I’m having a change from bird talk to put some photographs of changing corn.

These photos were taken over a week.

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The seasons change. Harvest will soon be here. The rhythm of the seasons continues.

Last year I remember seeing a sparrow feeding it’s fledgling young.

That young fledgling sparrow that I saw being fed will be a parent and have young of it’s own this year.

Yesterday I saw a sparrow feeding it’s fledgling chick. They were sat on my garden fence. The parent sparrow flew to the feeder and took some some food back to the fence to feed it’s fledgling chick.

Could this mother sparrow be the fledgling from last year.

Next year in 2009 will the fledgling I saw being fed today bring it’s chick (as yet unborn!) to the feeder.

As a lady said in a comment to me - it’s like having children, parents, grandparents, great grandparents visiting.

I may have to buy a mesh covered bird table after all

This is a picture of my new birdtable.  I had to put wire and string round to keep the larger birds off.  Rooks, crows and pigeons were the thugs of the birdtable. 

I made the so blackbirds and thrushes could still get onto this table

I don’t want to get a bird table with smaller mesh as this would keep the blackbirds and thrushes out.

Yet, if Doves (and maybe pigeons) are squeezing through the holes and getting themselves onto the birdtable, I may have to.

How can I rage war with the peaceful dove?

How can I let the dove eat the bird food every day?

I thought bird feeding would be a peaceful, problem free passtime.

On the birdtable is cheese, cut up apple, good quality bird food table mix and sunflower seed hearts. 

That feast of bird food would have fed blackbirds, blue tits, sparrows and other smaller birds all day. 

Has it got a beakfull of food?

Has it damaged it’s beak?

Has it got some food attached to its beak?

I can’t make it out. Help me!

Here is a clearer photograph

I myself think it has a surprised look in it’s eyes.

It looks at though something is wrong with it’s beak. But I just can’t make it out.

I don’t even know if it is a thrush or a female blackbird

I only saw this bird for a minute or two, then it disappeared into the hedge, never to be seen again.

I no longer have the pests, and now have lots of birds visiting the bird tables.

Shoot the squirrel?  Is that the answer.  Would it leave a void for the red squirrel to return.

For some reason my squirrel has disappeared without trace so I don’t have a squirrel problem any more, but if I had I know it would put me off putting bird food out.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below.  Should we shoot one species (the grey squirrel) to help another species (garden birds).

Yes  - if you think we should shoot a squirrel. 

No  - if you think we should not shoot the grey squirrel.

A selection of birdsong that I’ve managed to record in or near my garden

It’s really hard to get birdsong without the sound of wind in the trees. Apologies for the sound of the wind in the trees.

dawn-chorus-maymp3

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yorkshire-birdsongmp3

This blackbird must wait and watch the birdtable because it appears straight after i’ve put the food out.

This is the reason I enjoy feeding birds - when I see  birds pecking round.

Blackbirds and thrushes used to be able to get into my meshed ground feeder. 

Because larger birds were taking over this feeder I had to close the mesh so only smaller birds like wrens, sparrows, blue tits could enter.  

When I left the mesh wide enough for thrushes and blackbirds  large birds were poking their beaks in, managing to get in and taking over.  I’ve had rooks, crows, pigeons, doves, a waterhen and even a farm hen. 

I’ve also had problems with rooks, crows, pigeons getting onto the bird table.  All this was annoying me.

I think I’ve have solved the problem for now.  I put wire mesh and baler twine string round the birdtable

I’m glad I went to the trouble of ‘fencing off’ my bird table so that large birds can’t get at the food because the blackbirds seem to be benefiting

Maybe I should patent the idea and sell it!!

I’ve seen photographs of a Heron swooping down onto a duckling - trying to kill and eat it.

The mother duck skimms across the water in a vain, frantic and courageous effort to chase the heron away.

It is no contest. the Heron is a very large predator.  The duck’s head would just about come up to the Heron’s chest.

The Heron caught the duckling and ate it in front of the mother duckling.

The heron has no compunction about killing this young Duckling.  It cannot comprehend the agony it is causing the mother duck.

I suppose all birds are like this.

Even the sweet little robins that I put food out for and care for fight each other in territorial fights.

Crows eat blackbirds.

Magpies pinch eggs and young from nests in the quiet English hedgerows.

Bird killing bird must have been going on since birds evolved.

The heron is a meat eating bird.  It’s the way it has evolved.

It’s not all sweetness and light.  It’s not about bird caring for bird.  Survival means everything.

