samboy Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 Hi gang. My back garden is about 100 ft x 25 ft. I have hedges one side and a couple of large shrubs on the other side. Also a couple of large trees and a bird feeder with seed and peanuts in it. Except for 2 pigeons there has not been a small bird about for weeks. Next doors cat is a regular stalker which i scare off at every chance i get. So do you think it's the cat or just that the birds are on holiday ?. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B686 Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 No cats where I live , loads of birds about all the time. There was about 20 mistle thrushes in the paddock at the back the other morning been about lat couple of weeks. Not a great pic but the blurry lumps are them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 any sparrowhawks about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 The position and types of feeder make a big difference to which birds visit your garden, and what else is around. I don't feed seed or nuts in the garden, not much tends to bother with them, sunflower hearts are my go to, along with Nyger seed and fat balls, I've been getting loads of birds in, mostly early morning though, as most birds should be off in the bushes now eating bugs. Lots of cover close to the feeders. There is another feeder across from this, shrubs and trees down both sides and a wood beyond our garden. Loads of cats come through, but not too much of a problem as the feeders are up near the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samboy Posted July 13 Author Report Share Posted July 13 9 minutes ago, old'un said: any sparrowhawks about? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 Our biggest problem is the Great Black Back Gull , they sit on my bungalow roof until I put the morning feed down , don't matters how small I make the pieces of old bread or whatever they still manage to eat it , apart from them we have several W / Pigeons , Blackbirds , Robin , Magpie and few others come in from time to time , I now find if I leave the feed till later the Gulls have gone elsewhere and the Pigeons soon make short work with what is on offer . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 6 hours ago, old'un said: any sparrowhawks about? I suffer with them here. If i feed for long the birds are drawn in and a few weeks later feathers on the lawn. I have tucked the feeders in the shrubs so that the birds have a chance but the thing is so fast it's just a blur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 We get Sparrowhawks zipping through the garden, but I've still got 8 or 9 different species in the garden this morning, cool damp morning with a fine rain, just what you want for kids rugby at 10am 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 Why are people so hung up about sparrowhawks ?! They've got to eat, and their main diet is other birds 🤷♂️ They don't kill indiscriminately do they ? I'll answer that for you,,,, NO ! Mini rant over 😠🙃😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B686 Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 We get sparrow hawks also they get the odd one but still have plenty of different birds in the garden so be it . Rather them than cats.Took this pic this winter just gone , it had just made a failed attempt of getting the sparrows in the garden and st in the field pondering it next assault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 24 minutes ago, JKD said: Why are people so hung up about sparrowhawks ?! They've got to eat, and their main diet is other birds 🤷♂️ They don't kill indiscriminately do they ? I'll answer that for you,,,, NO ! Mini rant over 😠🙃😆 Guess you could say the same about magpies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 Just now, B686 said: We get sparrow hawks also they get the odd one but still have plenty of different birds in the garden so be it . Rather them than cats.Took this pic this winter just gone , it had just made a failed attempt of getting the sparrows in the garden and st in the field pondering it next assault. I love seeing them,,,, all BOP actually 😀 Their hit rate is quite low,,,, 1/10 approximately 🙃 Down at my GF's we had a feed station set up above and on a [stock] fence bordering a crop field, in line of sight from the kitchen door. Many a time I'd open the door early to let the dogs out and a sparrowhawk would burst out of a bush, leaving behind a pile of feathers 🙂 Also seen them on their way in,,,, low down above the crop, zeroing in onto the bird table,,,, brilliant sight 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 1 minute ago, JKD said: I love seeing them,,,, all BOP actually 😀 Their hit rate is quite low,,,, 1/10 approximately 🙃 Down at my GF's we had a feed station set up above and on a [stock] fence bordering a crop field, in line of sight from the kitchen door. Many a time I'd open the door early to let the dogs out and a sparrowhawk would burst out of a bush, leaving behind a pile of feathers 🙂 Also seen them on their way in,,,, low down above the crop, zeroing in onto the bird table,,,, brilliant sight 😃 1 in 10 in the wild over a bird feeder brobably 1 in 5 they mention Spars because they will scare off other birds 🐦 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 2 minutes ago, old'un said: Guess you could say the same about magpies. Not at all ! They only attack nests [mainly], not adult birds, unless they are injured or poorly ? I despise magpies and will try to shoot them whenever I can 👍 1 minute ago, Rim Fire said: 1 in 10 in the wild over a bird feeder brobably 1 in 5 they mention Spars because they will scare off other birds 🐦 The "other birds" will soon get back to feeding after a BOP "strike". They don't go into hiding for hours 🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B686 Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 3 minutes ago, Rim Fire said: 1 in 10 in the wild over a bird feeder brobably 1 in 5 they mention Spars because they will scare off other birds 🐦 They don’t scare them off here. Everything is back 10 minutes later.They could do with thinning out the bloody collard doves though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B686 Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 One bird that has really declined where I live is swallows. There are stables where I live and in the last 4 years it’s gone from 10 nesting pairs too 1 this year, really sad . