Birds nesting?

[oldbluefox]

It does sound like Onelife's nest boxes may be facing the wrong way. Have a look on this site as there are a number of variables:

Siting a nest box

The birds in my garden are just as fussy as Boris'. They won't touch food at the moment if it's on the bird feeder but will take it if it's in the bushes. Probably it's a case of feeling safe.

I looked out yesterday morning and saw that the blackbird was feeding two chicks on the lawn. Last year they raised one and a crow took it so fingers crossed they have better luck this year.

[Ray B]

OBF that's one early Black Bird, ours have only just started laying around here.


Ray

[Onelife]

Hi Ray B/OBF

I think the reason may have something to do with me moving the boxes every two weeks

Little update on my nesting blackbirds....she has laid three eggs and is sitting pretty.

Regards

Keith

[oldbluefox]

I was surprised too. For a week or more the two blackbirds have been gathering food in their beaks and flying off in the same direction but I could never find where the nest was. However we do have a lot of very thick hedges around us which may have given them shelter and warmth. I also feed the blackbirds every morning so there's a plentiful supply of food throughout the winter and there are no cats anywhere near so they feel very safe, apart from the sparrow hawk who flies past occasionally.

Whatever I spend on food is well worth it for the joy and amusement I get from them. Whilst not entirely comfortable the blackbird will take food from my fingers and is usually by my side in the garden for some easy food, especially mealworms.

[Dancing Queen]

It does sound like Onelife's nest boxes may be facing the wrong way. Have a look on this site as there are a number of variables:

Siting a nest box

The birds in my garden are just as fussy as Boris'. They won't touch food at the moment if it's on the bird feeder but will take it if it's in the bushes. Probably it's a case of feeling safe.

I looked out yesterday morning and saw that the blackbird was feeding two chicks on the lawn. Last year they raised one and a crow took it so fingers crossed they have better luck this year.

That's really interesting ( birds nesting ) Foxy, because we've had the blue tits flitting in/out the nesting box all winter OH pooh pooh it when I said they were maybe checking it out ...well apparently that is what they do so I'm really confident they will be nesting in there this year

[oldbluefox]

I've got a tit box on the tree which they usually nest in and all winter they have been popping in and out but they don't appear to be using it this time around. Whether that is because the squirrel comes nearly every day, and he has poked his nose in, or whether they have found some 5* accommodation elsewhere I don't know. If it's empty I may take the opportunity to open it up and get rid of all the little bugs and beasties which tend to hide in there. Have you taken the old nest out? I always do as again it gets rid of all the ticks and mites.
I put an open box out for the robins but it may have been too late for this year.
I was pleased to see goldfinches the other day eating the niger seeds. They are really lovely.
Mine must be the most pampered birds in the country. I even put out sheep wool for them to make their flamin' nests cosy!!! I have stopped short of knitting them duvets though!!!

[Dancing Queen]

Thanks for the tips Foxy I will pass them on to OH, the garden is his domain, I only sit in it

If your birds are the most pampered then ours must run a close second, costs a fortune for all the various feed OH buys

[Manoverboard]

Mobietta wants a replacement bird table cos the last one has just about rotted away ... to assist with the selection do you happen to know if they do a Foxy variant with fitted carpets and a flushing loo

[Onelife]

Hi OBF

You putting sheep wool out for the birds is something my wife likes us to do ...only that we put out dog hair instead....when our dog is in full moult it looks like something has crawled into our hedge and died.

Regards

Keith

[melsea]

We have black birds nesting and somewhere close by there are tits nesting but cannot see the nest. Last year we had thrushes nesting but alas magpies got wind of it and the mother abandon her nest before they hatched. We get various birds in our garden Green Woodpeckers, Jays two of them, doves, two robins that like it here and male & female black birds, thrushes but unfortunately we have a sparrow hawk that comes by every now and again and I have seen its kill and eating it on our lawn. Once it has done that our garden is a ghost town for a few weeks before they are brave enough to come back. Unfortunately it's bird feeders that alerts the Sparrow Hawks that birds are near by. Although we no longer have one I think it still remembers.

[Onelife]

Oh dear....just found two blackbird eggs on our lawn...just checked our blackbirds nest and all three eggs have been taken.

[oldbluefox]

Mobietta wants a replacement bird table cos the last one has just about rotted away ... to assist with the selection do you happen to know if they do a Foxy variant with fitted carpets and a flushing loo

Good grief Mob. You'll be wanting en suite next!! If they didn't have to wipe their feet your bird table would never have worn out.

[oldbluefox]

Melsea and OL,
That's the harsh reality of nature and it's not nice to see. I always say the sparrowhawk has to live as well but when you see him swoop and take birds away it's not easy. Fortunately there are plenty of pigeons around so he is happy to take those. He seems to enjoy plucking the things in our garden and flying off with the carcass, leaving us with the head and feathers.
Last year I was watching the blackbird feeding its chick when a crow came down and landed nearby. Next thing I see is the crow with the chick in its beak, flying off with the parent blackbirds making one heck of a commotion, flying in pursuit. Time to start all over again.

