Print this page using your browser menu option, then click here to return

Birding in November 2011

Our local charm of goldfinches and a pair of bramblings with their characteristic mottled colouring of autumn beech-leaves have returned to our bird feeders. Our summer visitors are long gone, and we are expecting the arrival of birds from northern Europe as the winter feeding season will soon begin in earnest. If like our garden, yours contains hawthorn or holly in its boundaries then you may have visits from the winter thrushes such as Redwing or Fieldfare. Later, when the supply of berries begins to run out we will be scattering our windfall apples on the lawns where they will often attract both of these thrush species as well as Blackbirds, Song and Mistle Thrushes.

If there is an area of your lawn that like us you don’t mind getting a bit messy then you can sprinkle seed and it will be eaten by stubble feeding birds such as Chaffinches, Bramblings and Sparrows. There is some merit in hanging several feeders in a group. Birds often seem to prefer feeding in a flock rather than widely separated and there will be a useful concentration of split seed beneath the feeders for ground-feeders such as Chaffinches and Collard Doves.

Placing is important as we have 'lost' birds from our feeders to Sparrowhawks. A Sparrowhawk in your garden can be an exciting occurrence. To see one of these beautiful birds so close and witness its hunting prowess is a treat, but to see one taking one of the small birds you have attracted into your garden can understandably invoke mixed emotions.

I try to take the view that having a Sparrowhawk visiting our garden is a good thing - the presence of such a top predator indicates that the bird population in our area is doing well. If you feel you must deter the Sparrowhawk, there are a few deterrents available, although their effectiveness is dependent on the availability of alternative feeding sites for the hawk. Rather than deter them, try to learn to admire the skill and beauty of this very specialised hunter.
Try placing canes on the lawn to turn fast approach route into an obstacle course. If your feeders are under an overhang (e.g. under tree branches) hang strings like bead curtain strands a few inches apart around the perimeter of the overhang to slow down the hawk.

Above all enjoy your wild-birds this winter and see what comes to your feeders.

D.H.