Is it unusual to see a Black Cap in a garden in Fife in January? The bird in question has been spending about half an hour a day in the garden for the last five days feeding and perching in the nearby hedge between feeding sessions.
[
Hi Guys,
You all seem to be enjoying your Blackcaps, you are very lucky. I do the Garden Birdwatch every year and usually have great results with lots of different birds strutting their stuff. This year about a month ago a female Blackcap arrived,and stayed, and is still here. She has managed to drive away all the other birds except theRobins(who fight back, she is really vicious) and the Blackbirds and Pidgeons (which are bigger).I expect she'll go when they start looking for mates, meanwhile I have a lonely garden. If anybody has any ideas how to hasten her departure, except an air pistol, I am trying to draw a line, I would be very greatful
Carol from sometimes sunny Devon
Unknown said: [ Hi Guys, You all seem to be enjoying your Blackcaps, you are very lucky. I do the Garden Birdwatch every year and usually have great results with lots of different birds strutting their stuff. This year about a month ago a female Blackcap arrived,and stayed, and is still here. She has managed to drive away all the other birds except theRobins(who fight back, she is really vicious) and the Blackbirds and Pidgeons (which are bigger).I expect she'll go when they start looking for mates, meanwhile I have a lonely garden. If anybody has any ideas how to hasten her departure, except an air pistol, I am trying to draw a line, I would be very greatful Hi carol, I find my blackcaps only eat suet balls and ivy berries so if you don't have either she might disappear.
Hi carol, I find my blackcaps only eat suet balls and ivy berries so if you don't have either she might disappear.
Unknown said: [ Hi Guys, You all seem to be enjoying your Blackcaps, you are very lucky. I do the Garden Birdwatch every year and usually have great results with lots of different birds strutting their stuff. This year about a month ago a female Blackcap arrived,and stayed, and is still here. She has managed to drive away all the other birds except theRobins(who fight back, she is really vicious) and the Blackbirds and Pidgeons (which are bigger).I expect she'll go when they start looking for mates, meanwhile I have a lonely garden. If anybody has any ideas how to hasten her departure, except an air pistol, I am trying to draw a line, I would be very greatful Hi carol, I find my blackcaps only eat suet balls and ivy berries so if you don't have either she might disappear. Thanks Jennifer, I have both. She doesn't seem interested in the fat balls, but I've been nagging my husband for a while to prune the apple tree (the feeders hang off it) and to trim the ivy back. This would get rid of the berries as well. Two birds with one stone lol. She seems to have calmed down a bit and the others are creeping back, but then she returns and it's back to square one. I'll get my husband on the case and take the fat balls down for a while.
Thanks Jennifer, I have both. She doesn't seem interested in the fat balls, but I've been nagging my husband for a while to prune the apple tree (the feeders hang off it) and to trim the ivy back. This would get rid of the berries as well. Two birds with one stone lol. She seems to have calmed down a bit and the others are creeping back, but then she returns and it's back to square one. I'll get my husband on the case and take the fat balls down for a while.
I've had a male blackcap visiting the garden (inner city Bristol) over the last couple of weeks, the first time I've seen them around in the winter months. He mainly feeds on the suet block. From what everyone's saying, it seems these little beauties are extending their winter range and settling down here quite happily.
I too have had a male blackcap coming to my garden for the past couple of weeks. I live in Belfast and have never noticed this little bird before so I had to look up the website to identify what it was. Unfortunately it was also being tormented by my resident robin but it's a little tyrant and chases everything! Another strange visitor this year was what I think was a grey wagtail which arrived just before Christmas when we had all the snow. Again, I had never seen this bird in the garden before, although we have pied wagtails, this one really stood out against the snow with its yellow breast. It stayed around during the freezing weather and then disappeared and hasn't come back.
We are in Malvern and have a pair of black caps that have visited regularly over the winter. Are the summer and winter visiting populations distinct or are there some that do a triangular migration through the year?
Unknown said: I've had a male blackcap visiting the garden (inner city Bristol) over the last couple of weeks, the first time I've seen them around in the winter months. He mainly feeds on the suet block. From what everyone's saying, it seems these little beauties are extending their winter range and settling down here quite happily.
I saw a female today. I'm hoping the pair of them are getting all jiggy with each other and will introduce a whole new generation of blackcaps to my urban oasis.
It is also the first time I have seen a blackcap! He has been visiting my sunflower hearts several times a day for a few weeks now ,so I have even managed to get avideo of him.
Unknown said: My first siting of a Blackcap ever ! Christmas day while washing up. Picking at seeds dropped from feeder. Stayed for about 3 mins only but it was a first. Also had my first Redwing on same day !
My first siting of a Blackcap ever !
Christmas day while washing up. Picking at seeds dropped from feeder. Stayed for about 3 mins only but it was a first. Also had my first Redwing on same day !
Unknown said: Is it unusual to see a Black Cap in a garden in Fife in January? The bird in question has been spending about half an hour a day in the garden for the last five days feeding and perching in the nearby hedge between feeding sessions.
We have two different female black caps in our garden in North Wales. I know there are two because sometimes they are there at the same time! Each is quite assertive and one has been seen to challenge feisty starlings on the bird table when other birds disappear - especially when we have had as many as 30 starlings at one time. They seem to hold their ground and eat anything - seed, suet or whatever is on the bird table. We had a male last year - but havn't seen one as yet this year.
Hi - I've got one here in Salisbury - my old Reader's Digest Bird Book suggests they are a Winter visitor. Saw him (or her) last winter too