Maidstone List

[Hevva]

Today I have had the following visitors -
Collared Dove (several)
Wood Pigeon (3)
Magpie (2)
Jay (1)
Pheasants (8 - 3 male plus 5 females)
Greenfinch (1)
Blue Tits (several)
Great Tit (1)
Robin (1)
Blackbird, female (1)
Song Thrush (1)
Mistle Thrush (1)
Dunnock (several)
Chaffinch (several)
Goldfinch (several)
Sparrows (about 20)
Starlings (about half a dozen)

First time in several days a greenfinch has appeared. Chaffinches are now appearing in greater numbers. Still waiting for a nuthatch and no sign of the Greater Spotted Woodie. Starling numbers have declined rapidly.

[Hevva]

Three long-tailed tits arrived on the fatball feeder this morning - my first ever. Really pleased.

[Hevva]

Nothing new to report here with numbers of starlings increasing slightly and the long tailed tits appeared for the second time today. There were 3 greenfinches on the sunflower hearts and I seem to have acquired several more blackbirds. Spring is obviously on the way as the three male pheasants are strutting their stuff and the females are only interested in the food (nothing changes!) I'm now putting out two large saucepans of seed, sunflower hearts and some sultanas on the ground each day - I'll have to get a job soon.

[Hevva]

February 2009

During the last couple of weeks, the following have appeared -
Blackbirds (at least 12 each day)
Thrush (1 song, 2 mistle)
Collared doves (at least 12)
Wood pigeon (2 - 3)
Feral pigeon? (strange looking bird with lots of white)
Starlings (very few - 4 or 5 at the most each day)
Goldfinch (at least 10 - 12)
Chaffinch (lots)
Greenfinch (2 pairs)
Siskin (pair occasionally)
Longtailed Tit (pair occasionally)
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Pheasant (8 - 10 each day)
Sparrows (up to 30 each day)
Robin (resident one bringing a friend !!)
Dunnock (up to 4 or 5)
Sparrowhawk (visited once and I'm now a collared dove short)
Kingfisher (once) - see photo

Still no sign of a nuthatch or spotted woodpecker :(

[Hevva]

Bird life has changed through the seasons - no thrushes and sparrow numbers down considerably.
Collared doves and wood pigeons still here.
Large numbers of greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch and all bred really well.
All the tit numbers have increased and again all bred really well.
Not a pheasant seen in a couple of months (bit of a relief really!)
Starling numbers soared over breeding season, with possibly 60 - 70 in the garden at any one time.
4 young jackdaws appeared for a couple of weeks.
Great spotted woodie and green woodie have both been around on occasions.
Blackbird numbers up to around 8 (and still begging for currants)
Heron has appeared and has left equally quickly!!
Last, but not least, a buzzard soared over the house last week (probably nothing much to all you lucky people to whom they are regular visitors but it caused great excitement here!!) :):)

[Hevva]

Three months later and life in the garden is still as busy.
The first pheasant since the spring arrived yesterday so that is obviously the beginning of expensive times to come.
The sparrows must be around the 40 mark regularly now and are emptying every feeder they can with their happy chirruping.
Greenfinches still come each day but their numbers are down to around 5 or 6 still with some youngsters
Blue, Great and Coal tits are all still around each day, although I guess these are this year's youngsters
One robin has appeared during the past week
Just a pair of blackbirds at the moment
Several dunnocks who also bred well
A wren was flitting through the shrubs yesterday
Starling numbers vary, but mostly down to half a dozen
The collared dove numbers are around 10 - 12 each day, but no wood pigeons.
I haven't seen a thrush of any type in the garden since very early spring.
Both green woodie and great spotted woodie have been visiting on several occasions
The sparrowhawk (both male and female) has visited as has the heron who must be most disappointed to find a netted pond - he sits on top of a tree and just looks now!
I'm sure I've missed something but, as a finale, we had just a fleeting visit on the peanuts from a lesser spotted woodie so just watching and hoping this may become a regular.

[Hevva]

Of course I missed something - the lovely goldies who are preferring the nyger seed at the moment to the sunflower hearts and usually number around 10 - 12, plus the chaffinches whose numbers have declined after a really good summer to about 3 or 4 a day.
My lone female pheasant is walking off down the garden as I write this and I'm just hoping she's not off to tell her friends that there's still loads of food left!

