Swallows 2023

[farmbrew]

I think bird flu has had an impact on many species, magpies, kestrels , sparrow hawks and buzzard numbers reduces around here. Fox numbers also seem lower. Guessing anything that predates on dead birds may be suffering.

 

[glow worm]

Been saying all summer re impact of bird flu on resident birds. The huge decline of resident birds has been so very noticeable. A beautifully evening last week. Clear skies, warm barmy breeze, just gorgeous. Should have been flocks LT Tits, Robin's, Backbird etc etc and perfect conditions for mewing buzzards of which we used to commonly see 4+ at any one time. I stood in a field away from any buildings and heard .. nothing. Total silence. So sad and, generally, only noticed by country people

 

[jondear]

Lots of both here very good year . Livestock= flies !

 

[Jonp]

Same here, loads of sparrows, wagtails, crows, jackdaws, swallows, magpies, buzzards and the starlings are back, thankfully the blinkin geese have gone elsewhere. But not so many blackbirds or robins or other song birds.

 

[glow worm]

Same here, loads of sparrows, wagtails, crows, jackdaws, swallows, magpies, buzzards and the starlings are back, thankfully the blinkin geese have gone elsewhere. But not so many blackbirds or robins or other song birds.

Starlings? Did you say starlings are back already ‍

 

[jondear]

Hardly ever see a starling here .No maize !

 

[primmiemoo]

No starlings, yet. Swallows have had a bumper year. Seven nests, each with at least two broods. Two new nest sites made a dretful mess in the workshop, but the others are in traditional places, out of everyone's way ~ although the log pile is now enriched. The swallow flock has adopted an ash tree in a yard hedge to pitch in and socialise. Most days it's been alive with them.

House sparrow numbers have bounced back from a crash a few years back. Great tits, a bullfinch family, and any number of goldfinch make their rounds of the place. I haven't seen many magpies, and only heard one raven. The barn owls seem to have done ok. Nobody looked to see how many chicks they hatched, but two have made it this far.

 

[Av Gorritt]

We used to have an owl came through a broken window in the workshop and perched immediately over the power saw . didn't seem to worry him when we worked in there - hammering , banging , flashes . He stayed with us for a few years but one day we found him dead just outside the entrance / exit window . We frequently hear / see a woodpecker which is nice , but we have rather too many woodies for comfort - one comes most evenings and perches on my kitchen chimney stack ( warming his behind on the Rayburn flue pipe?) and starts to call - a monotonous "WOO-WOO --- WHOOP " which echoes down into the kitchen . I have a heavy spoon on the Rayburn top , and I give the stack pipe a bit of a wallop when it starts - stops him for a time .