So next time you go to a garden centre - think British Bird.  Ask what plants feed birds.

A bush needs planting once and provide fruit and shelter for our garden birds for years

Some of the birds that enjoy Berry bearing shrubs are 

• thrushes,
• blackbirds
• starlings,
• finches,
• tits,
• robins and
• pigeons,
• You may also attract waxwings, redwings or fieldfares - winter vistiros.

The following list includes 3 berry bearing shrubs which are popular for bird food.

British  species support more insect life than non native and are more attractive to birds. 

Planting bushes in the garden also gives cover to birds as well as providing bird food every year.

BLACKBERRY OR BRAMBLE  (rubus fruticosus}  up to 2m (6 1/2 ft).  Native

If you have room for a bramble patch in your garden it will be used by birds all through the year.

SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT EAT THE FRUIT  starlings, bullfinches, Great Tits and Blue Tits.

NESTING  - Blackbirds, warblers, thrushes, Long tailed tits, finches and dunnocks will nest in the safety of it’s prickly branches.

In Autumn and winter finches and sparrows will gather in the bramble hedge to roost.

To keep the bramble bush /  patch thick and attractive to birds trim the long branches each year to stop them rooting.

ELDER BUSH  (Sambucus nigra) up to (10m) (32 1/2 feet

SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT FEED ON ELDERBERRY   blackbirds and thrushes and starlings

NESTING .  It provides nest sites for blackbirds, thrushes, chaffinches and bullfinches. 

Elders grow very quickly but new growth can be trimmed back by about 1ft each year which will help provide a nest site.

 HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna) 2-10m (6 1/2 - 32 ft) native

SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT FEED ON THE DARK RED BERRIES OF THE HAWTHORN - (especially in early winter)

The hawthorn  hedge bears crimson berries which are called Haws. 

Many birds feed on these Haw berries in Autumn and early Winter including Blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares and waxwings

The leaves of the hawthorn are eaten by woodpigeons. 

 NESTING - thrushes, finches, buntings, warbler

Hawthorn hedge keeps out predators such as cats and sparrowhawks.

I often see blackbirds near Hawthorn

Hedges and shrubs provide safety and shelter for birds

Eat some of the fruit yourself

Remember some bushes provide a good source of food and shelter for birds

If you don’t have a garden you can still have fun feeding birds.  I have just sent for a window feeder  which I will fill with bird seed.  I know I’ll enjoy watching the birds so close to the window.  I should get a good view - have been told it’s a great way to take photos as well. 

Anyone can get involved with feeding or watching birds.

The sky seems empty of swallows.

I don’t understand it and it is worrying.  There are less swallows here this year than there were last year.

this means fewer swallows will make the return journey to Africa at the end of summer 2008 than made the journey in 2007

How long can this downward trend continue. 

I can’t imagine a summer without swallows.

Why is it happening at our farm.  Is it happening all over the country?

One good thing happened today.  I was helping get the cows in from the grass field as it was milking time.

Cows and flies go together!  Where there are cows there are flies - believe me.

There were a number of swallows zipping in and out of the cows legs, flying low over the cow’s backs and generally twisting and turning in flight over this herd of cows.  They were following the flies that accompanied the cows.

I’ll try and get a video of it - it would be better than photos.

It was good to see these few swallows vibrant and free.  I hope they all breed well here in Yorkshire, fly safe and come back next year.  

Millet is good bird food because it has a good food to energy ratio.  That means when it is eaten it does not take long before the millet is changed into ‘bird’ energy.

Millet is very small seed and it takes a special feeder -

I ran out of millet a few days ago.  There was always an array of sparrows sitting on the tray of the bird feeder pecking the millet - until I ran out of millet seed.

I’ve read over and over again that, at this time of year especially, all birds need a continuous supply of bird food. 

I find it hard to believe that my feeder being empty for 4 days would be a matter of life and death to this small flock of sparrows.  Yet, these sparrows surrounded the feeder as though their lives depended on it.

I have other feeders that sparrows and other birds can go to.  The droll yankee feeder is the only feeder in that garden that is (usually) full of millet and that is only used by sparrows.

20th June 2008  - running out of bird food

Sparrows love millet

Info on millet and other bird food

Millet can also be one of the ingredients used in this bird food mixture coated in  fatl

House Sparrow fact sheet

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A year ago today - 25 June 2007 Home Made Bird Food - bird food from left over scraps in the kitchen