ED Nature Watch

[Sue]

heartblock Wrote:

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> Long tailed tits.... a whole little gang of them

> 😁

Oh lucky you, I'm very jealous!

[malumbu]

Long tailed tits are so cute. They come and go and not seen any pattern. You get them along the Horniman Nature Trail. To me they have little baby faces. Of course you should not anthropomorphise animals.....

[MissDumpling]

Without wanting to brag, we?re getting loads of small and larger birds visiting our feeding stations:

Great, blue, coal and long-tailed tits

Goldfinches

Sparrows

Robins

Greater spotted woodpecker

Starlings

Jay

Magpies

Parakeets

Wrens

We?ve got high quality suet (not balls), peanuts and niger seeds in feeders on a very tall pole positioned next to tall shrubs that the small birds use on approach. We also have a wooden bird house feeder for the large birds that we put suet in.

We?re in The Gardens, btw.

Hope that helps!

[malumbu]

Put a photo of your feeders up. You've missed out wood pigeons, they even try to get at the feeders and the most ridiculous sight was on trying to eat the niger seeds that had fallen onto the feeder tray. We use both suet balls and pellets, at times the balls are popular. I've noticed that the Aldi suet balls less popular than the ones I got on line. Never had any luck with seeds and nuts. Dried meal worms are eaten but pricey.

But don't you have squirrels trying to get at stuff? I scatter pellets from time to time for the ground feeders, but the rats with fluffy tales eat the pellets.

[Asset]

My feeders are being emptied within hours by the parakeets.

I've noticed fewer small birds over the last month or so and I recently read there is a strain of Avian flu that has hit the UK. Clean the feeders regularly!

[Nigello]

I have noticed the parakeets much more this past week or so. I rarely see them where I live or in Dulwich Park but they are more apparent now. I am not a fan but they're all doing their best, so...

[MissDumpling]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Put a photo of your feeders up. You've missed out

> wood pigeons, they even try to get at the feeders

> and the most ridiculous sight was on trying to eat

> the niger seeds that had fallen onto the feeder

> tray. We use both suet balls and pellets, at

> times the balls are popular. I've noticed that

> the Aldi suet balls less popular than the ones I

> got on line. Never had any luck with seeds and

> nuts. Dried meal worms are eaten but pricey.

>

> But don't you have squirrels trying to get at

> stuff? I scatter pellets from time to time for

> the ground feeders, but the rats with fluffy tales

> eat the pellets.

Here you go. Yes, we have squirrels trying to get in on the action. We can?t stop them from going in the house, but we slather the feeder pole with Vaseline then sit back and watch them slide down repeatedly 😀

[malumbu]

Ta everso. Nice that you are encouraging wildlife. I used car grease on my pole (ho ho) but for some reason upside down football cones have also put them off. Parakeets come close but yet to invade. Genuinely went through 5 x more feed in 2019 so something has affected the birds - hopefully that there is more food generally available.

[malumbu]

Oh and I have to tie down feeders as the fluffy tailed rats try to get them onto the ground where they can more easily chew through to the food. Or simply the act of knocking them to the ground releases some of it.

[Sue]

MissDumpling Wrote:

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>

Yes, we have squirrels trying to get

> in on the action. We can?t stop them from going in

> the house, but we slather the feeder pole with

> Vaseline then sit back and watch them slide down

> repeatedly

Any chance of a video of the sliding squirrels?

:))

[MissDumpling]

I?ll try!

[Effra]

Try this

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=squirrel+slippery+pole&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dsquirrel%2bslippery%2bpole%26%26FORM%3dVDVVXX&view=detail&mid=3EA7411D5C5B01072E703EA7411D5C5B01072E70&rvsmid=73CF057C5C1A4EA9686773CF057C5C1A4EA96867&FORM=VDQVAP

[Sue]

Effra Wrote:

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> Try this

> https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=squirrel+slip

> pery+pole&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dsquirrel%2bs

> lippery%2bpole%26%26FORM%3dVDVVXX&view=detail&mid=

> 3EA7411D5C5B01072E703EA7411D5C5B01072E70&rvsmid=73

> CF057C5C1A4EA9686773CF057C5C1A4EA96867&FORM=VDQVAP

Oh poor squirrel! He (or she) deserves a bit of bird food, for persistence!

[dazeykat]

Just saw several Redwings, winter visitors. Beautiful.

[offspinner]

Whereabouts did you see the redwings?

[sjsl]

There is a flock of what I think must be fieldfares flying around North Dulwich, seen them several times over the past week.

[dazeykat]

I saw the Redwings in Heber/Rodwell Road. Mostly in a large holly tree.

[Sue]

So are they redwings or fieldfares or both?!

Easy to confuse, and I'd be happy to see either :)

Would make a change from sparrows :)

[dazeykat]

Well, I saw redwings, not fieldfares. But, as sjsl did, you might see both. They are not that similar, even though both thrush family. Hoping to see them myself. ☺

[sjsl]

Mm, maybe they're redwings, they were perched in a tree and I could only be certain that they had a pale speckled front, otherwise the light made it difficult to see details...

[offspinner]

Took the attached picture in Belair Park today. It's either a redwing or a fieldfare!

[dazeykat]

Offspinner, I think that's a redwing because of the eyestripe. Gloomy weather is not helpful!

[Sue]

offspinner Wrote:

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> Took the attached picture in Belair Park today.

> It's either a redwing or a fieldfare!

Pretty sure that's a redwing.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/09/redwings-and-fieldfares/

[legalalien]

I think we've had a couple of redwings at ours. I thought they might be some sort of song thrush but the didn't look quite right... We have a crabapple tree which still has some fruit on it so are getting a range of hungry birs this week.

[IlonaM]

Just had what I think was a Grey wagtail in my garden enjoying the bird bath (Horniman end of Underhill) - never spotted one before. Very pretty. [http://voice.gardenbird.co.uk/all-about-the-grey-wagtail/]