[Hevva]

Well, Christmas has come and gone and it is a little on the quiet side (posssibly in the main due to lack of starlings!) in the garden. I took all my feeders and birdbaths down for the month of October as I had several poorly greenfinches but, since then, nothing like the quantity of birds have returned. I still have a reasonable flock (around 20) of sparrows that visit each day, along with a dozen or so collared doves, several big fat woodpigeons and one or two starlings. Three or four goldfinches make short visits in the mornings, along with several chaffinch and a few blue tits, but no greenfinches have returned, although in September they were in double figures.
The heavy snow damaged the sparrows' favourite feeder on the patio and I replaced it with a much larger and more splendid one - guess what, not a bird has fed from it - must be the rather loud blue colour !!
The pheasants have returned - four beautiful ringnecks, along with three females. They come for around 10 minutes in the morning and the same during the afternoon and then retire under the bushes.
Blackbird numbers have increased to around 8 with the females still as volatile and demanding their raisins but the song thrush has only appeared a couple of times.
The robin is a regular visitor as is the green woodie who stays and digs in the lawn for up to half an hour.
A grey wagtail appeared round the pond just before Christmas, as did the heron who decided to stay put despite frantic tappings on the lounge window! The dog was then sent to put him up, although, judging by the amount of fish that have bred in the pond during the year, I could have fed him for a month!!!
Today, just to sum up a really good year, the kingfisher sat on the post just looking in the pond for around 5 minutes.

[Hevva]

As over the rest of the country, the weather here is awful and today the heavy snow is drifting in the strong winds. The birds are really struggling for food and fighting over every last bit. I have at least 10 blackbirds in the garden at the moment, one male with a broken leg who at least is being shown a bit of mercy by a couple of the more dominant females. We had around 8 fieldfares and a redwing under the feeders today, the first time we have seen either in the garden. I am feeding several times a day, in several places, but it all freezes so quickly and I'm sure the raisins must be like marbles by the time they're eaten! At least the robin and blue tits have discovered the small feeder attached to the kitchen window and are tucking in heartily.
On a warmer note, I have left the door to my old greenhouse open and when I went in there this morning a little dunnock was sitting on the shelf. I have now put a couple of bowls of seed in there and a few minutes ago a female blackbird was in there eating happily. Just hope they use it in the night to keep a bit dry and warm.
I've put out a tin of dog food and biscuits for the resident fox each evening but on the last two occasions he/she has taken off with the tupperware container as well so may have to eat off the snow tonight!

[Hevva]

Life here is very busy at the moment with lots of comings and goings. A pair of robins are using the small feeders attached to the kitchen window before flying off down to next door’s stable where they are building their regular nest. Several blue tits and great tits are visiting but I’m still not sure whether either has used the box yet. A pair of long tailed tits paid a fleeting visit last week. The pheasants still arrive each day and we are often given a lovely mating display, the males going round in circles nearly laying on their sides in a bid to impress. Several wood pigeons and collared doves each day with the latter being more interested in mating than eating. A pair of magpies and a single crow make a short visit each day. The goldfinches and greenfinches are around most of the day and I am still refilling the nyger feeder each evening. Sparrow numbers are down to around 4 or 5 each day with about the same number of dunnocks and starlings. The heron makes his daily tour of the gardens and sits on the top of the fir tree, on a branch which looks only strong enough to hold a sparrow. (I have put a photo under the photo section). We found him in the pond the other morning, standing on top of the netting. Blackbirds numbering about half a dozen, still arguing, but sadly no signs of any thrushes. Finally, a pair of mallards have called in each evening for the past fortnight – just a quick meal under the feeders and then back home (they haven’t tried our pond yet, thank goodness).
Just on the wildlife front, there have been signs of badgers at the bottom of the garden. Our large resident wild rabbit has been joined by a baby who jumps and skips his/her way through the day (oh, to be young) and our old dog fox seems to have disappeared only to be replaced by a very young and confident vixen who trots up the middle of the lawn early each evening and took a great fancy to the dog’s bone.

