Lessons from a bird table

[PAH]

Do you lot buy bird food at this time of year? I thought when the ground wasn't frozen they could feed themselves on worms and bugs, or berries etc?

My parents (who recently had to put their dog to sleep through old age related illnesses) have started buying loads of bird food. They say they like to watch all the birds that come into the garden now the dog's not around, but they're spending more on bird food than they ever did on dog food!

I think they need another dog before they squander my inheritance.

[DaveB]

<Wilmslow> I like Jays. They are fine birds. We have them in our back garden as well as Green Woodpeckers and Spotted Woodpeckers. We have the usual assortment of smaller birds but I like the big ones. </Wilmslow>

Are you saying the Wilmslow likes big peckers?

[norrahe]

We seem to have a noisy blackbird who kicks off at around 4am

[Lockhouse]

<Wilmslow> I like Jays. They are fine birds. We have them in our back garden as well as Green Woodpeckers and Spotted Woodpeckers. We have the usual assortment of smaller birds but I like the big ones. </Wilmslow>

[DaveB]

Sparrows in the front of our house, tits round the back.

Sounds like a Gerry Rafferty lyric.

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

SHUT THE

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

FECK

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

UP

Chirp, Chirp.

Sparrows are the Chavs of the bird world.

Hang around in gangs, always gobbing off, will fight and argue with eachother if they can't find another gang of sparrows to fight with.

We have two mobs who live in the hedges on opposite sides of the garden. The bird feeders in the middle are in a permanent state of dispute between them.

[EternalOptimist]

The parents had probably realised it was going to croak and ejected it from the nest in the first place. Nature can be cruel sometimes.

Makes you wonder really, parents chucked it out the nest thinking 'it's weak it will never fly'

then they fly back into the nest the next day and 'JEEZ H!! eh we were wrong about this one love'

[Sysman]

Googled what to do, so I scooped the critter up on a piece of cardboard taking care not to touch and funneled it back into the box - I was releived to see a parent to return a couple of times and thought no more of it.

The next morning I saw no activity so decided to open up the roof of the box to check all was well.... and the little fecker wad dead

In hindsight perhaps the best course of action would be to get the lawn mower out and despatch it there and then on the lawn..

The parents had probably realised it was going to croak and ejected it from the nest in the first place. Nature can be cruel sometimes.

[Sysman]

Sparrows in the front of our house, tits round the back.

Sounds like a Gerry Rafferty lyric.

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

SHUT THE

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

FECK

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

UP

Chirp, Chirp.

I've got some obviously nesting nearby. They start at about 5:30 and don't stop until dusk.

It's not so much chirping as an angry chatter.

Which gets on your nerves after a while.

[minestrone]

Sparrows in the front of our house, tits round the back.

Sounds like a Gerry Rafferty lyric.

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

SHUT THE

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

FECK

Chirp, Chirp, Chirp.

UP

Chirp, Chirp.

[Troll]

We have Bluetits who every year nest in a wall box I have put up & visible from the lounge so we can watch the comings & goings in May/June

This year we noticed the parents visits had become less frequent which usually means the birds had fledged and gone, inspecting the lawn outside the lounge I noticed movement on the grass and there was a tiny fledgling who must have tried a tad too soon and was now stuck outside the box and unable to fly

Googled what to do, so I scooped the critter up on a piece of cardboard taking care not to touch and funneled it back into the box - I was releived to see a parent to return a couple of times and thought no more of it.

The next morning I saw no activity so decided to open up the roof of the box to check all was well.... and the little fecker wad dead

In hindsight perhaps the best course of action would be to get the lawn mower out and despatch it there and then on the lawn..

[EternalOptimist]

I prefer tits, but that's just me.

[DimPrawn]

I love jackdaws, big majestic fellows. much better than those squawky little blue tits.
remove that mesh immediately

I prefer tits, but that's just me.

[EternalOptimist]

I was getting really annoyed about a huge influx of Jackdaws who were scoffing all the bird food, especially the expensive peanuts, and put some mesh around. Now there are far more Bluetits, no longer frightened off by the large birds, and the food is disappearing three times as fast.

Makes you wonder how many "simple" solutions to society would make things worse for reasons we haven't thought of.

I love jackdaws, big majestic fellows. much better than those squawky little blue tits.
remove that mesh immediately

[xoggoth]

I was getting really annoyed about a huge influx of Jackdaws who were scoffing all the bird food, especially the expensive peanuts, and put some mesh around. Now there are far more Bluetits, no longer frightened off by the large birds, and the food is disappearing three times as fast.

Makes you wonder how many "simple" solutions to society would make things worse for reasons we haven't thought of.