Feeding the birds

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kwackers
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by kwackers »

Lots of robins and blackbirds, doves, pigeons, blue tits, gold finches, sparrows and baby varieties thereof. The occasional thrush which I can hear but not always see.

If we put meal worms out the feeder gets attacked instantly by dozens of starlings which can empty it inside an hour.
Blackbirds and robins have figured out that there's food in the hedgehog box so they completely ransack it every day now.
We put scraps out for the foxes although they mainly come at night - but we have had the odd one sunbathing on the lawn.

Did find one of hour hogs dead in the garden with blood on the underside, no idea what had happened. The cat and the foxes usually give them a wide berth so whether it was already dead and something had a go at it I've no idea.
Took another one to the local rescue place that had gotten hit by the councils strimmer but sadly that didn't make it.

Lots of squirrels - despite the cat having caught and eaten at least 3 that we've spotted, field mice (again the occasional headless one turns up) and we've seen the cat making a run for it with a rat in its mouth on at least 3 occasions (I did rescue a rat from him the other day, his ambush technique had failed and his lunch was facing off to him. But it was making the most pitiful noise - very cute too in that rodenty sort of way. And quite brown, more like a rat version of a field mouse. I shoe'd the cat off and the rat moved off into the hedges. There's a stream opposite where I think they live.)
Vorpal
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Vorpal »

I haven't seen any robins recently, though we occasionally have a pair around. We've got blue tits, coal tits, & great tits, chaffinch, green finch, field fairs, black birds, magpies, sparrows, wagtails, and I'm pretty sure I saw a wren the other day. I've also seen some swallows or martins. I didn't get a good enough look to determine which, but they weren't long-tailed. We very occasionally have yellow finches, but I haven't seen any recently. We put up fat balls for them, and the people in our downstairs flat have a window feeder that they put sunflower seeds in, so our birds are well fed. We also have a nesting box under the eaves of the shed, and that has had blue tits in it the last couple of years.

There are lots of cats around here, but ours only go out supervised. They aren't allowed to hunt birds. I did see a local cat catch a sparrow a couple of days ago. I don't like to see that. I'd rather others did as we do, and keep their cats in, or take them out under supervision or on leads.
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mercalia
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

Vorpal wrote:I haven't seen any robins recently, though we occasionally have a pair around. We've got blue tits, coal tits, & great tits, chaffinch, green finch, field fairs, black birds, magpies, sparrows, wagtails, and I'm pretty sure I saw a wren the other day. I've also seen some swallows or martins. I didn't get a good enough look to determine which, but they weren't long-tailed. We very occasionally have yellow finches, but I haven't seen any recently. We put up fat balls for them, and the people in our downstairs flat have a window feeder that they put sunflower seeds in, so our birds are well fed. We also have a nesting box under the eaves of the shed, and that has had blue tits in it the last couple of years.

There are lots of cats around here, but ours only go out supervised. They aren't allowed to hunt birds. I did see a local cat catch a sparrow a couple of days ago. I don't like to see that. I'd rather others did as we do, and keep their cats in, or take them out under supervision or on leads.


I use a catapault on the cats around here, you should see them run when a mud ball ricochets near by
kwackers
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by kwackers »

Vorpal wrote:There are lots of cats around here, but ours only go out supervised. They aren't allowed to hunt birds. I did see a local cat catch a sparrow a couple of days ago. I don't like to see that. I'd rather others did as we do, and keep their cats in, or take them out under supervision or on leads.

I'd agree but our last two cats were rescue Bengals that aren't used to being kept in doors. They're not great cats as pets anyway, too close to being wild and being quite intelligent get bored very easily. (The last one had been re-homed five times in five years and wasn't particularly trusting of people).

We have tried to keep them indoors from time to time but it's quite distressing to see them running round getting more and more frantic and throwing themselves at windows.
Tried collars as well, the current cat just backs into a corner quite distressed and continually trying to get it off. After that it won't come near you for days and woe betide you if you even look like you might be holding something.