[Hevva]

The garden is full of new life now. Three or four little spotty robins rushing around and to-day three very young goldfinches pecking at some dandelions on the lawn. The tit box is inhabited by great tits, although until to-day I thought it was empty. It is very badly situated, right above the feeders, but the chorus was loud and clear when I re-filled the nyger, and I saw both mum and dad go in.
The pair of mallards still come in a couple of times each day, but I'm really not sure their reason. They land, waddle up the lawn and then promptly lay down and have a snooze. Perhaps they think it's an up market hotel!
There is an unusually large number of greenfinches at the moment, some of the males looking almost like canaries with their bright green feathers.
The blackbird numbers are still around 6 - 8 although no babies. I think they are nesting next door and just come to me for food - the male comes to the back door and takes as many raisins as he can cram in his beak from the window feeder.
Sparrow numbers are down, probably only a few each day. Dunnocks are still busying around picking up anything dropped. (one of the bird seed catalogues described a dunnock as 'a dull little bird'). How wrong can they be - a close up shows them to have a wonderful mix of colours and markings.
Still no sign of any thrushes, much to my great disappointment.
No sign either of green woodie or the great spotted.
The pheasants still appear each day but rush off down the garden when I appear, except for one female who rushes up and stands at my feet whilst I spread the seed on the ground. Quite a strange feeling as she just stands and looks at me - obviously wants the first pickings.
Several chaffinches and goldfinches each day, along with wood pigeons and collared doves.
No signs of the grass snake from last year (thank goodness) but the rabbit population is growing!
Several magpies and a very large crow, together with a couple of jackdaws. The crow was drinking at the pond when he suddenly flew under the feeders and took off with a small bird. This is the first time I have seen this and would have thought there was sufficient road kill but perhaps it was just easy pickings.
The male sparrowhawk sat on the gate a couple of evenings ago just eyeing up a meal but left disappointed.

[Nature__Lover]

kingfisher :O :O :O
i have never seen one and am so envious of you!!!!
i've seen a sparrow hawk in the garden once, i've never seen a woodpecker or a nuthatch (but they are two of many species i would LOVE to see)

[Hevva]

The garden is still extremely busy, although I decided to take my large feeders down during July and August. The peanut feeder was never very popular so I refilled it and left it hanging, together with a small seed feeder that the sparrows loved on the trellis on the patio, where they had plenty of climbing foliage to hide in. Well, the peanut feeder has to be re-filled every other day – there are the usual starlings, lots of young blue tits and great tits (obviously mine from the nest box), a regular small flock of long tailed tits and the great spotted woodie. Even the sparrows and finches are on it and I feel a bit guilty. The collared doves sit under it as if their last meal depended on it. The flock of around 20 – 25 sparrows meanwhile empty their seed feeder every day. Two of the young robins never left the garden and appear each day for their bath. The waterfall brings in lots of the youngsters and there were several greenfinch and goldfinches having a splash. I have seen very few chaffinch this year, as opposed to several families in the previous years. The number of starlings was down considerably too this year – probably only around 20 at most at any one time.
There are several blackbirds and my resident dominant female even asked for currants the other day – she makes so much noise and jumps up and down on the shed roof until I get her some. She has been around now for about 3 years.
No signs of any thrushes in the garden and, in fact, very few in the fields when I go to work.
No pheasants or wood pigeons either for a couple of months – plenty of food in the fields now.
The swallow numbers have been very high and I watched about half a dozen very young ones on the wires outside the house yesterday sitting with Mum and then practicing their flying. How scary that these babes will soon be off on their long journey. The sound of them all summer has been wonderful.
I had a call from the lady next door who asked whether I would remove a dead Canada Goose from her garden which had flown into the wires. It was a beautiful bird, very large and heavy with just a cut across its chest. There is a very large flock which moves into the field opposite each evening. I thought no more of it until the next evening whilst out in the garden when I heard and saw a lone Canada Goose flying in circles making a pitiful call. It obviously knew where its mate had gone and was just hopefully looking. Very sad and I just hope it went back to the flock and settled.
The young fox is still around most evenings as are the two rabbits who make us laugh with their play-chase antics. Not sure how they survive really, perhaps the fox is more successful elsewhere.

[Nature__Lover]

sounds like you have a spectacular haven for wildlife, all shapes and sizes, hevva!