[Dancing Queen]

You beat me to it Foxy I was just about to say it's the harsh reality of nature, not just birds .. every animal seems to have it's predators.

For several years we had "ducks" that took up residence on our fish pond from dawn until dusk, then it started getting a bit ridiculous and at one point there were about six and they made so much mess so we had to chase them off eventually .. what was nice though was when the chicks hatched "mum" used to bring them to show us ..only once but it was almost as if she was saying to us " look at my babies didn't I do well !!" the most we counted was ten !!

[Delboy]

Well it's been a lovely sunny day here today not a cloud in the sky.

So this morning I cut the grass and tidied up the flower border, and this afternoon whilst Lorraine was decorating the dining room, I sat out on the patio soaking up the suns rays.

What's this got to do with birds you may ask.

Well our back garden is very quiet, and all I could hear all afternoon, was the various songs of the birds singing and very pleasant it was. There was the odd squawk of the sea gulls and the cooing of the pigeons, but mainly the pleasant songs from the smaller birds. Not another sound, not even Lorraine's paint brush.

Lorraine tells me it is like that early in the morning sitting in the conservatory, listening to the songs from the birds, as they awake to face another day. I cannot confirm that as I am normally tucked up in bed, waiting for my early morning cup of tea to arrive

Our neighbours at the bottom of our garden used to keep chickens, and the cockerel was always making a din, but did not hear them today. Maybe he has eaten them, he is the local mr good life and the Green Party candidate.

Since he moved in he has turned what was a lovely open garden (very large), into an Eco friendly, self sufficient garden, more reminiscence of steptoe & sons yard. Thank god for fencing.

[Serendipity]

Oh dear Delboy I think Steptoe's grandson has moved in next to us!
He is currently building a sitting area which he has painted off white, rest of his garden is a tip!
Thank goodness we can only see it from upstairs.
Got lots of lovely birds coming in for food at the moment, tits, tree creepers, bullfinch, robins, today we had a couple of visits from a woodpecker.

[Dancing Queen]

Been absolutely beautiful here in Derbyshire too Derek, definitely a day for being outside and doing lots of clearing up from the harsh winter, windows/frames and guttering have all been washed and are "sparkling", both sheds have had a good clear out ... I live in hope for the garage !!

Next week ... patio to be power washed and the garden furniture to be put out then I'm all ready to put my feet up and watch OH doing the gardening ( I only supervise )

[gfwgfw]

Darling Mo

I have warned you several times

Do not over indulge the "magic Mushrooms"

Lubooo to bits

G x

[Dancing Queen]

Darling Mo

I have warned you several times

Do not over indulge the "magic Mushrooms"

Lubooo to bits

G x

Graham I will forgive you because J and M are very close together on the keyboard .... or have you been indulging in the "Magic Mushrooms"

Lubooo you too

[oldbluefox]

gfw should've gone to Specsavers!!!

[Delboy]

Been absolutely beautiful here in Derbyshire too Derek, definitely a day for being outside and doing lots of clearing up from the harsh winter, windows/frames and guttering have all been washed and are "sparkling", both sheds have had a good clear out ... I live in hope for the garage !!

Next week ... patio to be power washed and the garden furniture to be put out then I'm all ready to put my feet up and watch OH doing the gardening ( I only supervise )

Hi Jo

Cannot believe gfw got your J mixed up with an M

As for the cleaning out of the shed, window frames, guttering, garden furniture and power washing the patio, Lorraine has got them on her list to do, after she has completed the decorating,

Got a bit of a tan sitting in the garden this afternoon, listening to the bird's.

[Dancing Queen]

Me neither Delboy, as Foxy said he should have gone to "Specsavers"

I'm sure Lorraine has got things on "her "to do" list" don't put your feet up too soon though some of those jobs are probably "earmarked" for you

[Manoverboard]

Darling Mo

I have warned you several times

Do not over indulge the "magic Mushrooms"

Lubooo to bits

G x

Good morning Giant ... once you have got the sleepy dust out of your eyes.

Should this have been a PM and would you like me to delete it for you

[Manoverboard]

Hulloooo ... are you there just a tad

[Gill W]

We have a pair of wood pidgeons who are building a nest in one of our larger shrubs. There's also a pair of blackbirds who live in the garden. The male blackbird is quite bold, he doesn't take any notice of us when we are in the garden, and is happy to get within a few feet of us.

We also have other regular bird visitors - from memory we have collared doves, magpies, thrushes, wrens, chaffinches, goldfinches, robins, sparrows, and tits. We've also had, in the past, a peasant and a kestrel

I love watching them all. We live in a town, but are near a small wooded area, so I think that's why we get such a variety of bird life.