- Location
- Lincolnshire
I’ve noticed far fewer small birds about the sheds and garden this winter. So I just wondered if anybody else had noticed the same. ( Started off in the holly berry thread but thought it might be worth a poll.)
Fewer Small Birds About this Winter?
- Thread starter DrWazzock
- Start date
shelly reynolds
Member
We've had some excellent wild bird covers this time with masses of Sunflowers, covered in small birds.....but don't ask me which ones.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Maybe that’s where they are so they aren’t hanging around yards and gardens. Not a single sparrow here when normally there are dozens. Mild weather, more bird feed strips, bird flu, hawks. I don’t know but wondered what others have observed.
Farmers will get the blame for planting all these stupid wasted bird mixes, have a feeling it's more to do with changing weather patterns & birds following traditional weather patterns elsewhere, we certainly have less here this year & nothing has changed here in Devon other than the weather.
serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
That's what I thought , bound to be twisted around when the public say there's no birds in their gardens
Cos there all in the fields eating the magic mix
- Location
- Lincolnshire
One thing that occurs to me is our sparrows lost access to our lovely dry high protein RT assured grain when we moved to central storage and longer scavenge grains spilt when feeding livestock. The stuff on these bird strips is mouldy as hell especially after this constantly wet autumn. I’ll bet it would fail a DON or ZON test. With the small birds here actually having become attuned to a diet that was a safe clean product of commercial farming rather than a variable and mouldy crop of often new and alien species you have to wonder if the farmyard birds in particular can actually cope with this change and if it’s distorting populations with unintended consequences.
I’d guess it’s more to do with bird flu or climate change but it does make you wonder.
I’d guess it’s more to do with bird flu or climate change but it does make you wonder.
ollie989898
Member
Best thing for small birds is to start a very modest shoot on your farm and plant strips of game crops of various types. Preferably close to lots of mature trees and grown up hedgerows which offer them some protection from raptors.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I think supplementary feeding with grain out of the shed was lifesaver to a lot of small birds.
serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
Never thought of that one , the birds could be evolved to bird tables and the "weaker ones" have survived when normally they would have died out and the more vigorous strain survived and as you say they get a dose of this sh!t and it wipes em out
.Wonder who's fault that would be ....
serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
"Endangered " species they are
- Location
- North West
Same here there must be thousands on our ab9, the sky goes black when they all take up! Can’t say what they are though, seem smaller and faster than sparrows and there’s two or three different flocks/species on there as well.
organicguy
Member
- Location
- North East of the south west
Had a group of long tailed tits at the bird table in the week, 5m from kitchen window. Sparrow hawk swooped in and took one. Mrs Og incensed, riggs up a scarecrow including very net hanging from arms. Today hawk comes in opposite way!
- Location
- S E Glos
Other than the usual flocks of goldfinches, hardly any small birds around here.
Tamar
Member
Had a huge amount more tree sparrows in the last few years............
...............then we got a few extra sparrow hawks about and the tree sparrows were thinned out...
Is there a link !!
The bird people love all these buzzards, hawks etc, so it must be the farmers fault for the decline in small birds. twits !
...............then we got a few extra sparrow hawks about and the tree sparrows were thinned out...
Is there a link !!
The bird people love all these buzzards, hawks etc, so it must be the farmers fault for the decline in small birds. twits !
- Location
- Yorkshire coast
Less birds but have less stock as well. There must be a connection, less creep feeders for birds to access? Less troughs with spilt barley round them, less round feeders with grass seed sprinkled from them?
haymaker80
Member
- Location
- Stafford
We've got more birds on the feeders in the garden than we've ever had, blue tits and Great tits especially. Only thing I haven't seen this year are the big flocks of greenfinches we get most autumns
ollie989898
Member
Used to see dozens of sparrows about in the yard hoovering up the slightest bit of spilt grain. And bales of straw seemed to be especially interesting to them.