[Hevva]

Bird life here during the winter has sadly not been good. I have been inundated with rats. One rat I can manage, two even perhaps, but not the numbers I had under the shed, under the tree and in the greenhouse. They all appeared when there was any food put down, or even dropped from a feeder, and rushed off to their respective families. I hate poisoning but, with that many it had to be done, but it took several boxes and about three months to eventually see the last of them.
For the last three weeks the birds have been back. The several pairs of blackbirds never went away and they did always get a quick handful of sultanas on top of the shed which disappeared within minutes. The flock of around 30 sparrows still sit in the privet hedge and make their lovely song. I had a two fleeting visits from a song thrush, after two years of waiting, but he has gone again.
Both the green woodpecker, a regular on the lawn, and the great spotted have been visitors and, quite strangely, there have been three robins all feeding quite happily together. I wonder whether they are last years’ babies – they all get along well and sing happily from the tree. I wonder what will happen when spring arrives.
The wood pigeons have returned, only three or four, and the usual 10-12 collared doves, together with half a dozen starlings.
Just the two female pheasants this year who wandered around the garden for a couple of weeks and then went elsewhere in the search for food.
The dunnocks are back and when the nyger seed went back up, so the goldfinches arrived – usually 6 – 8 at a time, the remainder taking some of the sunflower seeds from the large feeder.
Both blue and great tits are flitting around the whole day with a couple of sightings of a couple of long tailed tits who don’t stay around long.
A couple of greenfinches have come back, along with the usual magpies and a couple of crows.
I was hoping to get some bramblings but have looked carefully at some beautifully marked chaffinches but without luck.
The male sparrowhawk sat on the greenhouse for a few minutes in full sight of everything in the garden but then went. The pile of feathers of a wood pigeon and another of a collared dove would indicate the female has been around and more successful too!
Had a couple of sightings of a wren which hides in a shrub quite close to the house.
Outside of the garden, we had good sightings of some fieldfare and redwing in the field opposite and also around 60 waxwing came down two days in a row and cleared the rowan tree in the next door neighbours garden. They came back a few days later and finished off her cotoneaster and have now disappeared. How lovely it was though to look at them out of the front window.
Lastly, there has been a flock of around 70-80 goldfinches in the tall silver birch each evening. They make an incredible noise and their swooping around when spooked would put the starlings to shame (well, nearly !!)
Looking forward to spring now, and babies.

[Pine Marten]

Sorry to hear about the rat problem you had hevva. Sounds like you have it sorted. They can take some getting rid of though. Not seen any where i live.
Seems like the birds are back with a vengeance as well.

Pine Marten.

[Hevva]

Lots of birds here, but very few babies. Perhaps it’s still a bit early. There are several families of sparrows and starlings with young, although nowhere near the amount I’ve had in previous years. A couple of spotty robins have appeared but the blackbirds seem to have been unsuccessful this year. The blackbird that nested on my patio gave it up after a couple of days and rebuilt another nest about 10 ft away in the hedge. My neighbour could see this from her greenhouse and reported 4 eggs but sadly it would appear they have been taken.
The song thrush managed to raise one youngster who is now adult size but sadly lost its mate so the population didn’t increase there.
My tit box is inhabited by blue tits this year but the mother would appear to be very unsure of what she is doing. She appears from the box, sits on the feeder, looks around and then goes back in the box. I wonder if she is very young herself, but I can hear tweeting as I go by so, hopefully ….
We’ve still got around a dozen collared doves and lots of woodpigeon and the nyger is still quite popular with the goldfinch. Lots of greenfinch this year and I noticed a couple of chaffinch on the patio feeder.
The pair of mallards that arrived last spring and visited regularly have appeared again this year, mostly late afternoon – clear up any leftovers under the feeders, take a drink from the pond and then have a sunbathe on the lawn for up to an hour. They have got quite confident now and the female quacks at the dog when she walks down the garden (she gives them a very wide berth!!). For around three weeks we also had the pleasure of a moorhen who also tucked into the seed, had a drink and then disappeared under the bushes. We have some lakes about half a mile as the crow flies, so I assume they all travel from there.
We still have two female pheasants that pop by each day – much kinder on the purse than the 17 that turned up a couple of years ago!
The magpies have been really aggressive and have taken at least two baby starlings. I managed to get to one, but it was so shocked at being hauled through the air that it died within 5 minutes. I got rid of the body and the magpie spent the whole afternoon around the spot looking for it.
We also have a crow which seems to delight in swooping down and scattering every bird in the garden.
A whitethroat sat on the top of the hedge opposite the house singing its heart out, and the swallows are all back and nesting but no signs of babies yet.