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 21 minutes ago, JKD said: Not at all ! They only attack nests [mainly], not adult birds, unless they are injured or poorly ? I despise magpies and will try to shoot them whenever I can 👍 The "other birds" will soon get back to feeding after a BOP "strike". They don't go into hiding for hours 🙄 My point exactly, magpies will take mainly eggs and chicks/fledglings during the spring/summer, they will on occasions catch and kill small adult birds. Sparrow hawks will kill young birds and rob nestlings, they kill adult birds all year round and during the breeding season will take an average of 6 or 7 song birds a day. We have feeding stations in the garden and we get hit two or three times a day by Spars, there's at least one kill in our garden every day or so, most of the Spars come from a 200 acre nature reserve at the back of the houses in our avenue. Dashing they maybe but in my opinion Spars are worse than magpies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 4 minutes ago, B686 said: One bird that has really declined where I live is swallows. There are stables where I live and in the last 4 years it’s gone from 10 nesting pairs too 1 this year, really sad . I've noticed that too,,,, but the neighbours that have [had😟] them nesting in their barn/oak car-port, have closed them off/adapted them 🙄. Wire netting along the eaves of the immediate neighbour's house has stopped the house martins nesting there, so don't see many of them either 😕 Lots of sparrows, starlings, quite a few chaffinch in the main,,,, lots of blue and great tits as well 🙂 2 minutes ago, old'un said: My point exactly, magpies will take mainly eggs and chicks/fledglings during the spring/summer, they will on occasions catch and kill small adult birds. Sparrow hawks will kill young birds and rob nestlings, they kill adult birds all year round and during the breeding season will take an average of 6 or 7 song birds a day. We have feeding stations in the garden and we get hit two or three times a day by Spars, there's at least one kill in our garden every day or so, most of the Spars come from a 200 acre nature reserve at the back of the houses in our avenue. Dashing they maybe but in my opinion Spars are worse than magpies. And yet, you still see lots of birds at your feeding stations 🙂👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 Just now, JKD said: I've noticed that too,,,, but the neighbours that have [had😟] them nesting in their barn/oak car-port, have closed them off/adapted them 🙄. Wire netting along the eaves of the immediate neighbour's house has stopped the house martins nesting there, so don't see many of them either 😕 Lots of sparrows, starlings, quite a few chaffinch in the main,,,, lots of blue and great tits as well 🙂 And yet, you still see lots of birds at your feeding stations 🙂👍 We also have plenty of birds visiting our feeders but my point was how we persecute magpies yet mention the damage spars do and everyone as a benny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 16 minutes ago, old'un said: We also have plenty of birds visiting our feeders but my point was how we persecute magpies yet mention the damage spars do and everyone as a benny. 👍🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miserableolgit Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 45 minutes ago, B686 said: One bird that has really declined where I live is swallows. There are stables where I live and in the last 4 years it’s gone from 10 nesting pairs too 1 this year, really sad . We have not seen a decline but they did arrive late this year but quickly took up residence in their usual places in our yard and stables. Interestingly we seem to have more this year and they’ve built a couple of new nests. First hatch are on the wing and scans lot have hatched and active in the nests. The cold, wet weather has not helped the insects and we are overdue some sunshine and warm. Not so many sparrow hawks about at present but the usual number of buzzards and kites. Owl activity is down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutton1702 Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 It will gonna be like Tom and Jerry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 4 hours ago, Rim Fire said: 1 in 10 in the wild over a bird feeder brobably 1 in 5 they mention Spars because they will scare off other birds 🐦 Nothing like that in my garden, when I have seen a Sparrowhawk go through our garden they just dive through hoping it seems to just hit something as the birds flee for cover, I've only ever seen two hits and the odd patch of feathers on the ground. Magpies obviously hunt out the nests working in pairs or groups, that's the big difference for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marquesgriffin Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 The absence of small birds in your garden could be influenced by the regular presence of your neighbor's cat, which may deter birds due to the threat of predation. Despite providing cover and bird feed, the cat's stalking behavior could outweigh these factors in bird behavior. Seasonal variations in bird activity might also play a role, but minimizing the cat's presence and maintaining a safe environment could encourage bird visits over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 This the view from our garden,,,, feed station [just visible] bottom left. 😃 Lots of bushes further to the left for cover for the little birds 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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