What Bird's Has The Winter Brought In To Your Garden

As the winter bites and frosts and snow (occasionally) have arrived some birds make their way into our gardens in search of food as it becomes scarce in the countryside, what 'extra' bird species have you had in yours (if any) as well as the 'usual suspects'....

Our 'usual suspects' are starlings, sparrows, magpies, blue tits, great tits, robins, dunnocks, collared doves, feral pigeons, wood pigeons, blackbirds and wrens. The local sparrowhawks (seen both female & male) usually come through at least once a day too.

Over the last couple of weeks we've also had visits from chaffinches, goldefinches, coal tits, thrushes, long tailed tits, a pied wagtail (that's here almost 24/7 bless him ), a grey wagtail, a green woodpecker and jackdaws. We've also noticed an increase in the numbers of blue & great, magpies (we get as many as 10 of them now!!) and blackbirds.

We're putting out seed twice a day now just to keep up with the demand

 

Good idea for a thread, Bilbo

Haven't been very observant recently but I do have wood pigeons, collared doves, blackbirds and heron gulls.

I have a small bird house on the wall to the side of my patio doors and a blue tit has been very busy making it into a winter home; I know because I've heard it tap-tap-tapping and when I've been at the kitchen sink, it does a fly-by for me

 

Hi Mum, I too have seen the blue tits and great tits popping in and out of bird boxes. Wrens also take advantage of bird boxes in the winter to keep warm if it gets really cold, as many as 20 have been known to huddle together in a single bird box, I also have a few little 'roosting/nesting' pockets in the hedge for this purpose...

 

Wow, as many as 20? That must be a lovely sight

When we moved here 2yrs ago, I went around putting up bird boxes; the first Spring we saw blue tits move in to the one hanging from the pear tree. Mr Mum was "I thought they were for decoration; didn't realise birds would *use* them!"

 

Almost the same species as yours Bilbo except the Grey Wagtail and Green Woodpecker.
The others are over wintering Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Siskins and Redpolls (just arrived).

 

A shy little chap who is probably in the garden more than we "see" 'cos he slides up and down and, if he thinks you are watching, slides around the treetrunk out of sight:
the treecreeper is here in our garden,

 

Got the Fieldfares here.
Normal residents are Long tailed tits, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Blue Tits & a Wren.

Got a Buzzard that sits on a particular telegraph pole, after a heavy shower the other day, he was Hanging his wings out to dry like a Cormorant does.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention the Rookery above us.

The farmer behind us traps them and Magpies, Willow got barred from the farm for letting one go.

 

Buzzards and Kestrels are around but never come near or in the garden unlike the Sparrowhawk.
The Redpolls.

 

A few Goldfinches, a Greenfinch, Pied Wagtail, Buzzards overhead, Magpie, squilions of Starlings (one provided dinner for a Sparrowhawk, right there on the lawn). The resident Robin and Blackbirds.

Cheers, Tony.

 

I presume you meant a Rook (Rilk?) or Magpie Zigs?

 

Might have been a farmer

 

Ah, I thought for a minute.........

 

Flatulence

 

Willow got barred from the farm for letting one go.

MUM, you are awful,
but I like you,
Jenny