This has been discussed a couple of times so I thought I'd start it. Lockdown has made many of us a lot more appreciative of nature and the wildlife around us so bird-feeding and spotting has become a bit more popular.
I thought it'd be nice to share your interesting sightings here, have some friendly discussion and share tips and experiences![Smile :) :)](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/smile.gif)
I'll kick off with a sighting - first successful kill in my garden by a Sparrowhawk this morning - looks like a female and she'd bagged a poor Sparrow. Unfortunately I only had my potato phone to hand so the photo is awful, I've tried to brush it up. It's been too wet to mow/sort out the grass, before I get piled on![Big Grin :D :D](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/biggrin.gif)
Also a tip I'd like to share for dealing with vermin as this is quite a common issue. A while back I had an issue with a rat getting to my bird table/house. I managed to get around the problem with a couple of pint beer-cans (see above). Cut the top and bottom off with strong scissors, turn them inside out and fold around the post, fixing with self-tapping screws. I spray with WD-40 for good measure and you can see the sod can no longer get up there and has moved on: Frustrated Rat Video!
Obviously for ground feeders I only put out what I know will be eaten in the day to discourage vermin.
As for the species I have currently seen visiting: Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Sparrowhawk.
Not many Feral Pigeons thankfully and I tend to scare them off with a laser pointer if they become too much of a problem (green is best).![Smile :) :)](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/smile.gif)
Look forward to seeing other people's stuff - I'm going to try to use my wildlife cam to get some close-up photos of the Robin that seems to have claimed the garden as its territory now.
I thought it'd be nice to share your interesting sightings here, have some friendly discussion and share tips and experiences
![Smile :) :)](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/smile.gif)
I'll kick off with a sighting - first successful kill in my garden by a Sparrowhawk this morning - looks like a female and she'd bagged a poor Sparrow. Unfortunately I only had my potato phone to hand so the photo is awful, I've tried to brush it up. It's been too wet to mow/sort out the grass, before I get piled on
![Big Grin :D :D](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/biggrin.gif)
![sparrowhawk.png](https://jupiter.subnetzero.org/publicwhatever/sparrowhawk.png)
Also a tip I'd like to share for dealing with vermin as this is quite a common issue. A while back I had an issue with a rat getting to my bird table/house. I managed to get around the problem with a couple of pint beer-cans (see above). Cut the top and bottom off with strong scissors, turn them inside out and fold around the post, fixing with self-tapping screws. I spray with WD-40 for good measure and you can see the sod can no longer get up there and has moved on: Frustrated Rat Video!
Obviously for ground feeders I only put out what I know will be eaten in the day to discourage vermin.
As for the species I have currently seen visiting: Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Sparrowhawk.
Not many Feral Pigeons thankfully and I tend to scare them off with a laser pointer if they become too much of a problem (green is best).
![Smile :) :)](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/smile.gif)
Look forward to seeing other people's stuff - I'm going to try to use my wildlife cam to get some close-up photos of the Robin that seems to have claimed the garden as its territory now.
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