Late summer lack of garden birds?

Hi Ian,

Thank you for your advice. The numbers have reduced in my garden over the past week, and maybe my purse can have a rest for a couple of weeks before those greedy starlings reappear!! Sparrows and goldies are still here in their usual numbers though, which is lovely, and I still have just one baby sparrow being fed by his dad. He is a very late baby!

Likewise, the only thing I am missing is the Starlings Whopee!! the others can get a look in. I must have 20 or more tits feeding including babies around and still filling the seed holders and mealworm feeder daily.

Thanks Ian

I'm like JudiM, the only birds that seem to have disappeared are the starlings (whoopee indeed), there are lots of tits, sparrows and chaffinches still in my garden

Interesting information to read, Ian

I still have few birds as my garden is new so it has been a restful time withour too many birds to feed until the birds know our new 'dez-rez' in the feeding department.

While driving about locally too where we stay, Dave and I noted lots of Starlings around on road verges and moving in little groups from house to house, then street to street.  Though they are foraging about still on the hunt for their natural foods.

So as you say it will not be long before they have a new set of feathers.  Cannot wait to see my Blackies not looking so scruffy and they are filled out again and look more like themselves.

Regards

Kathy and Dave

My garden too is very quiet.I only have one feeder up in the back garden at the moment.It is being used but have not actually seen it being used.In this dry weather I am keeping water dishes out and topped up daily.I have a couple of blackbirds and I think I saw a sparrow but the starlings have vanished!Woodpigeons are always hanging about but since the feeder is not much in use there is nothing on the ground (and I am not going to encourage them!)

Rachel

Hi Ian

Thanks for the information but just to let everyone else know dont worry about the juvy/asbo starlings I know where they are, in my back garden. Its quite funny though there are so many of them its become a "no go area" for my cat (ahh bless) .

Shane 

Thanks Ian,

I have an abundance of Sparrows that are emptying 3 feeders every other day. I like Sparrow have a late batch of babies. Several goldfinches, adult and juvenile and greenfinches and some juvenile bluetits.  I have reduced the ground feed as numbers of Feral pigeons had risen to about 30 and nothing else was getting a look in.

Magpies and their young still around daily and some parakeets are visitng my neighbour to feast on the fruit trees.

Starlings are still regular and enjoying baths.  Dunnocks and robins are less evident but still visiting.  

All in all, much fewer species but high number of those I do have. Loving the sparrow babies

Sarah

I have lived in the same house for 26 years and each July has been the same, Starlings by the score feeding on the ripe fruit in the mass of Cherry trees at the back of our garden.  It's a very noticeable event as they pick the fruit and then sit on our roof and eat them, discarding the cherry pits which then bombard us and stain any laundry hanging on the washing line.  This year the fruit sits over ripe on the branches with no sign of any Starlings at all.

While I am pleased for the rest from the annual bombardment, it has made me ponder the change in behaviour of these birds and begs the question, is anyone else experiencing this.

Having already seen the young reared from all the other adult garden visitors that we fed throughout winter, leave the nest there is a distinct feeling that something is not quite right.

Ian H said:

We often get asked where have all the birds gone in the late summer and autumn months. Many people fear the worst or think they have done something to put them off. I thought i would take this chance to point out a few things to remember about wild birds at this time of year that might explain why they can be harder to spot.

• Late summer/autumn is moulting time, birds shed and re-grow their feathers over a number of weeks. During this time they will try to stay out of harms way as much as possible, often staying in dense cover. They will reappear in shiny new plumage later in the season.
• Many birds are finishing their breeding activities, moving out of their breeding territories and joining feeding flocks in the wider countryside. You may already be seeing the mixed flocks of starling juv's and adults as well as mixed tit flocks and mixed parties of finches. These groups stay together for safety in numbers and will be highly mobile on their search for natural food.
• Many birds will leave garden feeders behind in the search for naturally occuring foods that are vital to survival. The seeds, nuts, fruit, insects and indeed the birds themselves are all at their highest abundance in the next couple of months. Bird need to move to areas where they can exploit these natural resources in order to prepare themselves physically for the winter ahead or the long migrations many birds will make.

We recommend feeding through the next few months as certain resident birds and those passing through may still find garden bird food useful. It is worth keeping feeder hygiene at a high level and maybe reduce the food being put out if it does go quiet so that little is wasted.

I also have a lot of young Sparrows, I have to fill the feeder every other day and it's a big square one with two sides for them to feed.  I have a gaurded feeder hung on a blossom tree close to my front window, it doesn't get used much because it's only a couple of feet to the footpath, and people are passing most of the day to the shop on the corner. But this past week  the sparrows have been fighting each other to get in it to feed, up to 10-12 at a time. Not sure if they are the same saprrows that are feeding in the yard - if they are I'm suprised they can fly they are eating so much! Are they storing up fat reserves for the winter months? It's great to see so many sparrows, I'm going to hang nestboxes for them next year.

 Mr B popped in a couple of mornings ago, but didn't stay long, he hopped on the wall, stood and looked at me in the kitchen window fro a second or two, then grabbed some grapes a few seeds  was off again. Poor thing he looked very bedraggled. The Goldfinches were coming regularly 4-5 times a day with their young, but they haven't been this week.

While its quiet I took the opportunity to wash and disinfect the feeders. I have managed to deter the pigeons, the tip to use the old hanging basket is a winner! 

Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!  Likewise! I don't get off that easily! I have plenty of asbo starling juveniles!!!  Around 30 to 50 first thing in the morning! Lots of sparrows in my garden - also have a late baby sparrow!  Regular pair of blackbirds - I think daddy is still collecting food for one or more chicks - and a pair of robins with their brave fledgling! Although I can't tell the difference now between mum and dad has it looks like dad has grown himself a new set of feathers!

Starlinga