I was lucky enough to have a goldfinch in my garden, and then he must have brought his friends along because I regularly had 5 or 6 guests, occasionally more. One of my feeding areas seemed to have become their hangout, the one with 2 feeders, sunflower hearts and nyger seeds. As time passed, they … Read more
The house sparrow that we see in our gardens, possibly more regularly than any other bird, is noisy and quarrelsome. He can be an aggressive character that will stand his ground amongst other bigger birds and fight his way to get to food, he can also be endearing and friendly. They are a notably scavenging … Read more
Like me, you must watch the birds at your feeding tables and notice some species are much more prolific visitors than others are. I’m sure that none of us would be surprised to know that sparrows, starlings and wood pigeons all top the bird census’ year upon year, but have you ever thought that you … Read more
Do you think you might have spotted great tits at your feeders? The cousin of the instantly recognisable blue tit is similarly marked at first glance but upon closer investigation, you will note that he has a distinctive black cap and his plumage is less blue, more green. They were once predominantly woodland birds but … Read more
Imagine my delight when I discovered a pair of blue tits had chosen my homemade bird box in which to start their family. I would head into the garden armed with a mug of tea and just sit quietly and watch this beautiful and serene sight in total awe. The adult birds busying themselves collecting … Read more
I have often been shopping at market stalls and been impressed by the varied types of birdfeed that are available, from different seeds to suet balls and blocks, ready filled feeders, mealworms and coconut halves. Like the proverbial kid in a sweetshop, my eyes light up and within no time at all my basket fills … Read more
One of the most common garden birds in the UK is the house sparrow though their numbers have been in huge decline for a number of years. Even so, there are still around 5.3 million breeding pairs in Britain alone. This noisy and gregarious character is mostly non-migratory and so needs to have a plentiful … Read more
Have you ever stopped and actually taken notice of the different types of birds that visit your garden or do you simply enjoy all varieties of songbirds and dutifully replenish the empty feeders when necessary? Starlings, blackbirds and sparrows are very common in our gardens, along with the bigger ‘bully boy’ birds, the wood pigeon, … Read more
If you have ever been fortunate enough to see a starling murmuration then I’m sure that you found it breathtaking and mesmerising. Thousands of the same species of bird swooping in unison, swirling through the evening sky in huge swarms, so in time with each other that it almost looks choreographed. I have seen this … Read more
The male chaffinch with his resplendent colouring and melodious song would be a most welcome guest at any garden feeding table yet they are often conspicuous by their absence. I spent many happy hours watching the to-ing and fro-ing from my bird tables and often wondered why chaffinches were not a common feature, just an … Read more