz]

I found this website

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/wren/index.aspx

And indeed, the suspected wrens have been making the tick-tick-tick noise in the sound clip for about the last hour since I startled them trying to take a photo out of the window.

[languagelounger]

Can anyone explain why there are no blackbirds? It's so sad that there's no blackbird song in the summer evenings. Were some when we moved to London, then around our way it got patchy, one year a bird, next year silence. Nothing now but a bit of sparrow chatter and not much of that. Couldn't we import them from other parts of the country?

[Bumpkin]

We have had a regular family of blackbirds in our garden for the last 3 years, always pecking for worms in the grass. Also have a family of great tits which have fledgelings at the moment and saw a couple of goldfinches earlier this week. Not a lot else though but i thought blackbirds were one of the more commom birds in East Dulwich...

[Loz]

We have a blackbird or two that are regular visitors to the garden. Indeed I spotted one this morning.

[2degreesfrommadness]

We have blackbirds which are regular visitors. Lots of Blue Tits and sparrows eagerly devouring fat balls by the dozen. Gruesome but fascinating have been the regular raids on the pigeon nest by the crows, whole nest emptied now!

[languagelounger]

Please can we relocate one of your blackbirds to Nunhead then? Unless they have paid a lot for their nests over there and wouldn't be seen dead in Nunhead.

[Sue]

I often have blackbirds in my garden - although it's very tiny, it has a load of hiding/perching places at the back amongst ivy, honeysuckle etc where they can retreat to if they get worried.

I also have robins, blue tits, great tits, sparrows etc but sadly nothing more unusual - yet!

The starlings seem to have disappeared this year, possibly spooked as a result of one of their number being carried off by a sparrowhawk (?) a while back, accompanied by a great deal of noise (from the starling not the sparrowhawk :)) )

[elloriac]

I'm sure I've heard them singing in Nunhead cemetery? And Peckham Rye Park?

[languagelounger]

I don't live in the cemetery. I miss having my own blackbird and listening to its song develop over the years. Although I did notice on moving to London, that blackbirds down here are not one bit as musical as the ones up North. The last one I heard singing regularly was about three years ago and no other bird ever seemed to sing back so perhaps it just gave up. Very sad.

[Sue]

The blackbirds in my neck of the woods (North Cross Road area) sing to each other - every morning and every evening.

[elloriac]

Hey languageloundger, obviously not implying that you live in the cemetery! Just saying that there are blackbirds in Nunhead. Perhaps they just don't like your garden...

[languagelounger]

Garden has got more bird friendly, not less. Berries and everything. Still no blackbird song.

[Only me!]

Concur with Sue

Near North Cross Road. Bottom end.

Blackbirds very much in evidence in our back garden.

Singing beautifully, unfortunately being worried most days by Magpies & foraging under the nut feeder, collecting the bits dropped by the Tits.

[languagelounger]

There is a blackbird here after all.

But it leads the dawn chorus rather than singing in the evening. Do they often do that or is it just this bird that's a morning person? When we lived right on the A200, there were blackbirds that sang about 2.30am, presumably because it was the only time they could make themselves heard over the non-stop traffic, but this part of Nunhead is just about the quietest spot in inner London.

While on nature notes, have just managed to notice, in mid June, that there's a huge tree at the junction of Stuart Rd and Cheltenham Rd that hasn't a single leaf on it. Is it dead, or just slow?

[Sue]

All blackbirds sing early in the morning as far as I know.

If a tree hasn't got a leaf on it by this time of year, I'd say it was very very dead :))

[HoneyBoo]

I often see them in the mornings, singing around my garden.