Birdlife in a tiny urban garden, Middlesex

[200turtles]

Heightened bird activity in the past few days...

A female near-albino collard dove is popular with the males.

Two pairs of chaffinches, one of the females in missing claws on one leg, meaning she can't grip onto feeder ports. Have made a feeder that is more accessible for her.

Two pairs of blackbirds.

Several dunnocks, garden perrenials.

The sparrow flock increased in size from 6 to 28 last year, but only a few of the youngsters are still around.

A pair of woodpigeons.

One parrot.

Last year robins nested in the garden trellis - a very aggressive robin now patrols the garden.

Blue tits and great tits.

Three starlings.

Cranes and crows beyond the garden fence.

Happy Spring to all of you!!:)

[Jandy]

Hi, 200turtles! You have a good list there - I am also in Middlesex, and get to see the same birds, with the exception of the cranes and parrot! Would that be a ring-necked parakeet, or a full-sized parrot? We have had ring-necked parakeets in the garden before now, and they crop up fairly frequently in the local park. I am jealous about the cranes, as I think I have only heard of them being in Norfolk before this.

[70007]

Yes, it is a very decent list for an urban garden, but from what I read in wildlife magazines the urban garden can have larger bird numbers and variety than the large prairie-like arable fields that are all too common these days in certain rural areas.

John

[200turtles]

Hello Jandy!

I've been corrected here on the forum in another thread...seems that what I have known as white cranes are proably egrets. We have them because our house backs onto the River Crane.

The parrots are the ring necked type. We used to have a large flock of them, but my neighbour stopped feeding them this year when they became official pests...so we have a stray in our garden from time to time.

Our garden is really small, only 12 ft wide and 20 long, with an widish bit along the side of the house. There are a lot of feeders, however, and it seems there is space enough for all, except when the robin nests in the trellis, and then it all belongs to the robins when they take over!!

The variety of food put out in gardens probably does bring in a wider range of birds than miles and miles and miles of prairie grass...but I wouldn't mind spending some time in that prairie - all that space around me would be nice for a change!

Today I put out some nesting wool in one of those apple shaped ceramic containers and topped up all the fat ball feeders that have been really popular this season with blue tits, great tits, sparrows, and starlings. Blackbirds have devoured the red suet pellets on the ground...

[200turtles]

Hi John, I tried to edit my post to say hello to you, but it didn't work. Hello!

[70007]

That's ok. I dont understand all the ways of doing things on these message boards either. I have managed to attach the occasional photograph which I see as the limit of my technological knowledge. :)

[200turtles]

Hello John, I've tried my hand at attaching a photograph - completely off topic: a shot from a trail cam from my friend who lives in the mountains of northern California. Hope it works!

Magpies have built a rather large nest in one of the street trees near the front of my house. About four or five magpies strut around the street in the early morning well within sight of the nest.

[Nature__Lover]

oh i do wish i had cranes near me!! :-)

[Nature__Lover]

oh.. sorry just read your update... I wish i had egrets! hehe!