ED Nature Watch

[Lynne]

Just watched our new neighbour cut down the two apple trees in his garden. They were covered with apples every year and a constant perching place for lots of small birds. I feel quite sad about it

[Sue]

:(

[sjsl]

There was a flock of birds, about 8, in the garden this morning, looked like thrushes (speckled fronts, brownish, the right size), but do they move in a flock?

[BrandNewGuy]

Could be redwings or fieldfares, our thrushy winter visitors from Scandinavia which usually travel around in flocks.

[sjsl]

I was wondering whether they were redwings, had a definate eye stripe...

[Sue]

Lucky you, I've never seen any round here!

[MissDumpling]

Definitely redwings - and a large flock. They?re still around (we?re in The Gardens) and looking resplendent in the sunshine! What a treat.

[sjsl]

Still here in North Dulwich as well ? so worth looking out for if you want to catch them.

[JMB2012]

I was wondering if others have noticed reduced numbers of garden birds this year? Am I mistaken in thinking there are usually various tits and finches at this time of the year? I usually have 10-15 on my feeder and at the moment I have none. Where have they gone?

[BrandNewGuy]

There'll still be plenty of 'natural' food for them out there in terms of seeds, nuts and berries. Wait for the next cold snap and I'm sure you'll see more of them :-)

[BrandNewGuy]

Flock of at least 40 redwings flying eastwards over ED station this morning at 8.20. Saw them again when the train pulled into Peckham Rye :-)

[SebsC]

JMB2012 Wrote:

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> I was wondering if others have noticed reduced

> numbers of garden birds this year? Am I mistaken

> in thinking there are usually various tits and

> finches at this time of the year? I usually have

> 10-15 on my feeder and at the moment I have none.

> Where have they gone?

I?ve most definitely noticed this but in our case it was due to one thing alone.....parakeets. I used to regularly buy bird feed and top up our feeders in the garden . However, we have had to stop this this year after parakeets completely took over the feeders, completely emptying them within an hour and bullying away all the small, native birds. We went from having swarms of local, small birds visiting our garden to nothing but flocks of screaming parakeets fighting over the bird feeders. It?s such a shame as I used to enjoy sitting watching the garden visitors but we now have hardly anything.

[Sue]

:(

[TheTruthisOut]

Like you, SebsC, most of the small birds in my garden disappeared after the parakeets arrived in force. I was feeding only the parakeets (and the ever-present pigeons who station themselves under the feeders to hoover up the scraps). I then moved the feeders to the buddleia which has made a great difference since there is no clear flight down to the feeders. One or 2 parakeets do come down from time to time but they clearly don't like not being able to fly away in a hurry. The parakeets are also not ground-feeders and I started scattering food in the borders as well. As a consequence, half a dozen chaffinches, a good 8 or 9 goldfinches, blue and great tits as well as starlings, a robin and blackbirds (who were nowhere to be seen when the parakeets were so vocal) have returned. I don't know if it will be a permanent solution but it's certainly working for now.

[Nigello]

I saw a wren in a hedge on Friern Road, library-end. Are they rare around here?

[sillywoman]

Last night at 12.30am a bird was singing it's heart out in our street - does anyone know which birds would sing at night? It's highly unusual and I couldn't see where the bird was to see what it looked like.

[DulwichFox]

Robins and Blackbirds apparently sing / chirp at night, during the winter.

[BrandNewGuy]

Blackbirds less so, but certainly robins ? both males and females sing all year round and often through the night. Also noticeable since the days are growing longer are the louder and more repetitive great tits:

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> I saw a wren in a hedge on Friern Road,

> library-end. Are they rare around here?

Don't know about rare, but I sometimes see one in my (very small but leafy) garden.

[lavender27]

Magpies and crows I often heat and ser on the roof opposite my bedroom window. Who know anything about magpies?

[Robert Poste's Child]

They eat carrion - meat of animals that are dead already - hence all the superstitious association with death and bad luck. They do a useful job clearing up roadkill but they also plunder other birds' eggs and young, so gardeners who like songbirds tend to discourage them.

[tomdhu]

Just seen an albino squirrel this morning.

Birds were making an unusually loud racket and there was this snow white squirrel. I'd imagine it gets a rough time wherever it goes.

[Sue]

Yesterday morning I saw a small animal eating suet balls in one of my bird feeders. It was balancing on the stem of a climber and reaching across to get at the food.

It wasn't a rat, and it had quite a short tail.

I was at the window and not close enough to see it properly.

Could it have been a vole? I have seen a mouse in my garden in the past, but I'm not sure this was a mouse.

[Jenny1]

Just seen a male blackcap in the garden. I don't think I've ever seen one in the garden before ....maybe my lack of observational skills rather than rarity though. A brief google suggests there are more spending the winter months in the UK now.

[Jenny1]

Ps re the blackcap. I now discover they're called the 'nightingales of the north' due to their beautiful song. I hope the one I saw this morning hangs around and sings.