Personally I'd like to see less pets in general, their overall impact isn't great no matter what sort they are.
francovendee
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by francovendee »

It's not a good idea to keep a cat if you live in a flat. They're not happy being confined. My daughter had two in a flat and they always looked out the windows. When they moved to a house with a garden the cats spent most of their time outside. Obviously that's where they felt happiest.
mercalia
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

francovendee wrote:It's not a good idea to keep a cat if you live in a flat. They're not happy being confined. My daughter had two in a flat and they always looked out the windows. When they moved to a house with a garden the cats spent most of their time outside. Obviously that's where they felt happiest.


well some cats have been brought up as house cats? My sisters would have fits if put out side, they didnt like it.
kwackers
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by kwackers »

mercalia wrote:
francovendee wrote:It's not a good idea to keep a cat if you live in a flat. They're not happy being confined. My daughter had two in a flat and they always looked out the windows. When they moved to a house with a garden the cats spent most of their time outside. Obviously that's where they felt happiest.


well some cats have been brought up as house cats? My sisters would have fits if put out side, they didnt like it.

I think if you get a cat as a kitten you can probably bring it up as a house cat - some cats (Bengals amongst others) don't make good house cats unless you can keep them entertained all the time.

In truth I think if you're thinking of having a house cat you should buy a hamster or consider a new hobby instead.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Hamsters are good, they do not live 15+ years

Cats.. Why, why not?
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Vorpal
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Vorpal »

Our cats seem ok with the supervised outings. One of them like to wander, but he prefers to know where I am. He will go outside with me, and visit the neighbouring gardens and things, but if I go in, he wants to come in with me. He was a stray cat most of his life (we think he is around 15), and adopted me. He might be afraid that he won't get back in, if he doesn't go with me. Or maybe he just knows which side his bread is buttered on. :lol: He does like watching the birds out the window, though. He will also watch those 'bird videos for cats' on YouTube. The others aren't too bothered with them. One of cats does not like to go out at all. He will sit on our balcony if the sun is on it, but not go out any of the other doors. He is a bit nervous, generally, though. He used to go out some when we lived in England, but we had a tiny garden there. He never tried going anywhere else. He would just catch frogs (we had some in our pond), then not know what to do with them.
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philvantwo
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by philvantwo »

Lots of gold finches have suddenly appeared in our garden also about 20 starlings yesterday morning when I got up for work.
But last night they were back.........3 more squirrels on the bird table!!! Air rifle time. :(
Oldjohnw
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Oldjohnw »

Yesterday out cycling plus day before walking: heron, swan, curlew, lapwing, cuckoo, buzzard, kestrel, chiffchaff, mistle thrush, yellow hammer, wheatear, stonechat plus the usual suspects.

A stoat ran straight across the road in front of me carrying a baby bunny. Obviously had its own little family to feed somewhere.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Seen several woodpeckers but not got a photo yet
The head of a woodpecker is specially designed so that the brain is not damaged when the bird hammers its beak against a tree trunk. The impacts are very short and the brain weighs a couple of grams only. A human brain weighs 1.4 Kg
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Paulatic
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Paulatic »

We’ve a Woodpecker comes every day. Put out a fat ball and it’s their within minutes.
Don’t tell the RSPB though as I recall years ago trying to put it into their bird survey and they consistently told me I couldn’t have one because they are not a garden bird. :lol:
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kwackers
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by kwackers »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Seen several woodpeckers but not got a photo yet
The head of a woodpecker is specially designed so that the brain is not damaged when the bird hammers its beak against a tree trunk. The impacts are very short and the brain weighs a couple of grams only. A human brain weighs 1.4 Kg

It also hammers its head in a parallel motion.
Nature knows a thing or two about rotational injuries...
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

@Paulatic: Please, what sort of woodpecker? Any photos?
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