ED Nature Watch

[Jenny1]

Thanks for the information on the birds amac. Sounds like a great example of interesting wildlife in an unexpected spot.

[jaywalker]

I am so glad 'my' Jay is back: last year she and her husband could manage two Brazil nuts each per trip. Now she has learned to take three! The most beautiful birds in south London and already well stocked for the cold of Jan and Feb.

[Jenny1]

I've noticed a couple of locations in the area where there seem to be a pair a jays. This quite surprises me as I always had them down as 'shy woodland dwellers'.

[BrandNewGuy]

Just had a brisk walk around frosty Green Dale fields between Sainsburys and Green Dale cycle path and clocked 17 different species of birds: blackbird, robin, song thrush, wren, great tit, wood pigeon, carrion crow, herring gull, starling, blue tit, greenfinch, magpie, ring-necked parakeet, feral pigeon, goldfinch, house sparrow and dunnock.

[Jenny1]

That sounds like a great walk BrandNewGuy. I haven't seen a song thrush in a long time, or a dunnock for that matter.

[heartblock]

For lots of goldfinches put up a niger seed feeder and they will find it, I'm always amazed how quickly they appear when it goes up every Winter.

My favourites in the garden have to be coal tits though. Occasional visitors unfortunately. Parakeets and squirrels quarrelling over the sunflower seeds always amuses :)

[Sue]

I have a niger feeder, and the seed is being eaten although only one goldfinch has ever been spotted (by my partner, grrrrrr, as I bought the feeder and seed specifically to attract them!)

Are there other birds whose beaks are slim enough to get through the feeding slits?

[heartblock]

Siskin, redpoll? But you would be very lucky to get those. Goldfinches are usually in groups - maybe your one finch is keeping his discovery to himself!

[heartblock]

And/or greenfinches

[heartblock]

Actually greenfinches..not sure.. Also if your niger seed is old, discard it as dry seeds won't attract birds.

[Sue]

heartblock Wrote:

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> Actually greenfinches..not sure.. Also if your

> niger seed is old, discard it as dry seeds won't

> attract birds.

It was put out this Winter and is being eaten, but good advice!

Never seen any greenfinches round here, sadly.

[BrandNewGuy]

Greenfinches are less common than they were due to the disease trichomonosis, which sadly has killed off a lot of them in the last ten years or so. But we do still have them around in our parks and open spaces.

[cookie]

We get a flock of goldfinches visit to feast on the seeds in our teasels in the back garden. We were going to pull them up, but will keep them from now on. Also been nice to see long tail tits and a grey wagtail in Peckham Rye Park recently.

[JRK]

I would love some bird action in my back garden but fear there are too many neighbouring cats who prowl around in wait. I put a feeder up in a safe from cats place but it doesn't get any action - is this because it's filled with sunflower seeds and birds think these are boring? Maybe a fat ball will work. I don't want to entice birds into my garden to get pounced on but would love to hear a twitter tweet tweet once and a while. I have seen 3 blue tits since we moved in last Feb (pretty shocking) and a friendly blackbird searching for worms on a more regular occasion.

[BrandNewGuy]

A dozen redwings yesterday on Green Dale. Chatty thrushes visiting from Scandinavia for the winter :-)

[Frenchpolisher]

Sue Wrote:

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

> I have a niger feeder, and the seed is being eaten

> although only one goldfinch has ever been spotted

> (by my partner, grrrrrr, as I bought the feeder

> and seed specifically to attract them!)

>

> Are there other birds whose beaks are slim enough

> to get through the feeding slits?

To be honest the Goldfinches rarely eat niger these days if sunflower hearts are available. I first put out niger seed about 10-11 years ago when Goldfinches were much scarcer in our back gardens. It took almost a year to get my first one, but numbers have increased ever since. About 4-5 years ago they began eating predominantly the sunflower hearts and began neglecting the niger. This is apparently a nationwide trend as the birds have obviosly realised it offers more nutrition for less work.

Goldfinch numbers tend to peak in the spring/summer and again in the winter, although this winter they have been rather conspicuous by their absence in my garden. I'm guessing that the relatively mild winter has meant smaller flocks, more natural food and thus less reason to visit gardens. I have seen flocks of Goldfinch in Dulwich and Bel Air parks of around 50 and this is small compared to how large they can get.

As others have said, Chaffinches tend to be less common in local gardens, although if you are very close to the parks or woods you'd have a better chance.

It is worth leaving the niger out in the winter though. While the recent mild winters have put a stop to it, for about five or six years in a row I had both Redpoll and Siskin on my niger feeders over the winter. At this time of year Redpoll can often be seen in the birches around the American garden in Dulwich park. The same trees are also good for Siskins, although the Alders around the lake in Bel Air is generally a better bet.

[Sue]

That's interesting.

Will have to check out the price of sunflower hearts though.

Can redpolls and siskins get at the Niger seed easily? The slits in the feeder are very small, presumably so that the tiny seeds don't fall out?

[Frenchpolisher]

Sue Wrote:

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

> That's interesting.

>

> Will have to check out the price of sunflower

> hearts though.

>

> Can redpolls and siskins get at the Niger seed

> easily? The slits in the feeder are very small,

> presumably so that the tiny seeds don't fall out?

I use a Droll Yankee niger feeder and the Siskin and Redpoll have no problems feeling from it. Not had either species for a couple of winters, but with the current cold spell who knows. Would be nice to get some local Waxwings. Had some on Dawson's two or three winters back. Been a few in North London this week, but none this side of the river.

[amac]

Very interesting, thanks for that. Down in Lower Sydenham, if you are close to the River Pool coal tits and chaffinches are common garden feeders in addition to the hordes of goldfinches and tits. Sadly greenfinches seem to have completely gone. Occasional siskins and greater spotted woodpeckers on the feeders too. Damn parakeets have found my seed feeders now and hoover everything, so will soon get hold of caged feeders (keep out squirrels too hopefully). Kingfisher action on the river OK this winter too - although not up to levels of 10 years back. Little egret and water rail are regulars on the river, especially where it meets the Ravensbourne river (wow, the rapids!)

[BrandNewGuy]

Just went for a walk along the River Pool, amac, and you'll be pleased to know I heard a few greenfinches :-) No kingfishers or water rails, but lots of moorhens and a little flock of fieldfares in the trees, plus starling, house sparrow, dunnock, robin, wren, blackbird, song thrush, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, goldfinch, chaffinch, carrion crow, magpie, jackdaw, wood pigeon, feral pigeon, herring gull, mallard, pied wagtail and grey wagtail. Lovely place!

[Passiflora]

I've not seen so many small birds at my feeder today and hoping some didn't perish last night in the very cold weather. Usually have two blackbirds that are always together but only seen the one today. Hope it isn't the case but early this morning even car brake was frozen and could hardly move and that's never happened before.

[Passiflora]

Both blackbirds back today skittling around the grass and feeding.

[civilservant]

Bluetits very busy this morning scavenging our dog's combings (which I leave out in the garden for them) to line their nests. Flying off home with furry 'moustaches' tucked in their beaks - very funny!

[ianr]

First house moths and ladybugs of the year this week.

A couple of weeks ago, in Bellenden Road, at the junction with Highshore, my attention was grabbed by something big in the clear sky. It was a magpie, carrying in its beak a branchlet of a tree that could have been up to two foot long. On its way to a nearby rooftop I think.

[Nigello]

I saw a ladybird (NOT bug!) but not sure whether it was one of the invasive species ones - it was mainly dark with red spots rather than the other way around.

Small butterflies (moths?) at ground level on Wimbledon Common yesterday - anyone know which kind they could have been?