Bird Flu and Wild Birds around your area

[Pan mixer]

We usually have lots of wild birds. In fact, when it comes to geese and swans we can have rather too many especially when they are grazing our crops.

This time of year we usually have a flock of 5 -800 Canadas and Greylags grazing stubbles.

This year we have about 10 only.

The ducks seem fine, unlike other peoples stories our wood pigeons are dropping out of trees.

Doesn't seem to have affected the rooks though they are behaving differently - roosting on our pastures rather than in the trees a few miles away where they have been going on autumn evenings ever since anyone local can remember.

Bad picture but it was almost dark - several hundred there.

 

[steveR]

Seeing more pigeons than usual on teh floor, or piles of feathers at least. Less Buzzards I suspect.

Acres and acres of wild bird food here, bugger all little birds. Just one or two small flocks, but I do hope they will find it.

And I sincerely hope that our Barnies who are solitary birds, survive the winter..

 

[Yale]

We had no house martins nesting on the house this year, not sure why but it is sad if they are perishing.

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

We had no house martins nesting on the house this year, not sure why but it is sad if they are perishing.

'My' house martins did well this year - raised three broods and there were a lot flying every evening over the village.

However, I noticed the other day that there are hardly any sparrows about, dunnocks too. Rooks are still plentiful for now, woodies too.

It's really noticeable how quiet it is morning and evening without skeins of geese and swans overhead.

I think East Anglia's birds are being hit pretty hard, swans and other waterfowl are being euthanised on the Broads.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/202...at-national-park-as-bird-flu-outbreak-spirals

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/local-council/bird-flu-norfolk-broads-fears-paul-rice-9324420

 

[Yale]

'My' house martins did well this year - raised three broods and there were a lot flying every evening over the village.

However, I noticed the other day that there are hardly any sparrows about, dunnocks too. Rooks are still plentiful for now, woodies too.

It's really noticeable how quiet it is morning and evening without skeins of geese and swans overhead.

I think East Anglia's birds are being hit pretty hard, swans and other waterfowl are being euthanised on the Broads.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/202...at-national-park-as-bird-flu-outbreak-spirals

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/local-council/bird-flu-norfolk-broads-fears-paul-rice-9324420

Funny enough we have heaps of sparrows, they have even invaded the house Martin nests.

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

Funny enough we have heaps of sparrows, they have even invaded the house Martin nests.

That happened here last year and the house martins went elsewhere.

However this year the house martins' nests fell down when we had those three storms in a row so the sparrows were out of luck and moved into the house roof space instead. Fortunately it rained in May enough for there to be mud a couple of days after the house martins arrived and they got the first nest built with eggs in it within a fortnight.

I have thought about putting up those fake house martin nest cups but there's no point if the sparrows move in first.

 

[Kidds]

I have been wondering where the Redwings and Fieldfares have got to. I may be wrong as I have never kept a diary of when they arrive but expected some to be around by now.
Last week I thought I got a glimpse of some at home on a couple of occasions but not enough to be sure.
At the weekend I went to Herefordshire to pick some cider apples and did spot some but not many. Even heard them too to confirm it was them.

It could well be I am just expecting them earlier than they normally arrive.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Seen in the 10s of wood pigeons either on the ground flightless or ex pigeons having been eaten by a passing predator.

Not seen many in the sky either.

 

[thorpe]

Funny enough we have heaps of sparrows, they have even invaded the house Martin nests.

sparrows in abundance they wot let the tits get to the bird feeders. lots rooks crows starlings more and more buzzards a lot less canada's nomaly skeen after skeen morning and night, the odd half dozen now .

 

[Bald Rick]

We usually have lots of wild birds. In fact, when it comes to geese and swans we can have rather too many especially when they are grazing our crops.

This time of year we usually have a flock of 5 -800 Canadas and Greylags grazing stubbles.

This year we have about 10 only.

The ducks seem fine, unlike other peoples stories our wood pigeons are dropping out of trees.

Doesn't seem to have affected the rooks though they are behaving differently - roosting on our pastures rather than in the trees a few miles away where they have been going on autumn evenings ever since anyone local can remember.

Bad picture but it was almost dark - several hundred there.

View attachment 1072009

Pfft. I laugh at your 5-800 geese .... can add at least another zero to that when it comes to starlings. Turn the cows from ginger to white and make all surfaces untouchable.

I'm hoping that, as we have a very local outbreak of bird flu, they will all die but the pluckers appear immune (as I suspected the horrors to be)

 

[thorpe]

Pfft. I laugh at your 5-800 geese .... can add at least another zero to that when it comes to starlings. Turn the cows from ginger to white and make all surfaces untouchable.

I'm hoping that, as we have a very local outbreak of bird flu, they will all die but the pluckers appear immune (as I suspected the horrors to be)

having seen your previous post's i dont know how you put up with it

 

[Alias]

Couple of hundred fieldfares here yesterday so they’re back

 

[Bald Rick]

having seen your previous post's i dont know how you put up with it

Because it's an unwinnable battle and your head would explode if you let it

 

[thorpe]

Because it's an unwinnable battle and your head would explode if you let it

farming on the urban fringe (literally) we have the same problem with dog sh!t and i jest not!

 

[benny6910]

I’ve seen a couple of dead seagulls in fields as I’ve been drilling and spraying. Don’t really see many normally. Got a lot of pigeons on second wheat that hasn’t emerged yet and on my late drilled osr. Shame bird flu isn’t thinning the flying rats out but I suppose we’re not that lucky.

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

I have been wondering where the Redwings and Fieldfares have got to. I may be wrong as I have never kept a diary of when they arrive but expected some to be around by now.
Last week I thought I got a glimpse of some at home on a couple of occasions but not enough to be sure.
At the weekend I went to Herefordshire to pick some cider apples and did spot some but not many. Even heard them too to confirm it was them.

It could well be I am just expecting them earlier than they normally arrive.

None here yet.

My village and the neighbouring ones are blighted with on-going housing development so many of the hedges and fields they'd feed in have been destroyed. It maybe we won't get them here any longer.

 

[thorpe]

None here yet.

My village and the neighbouring ones are blighted with on-going housing development so many of the hedges and fields they'd feed in have been destroyed. It maybe we won't get them here any longer.

it's not really cold enough for them yet is it? a bit early.

 

[Wilksy]

Plenty of hawthorns for them when they do turn up

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

it's not really cold enough for them yet is it? a bit early.

My diary notes from the past ten years say they've turned up from 19th October to 8th November, so there's plenty of time yet. I dunno what the weather's like in the frozen north at the moment but yes, probably not cold enough.

 

[Dry Rot]

'My' house martins did well this year - raised three broods and there were a lot flying every evening over the village.

However, I noticed the other day that there are hardly any sparrows about, dunnocks too. Rooks are still plentiful for now, woodies too.

It's really noticeable how quiet it is morning and evening without skeins of geese and swans overhead.

I think East Anglia's birds are being hit pretty hard, swans and other waterfowl are being euthanised on the Broads.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/202...at-national-park-as-bird-flu-outbreak-spirals

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/local-council/bird-flu-norfolk-broads-fears-paul-rice-9324420

Put up a few nest boxes and your hens on free access hoppers and the sparrows will soon be shitting all over your machinery. Now, how do I know that? I can't say I've noticed as many geese around though. 40 miles north of Inverness.