Feeding the birds

[Cyril Haearn]

The thrushes eat all the flesh of fallen apples and leave the skin, very tidy +1

Just now I heard a great *twittering*, lots of little voices, went out to look but could not see anything (birds in the bush?). Went back inside, a few minutes later it stopped suddenly. Might even have only been one or two birds

Maybe we should be feeding more because glyphosat may still be used to take care of insects

[old_windbag]

When I hear a sudden type of silence.... and it is a specific silence. Then I know that when I look out the likelihood is there will be a sparrowhawk present. The birds response to that is distinct from the sudden appearance of a cat, they go deadly silent for the sparrowhawk as it is a serious threat. The cats are too but in a more controlled manner, the birds know how to escape them using flight, with the sparrowhawk thats not really a great option unless you think you can outrun it.

I have many dense bushes that the birds instantly fly into, quite safe but on lockdown until the threat moves on. To see the agility of a sparrowhawk and its ability to fly and effectively walk combined to get its prey is quite disconcerting. It really is top of the foodchain around here.

[Cyril Haearn]

Some birds swarm and mob the predators

Maybe the predators are cowards like all bullies, they go for prey that is lonely and/or weak (my pop psychology %))

[old_windbag]

Well would you expend 3 or 4 times the effort to chase down fully fit prey when a weakened bird will give you the same calories for a fraction of the effort. No bullying just efficient use of energy. It has to stay alive.

If humans still lived( well some still do ) in their natural state hunting and gathering food. Then that effort input for the gain received would be ingrained in our instinct.

[Vorpal]

Well would you expend 3 or 4 times the effort to chase down fully fit prey when a weakened bird will give you the same calories for a fraction of the effort. No bullying just efficient use of energy. It has to stay alive.

If humans still lived( well some still do ) in their natural state hunting and gathering food. Then that effort input for the gain received would be ingrained in our instinct.

Our natural state is using our brains to make our lives eaiser, so we can go out and ride our bikes instead of hunting weakened animals for prey.

[old_windbag]

so we can go out and ride our bikes instead of hunting weakened animals for prey.

Then we can become the prey of the articulated lorry or suv

[pwa]

Can I remind people (many of you will know this already) of the importance of keeping bird food out of reach of rats. They eat bird food that ends up on the ground.

A few weeks ago our tortoise, beginning his hibernation, was attacked by rats that gnawed their way into our garden shed. Partly our fault for not rat-proofing the shed adequately, so we are feeling guilty. The poor little thing has lost one of his front legs to the rats and due to infection he nearly died. Happily we have him back from the vets and I have fashioned a wheel attached to his underside with epoxy putty, and he is moving around quite easily.

We have had rats around here before and the council's rat man always lays the blame on careless bird feeding. So if you are feeding the birds (a good thing) please give it some thought.

[mnichols]

Can I remind people (many of you will know this already) of the importance of keeping bird food out of reach of rats. They eat bird food that ends up on the ground.

A few weeks ago our tortoise, beginning his hibernation, was attacked by rats that gnawed their way into our garden shed. Partly our fault for not rat-proofing the shed adequately, so we are feeling guilty. The poor little thing has lost one of his front legs to the rats and due to infection he nearly died. Happily we have him back from the vets and I have fashioned a wheel attached to his underside with epoxy putty, and he is moving around quite easily.

We have had rats around here before and the council's rat man always lays the blame on careless bird feeding. So if you are feeding the birds (a good thing) please give it some thought.

How do you stop bird food ending up on the ground?

[Mistik-ka]

How do you stop bird food ending up on the ground?

Clean-up crew.

[661-Pete]

Greater Spotted Woodpecker in our garden this morning.

Quite common in the neighbourhood, can often be heard drumming wherever there's a small copse: it's the actual visit to our postage-stamp of a garden that's the unusual occurrence. Needless to say, it took no interest in our bird-feeders, instead paying attention to a nearby tree from which it presumably derived all the sustenance it needed.

[CliveyT]

Some birds swarm and mob the predators

Maybe the predators are cowards like all bullies, they go for prey that is lonely and/or weak (my pop psychology %))

Starlings will take flight and start calling whenever sp'rawks around. In open air there's no way they'll get caught then. There are pictures of a flock of starlings flying towards a peregrine so that's how competent they are in their own manoeuvrability.
During the breeding season a lot of birds will gather together to shout at a prowling cat- If you know where it is then you're unlikely to get caught. When you don't have fledglings around maybe it's less important? As long as you've seen the threat who cares abut anyone else?

[661-Pete]

In our area it's the buzzards that get mobbed - mostly by crows, rooks and jackdaws. It's only really necessary during the fledgling season but the mobbing seems to go on all year round. The buzzard doesn't seem to get too bothered at this sort of treatment: as far as we can tell it continues flying normally but gradually moves away to a fresh territory. Perhaps there's some sort of avian 'gentleman's agreement': if you get mobbed, you move on, no argument! Think of it as the umpire raising his finger (as seems to happen rather too often if you bat for England...... ).

[Cyril Haearn]

The larger fleas have smaller fleas
Upon their backs to bite them
The smaller fleas have tiny fleas
And on ad infinitum

The small birds fight back so the big birds cannot eat them all, there is a sort of balance

I like vultures, their digestion is adapted so they can enjoy eating rotten meat. Not sure whether I have ever seen one

Anybody noticed a decline in insect numbers? Years ago cars would be plastered with dead insects in the summer, but now?

[pwa]

Can I remind people (many of you will know this already) of the importance of keeping bird food out of reach of rats. They eat bird food that ends up on the ground.

A few weeks ago our tortoise, beginning his hibernation, was attacked by rats that gnawed their way into our garden shed. Partly our fault for not rat-proofing the shed adequately, so we are feeling guilty. The poor little thing has lost one of his front legs to the rats and due to infection he nearly died. Happily we have him back from the vets and I have fashioned a wheel attached to his underside with epoxy putty, and he is moving around quite easily.

We have had rats around here before and the council's rat man always lays the blame on careless bird feeding. So if you are feeding the birds (a good thing) please give it some thought.

How do you stop bird food ending up on the ground?

Well firstly, the degree to which we fail to do that is the degree to which we feed the rats. And rats only choose to live where there is a food supply.

Clearly, food picked up and dropped by birds is outside our control. But immediately around our feeding facilities we have more control. Look around your feeding facilities. Is there food on the ground? If so you are probably feeding rats.

The tortoise, by the way, now has an excellent prosthetic wheel which he is using to great effect. The rats have been taking the poison I've left for them in the shed. I'm not normally a fan of poison, but the gloves are off now.

[Cyril Haearn]

+1, the tortoise will outlive them all

Any chance of a picture?
Diolch