The Lemon Fool

We live on the edge of the countryside and have a wildlife type of garden with plenty of trees full of nests.

Near the bottom of the garden we have a bird table that gets quite busy - I was filling it up three times a day until recently. One of the more frequent visitors were doves.

The other day I went down the garden and noticed a dove with an injured wing. I tried catching it but it was too quick for me. It was there the following day but has now gone as have most of the other birds.

The garden is empty of birds and the food I put out goes very slowly.

I can only think that some kind of bird has attacked the local resident birds but this seems a bit improbable as most of the birds would have escaped such an attack and resumed their normal behaviour.

Anyone any idea what could have happened?

Mine have been affected at various times by either a new cat in the area or an influx of corvids.
When magpies took over the woodpigeon nest, small birds numbers decreased quite a bit.

Sparrowhawks or similar? I too live in a semi rural area and quite regularly there are attacks from birds of prey. Also of course an unfriendly neighbourhood cat. The birds will probably return as the weather gets colder if not before.

Dod

We're the last outpost of the village before the open Wiltshire/Somerset countryside starts, with views all the way down to the Mendips. We've got red kites over the garden every day now (they used to be just an occasional sighting), and we have ravens nesting, much to the chagrin of the local rooks. It's possible that these may explain a relative paucity of hedge and songbirds, but I'm more inclined to put it down to the abundant availability of hedgerow food at the moment. Haven't heard/seen the woodpeckers since the late spring, but I suspect that'll be the same thing. The autumn bird feeder season will reveal whether I'm right.

One culprit might be the barn owls, which have multiplied around here lately. They're not widely known for bird attacks, although that does happen sometimes. We found one in our orchard after the nesting blackbirds started kicking up a racket, and it was then that we found the remains of a pigeon, far too high up in the tree to have been due to a cat (which would have carried it down). The accusing finger points!

Plenty of swallows, no wrens in recent years. Hedgehogs are back on the lawns. No particular pattern, in fact.

BJ

Dod101 wrote:Sparrowhawks or similar? I too live in a semi rural area and quite regularly there are attacks from birds of prey. Also of course an unfriendly neighbourhood cat. The birds will probably return as the weather gets colder if not before.

Dod

When working at home I sit with my back to the garden. I jumped about a week ago when there was the usual thump at the patio doors. Another stupid pigeon I thought. Turned round expecting to see a dazed bird when to my surprise saw a kestrel (or similar) flying off with a bird in it's grasp.

Can't say I've noticed a reduction in birds this year but then I do have my back to the garden.

Did see a stoat rambling over the top terrace the other day - good job the dogs didn't spot it.

AiY

I live in a rural situation with just a few houses. I'm on the edge of the hamlet. We too get dead periods on the bird feeders. It's usually when a nearby field produces abundant food for our usual clients. A farmer has neglected to cut the grass in a nearby field, there's a lot of grass, flowers and thistles all going to seed. I can almost guarantee the birds will be back as soon as the field is cut.

Thanks everyone.

I never thought of the birds heading for the surrounding fields, woodlands, etc for a change of diet. We have had cats for years and the birds keep a wary eye out for them.

I'll keep putting the food out.

No lack of birds here, but a total lack of bats. We've always had them flitting about in summer evenings, but haven't seen one this year.

--kiloran

There does seem an ebb and flow. We had many visits on the niga seeds from goldfinches last year, but hardly any this year, though we have occasionally heard them. Recently, bird activity was well down and at this time of year they don't sing much so it seems much quieter. A few resident pigeons and black birds around, plus a robin and sparrows. But even the sparrows are less active, starlings too are absent.

I think it's just the season, and the fact that food is abundant elsewhere in nature.

And as for bats: we haven't seen any, but last year they were regular visitors to the eves of a house near us.

Paupertas wrote:The garden is empty of birds...

End of Days?

Paupertas wrote:The garden is empty of birds and the food I put out goes very slowly.

Our bird table was unusually busy two weeks ago.
Eventually we twigged that a neighbour up the lane was on hols, and her three bird tables and multiple fat-ball feeders had emptied. Now she's back and the avian visitors have returned to normal.

Seagulls are also predators of eggs and young birds.

V8

Don't forget Squirrels and the damage they do.