[Hevva]

Lots of babies have arrived in the garden now. A couple of young blackbirds are hunting on the lawn for something, although they don’t seem to sure of what. A lovely family of chaffinch, or maybe even two families, came to the feeders at the beginning of the week and the goldfinch have bought their babes along for the first time too. We seem to be inundated with goldfinch and had at least 20 in the garden the other evening. I laughed at a youngster who sat on the top of the nyger seed feeder, which was full of adults, madly flapping its wings but was ignored by all – obviously a case of ‘this is how it’s done’.
This morning there are four young greenfinches and several adults. These birds have increased in number this year and must be reaching double figures daily.
The one decline has been in the starlings – last year there must have been around 50 – 60 in the garden but this year possibly down to 10 or 12. Has anyone else noticed this?
The swallows too seem to have bucked their ideas up and their young are sitting on the wires with beaks open waiting to be fed, although there have definitely been fewer than in previous years. During the early very dry spell they seemed to disappear, even though my neighbours and I took wheelybin loads of water over the road into a ditch to try and help.
The sparrows seemed to do well, and early too, and the families sit in the privet chirping happily.
There were two families of blue tit in the garden (I’m sure one was mine from the box) and several young great tits.
The greater spotted woodie has been to visit on several occasions and the heron puts in an almost daily appearance too, but seems to prefer my neighbours’ pond !!
We still have visits from a very large crow and a couple of magpies who make it their business to frighten every small bird and the crow has made a couple of kills.
Both male and female sparrowhawk have visited.
The ring neck doves and the wood pigeons are still regular visitors but, hopefully, as the farmer has a large field of corn growing opposite, they will wander off soon and take their fill of the left-overs.
The pair of mallards still appear occasionally and seem happy to have a little seed and then a little sunbathe – this is their second year with us, but obviously no young.
The young vixen appears some evenings and the rabbits are back in force digging in the garden.
A very busy garden – just glad to have them all.

[Penna]

:) A lovely, informative read.


"The one decline has been in the starlings – last year there must have been around 50 – 60 in the garden but this year possibly down to 10 or 12. Has anyone else noticed this?"

Starlings both at home and at work appear to have had a good year Hevva, (one less to a female Sparrowhawk this afternoon)

[Pine Marten]

I second that with the starlings. This year i have a lot of fledglings. But numbers have generaly gone down. Last winter when i could expect around 50 i only had a dozen or so. It was cold though and may have gone farther south.
Has me wondering about them, i dont think its food related. probably a decline in good nesting sites.

Pine Marten.

[Hevva]

Well, it's been a great year with lots of babies. Sadly though, the onset of the winter is not looking so good as, yet again, we have rats and have had to take all the feeders downl I left one up on the patio for the flock of sparrows which came down each day and emptied it but today there was a large rat swinging on it and eating the food. He then came and had a look in my patio window which didn't do my sense of humour much good. I suppose that with horses at the bottom of the garden and open fields to the front, it's only to be expected.
On a good note, lots of blackbirds still coming in and a song and mistle thrush have both appeared in the last week. Hopefully my lovely rowan will keep them going a while.
I sadly lost my lovely labrador a few weeks back and now have a new young pup who managed to upset the resident fox who was having a nice lay-in under the pine tree and who had to beat a hasty retreat over the fence. Not sure who jumped more.
Hopefully, if we can exterminate these awful rats, I can get my feeders out again but, meanwhile, I shall just have to read everyone else's news.

[Pine Marten]

Sorry to hear you lost your doggy hevva. still have fond memories of my king charles spaniel who was called henri. I have a lancashire heeler now, have done for past eight years.

As for the rats, i dont know what the answer is to that. You live by farmland so it is to be expected. Mind you, a jack russell would have been a very good rat catcher.

I hope your birds dont suffer to much without their daily food.

Pine Marten.