It is known that many birds only use gardens and feeders at certain time of the year, does anyone know if dunnocks and wrens are like this?
When we first started creating our wildlife garden we had a fiesty little wren nearly always about and one or maybe two dunnocks lurking around the edges. However we haven't seen either species for many months now, even though our bushes and shrubs are denser and there is more food around.
We live right in the middle of London, we have some small parks and a school nearby, but only our little row is houses with gardens, mostly nearby its blocks.
We have a lot more sparrows and blue tits than when we first arrived, they certainly seem to be benefitting from what we've done. We did have a pair sparrowhawks hunting around everyday for a few months around the time both species seemed to stop appearing, but the hawks have also gone now and I only ever saw them kill pigeons (I liked this - the pigeons are a pain) and blue tits.
I don't know if they do, but we still have ours. Admittedly we don't live in a city but semi rural. We hear the wrens more than we see them in our garden to be honest but the dunnocks are definitely still visible. Like you we have built up over the years some dense shrubs at the bottom of our garden and only this morning three of them were hopping about by the feeders and bird bath
Regards, Kezmo
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
Hi Thomas
To be honest, I have never noticed any changes in numbers of Wrens or Dunnocks at all in my area. They seem to be around most of the time. One indication is their call and their songs - it is good to know what they sound like and that helps you ID them when they are around your patch.
Dunnock's are quite secretive and like to feed under the bushes in the garden area, so are not seen on the feeders like other birds. I was sitting in my new garden yesterday afternoon and I could hear Dunnock's twittering to one another in the hedge nearby, They have a very distinctive fast twitter (if that makes sense), and once you know what it sounds like you will know that Dunnock's are around in your area.
Wrens are much less likely to be noticed over other birds as they like to remain well hidden and that is part of their behaviour as a species. I have seen Wrens in my own Garden area, they usually they hide in the nearby bushes, and you can hear them making their 'tssk-ing' noises to point out to other Wrens (or people) that they have marked their territory and that is how they are. They are fiercely territoral - like Robins are. Wrens had a distinctive song, and I am sure if you look at Wrens calls in the RSPB site you will hear the call and remember what it sound like. You will know when you hear a Wren nearby.
House Sparrows numbers are well up in Bedford. It is although everywhere I go, I can hear them chirping in hedges and bushes. They have faired well in my own area of town and I feel pleased about that.
Another issue is that I think it all depends on the area you stay, and that is how you know what species that you will have in your garden area. I feel it is also to do with peoples interest in wildlife and how attractive that their garden area is to Wildlife. People who have Wildlife friendly gardens, yes, it attracts birds of all types.
Just think if you where a Sparrowhawk flying overhead, and you can see a row of feeders in a garden - the first thing you will think is dinnertime. I am sure that Sparrowhawks are well tuned in now to 'bird' feeders in a garden, and have exploited this fact for their own gain. We as humans have helped to feed Sparrowhawks (and even Owls) when you think about it. Really we as bird lovers have helped the food chain in bird society
While living at my last property, we made our garden as Wildlife friendly as possible, and then we found out that our neighbour to the left of us loved birds and wildlife too. So it must have been luxury for the birds to have to ajoined garden to visit for their food. When we left 2 months ago. we handed over a couple of our feeders so our neighbour could continue feeding the birds in our absence and that made our day. I felt bad leaving the birds on the lurch with no food at all. {sad}
So I think the best way of knowing your bird is to get to know their songs, and their calls and it will help you 'notice' the birds that you are interested in. If they are hard to see that is the best approach at the end of the day, as some of them are difficult for the human eye to see altogether.
Kathy and Dave
Unknown said: It is known that many birds only use gardens and feeders at certain time of the year, does anyone know if dunnocks and wrens are like this? When we first started creating our wildlife garden we had a fiesty little wren nearly always about and one or maybe two dunnocks lurking around the edges. However we haven't seen either species for many months now, even though our bushes and shrubs are denser and there is more food around. We live right in the middle of London, we have some small parks and a school nearby, but only our little row is houses with gardens, mostly nearby its blocks. We have a lot more sparrows and blue tits than when we first arrived, they certainly seem to be benefitting from what we've done. We did have a pair sparrowhawks hunting around everyday for a few months around the time both species seemed to stop appearing, but the hawks have also gone now and I only ever saw them kill pigeons (I liked this - the pigeons are a pain) and blue tits.
Dunnocks and Wrens tend to skulk around in the undergrowth quite alot, so they're probably about but maybe not quite as visible as they are at other times.
It maybe that there is plenty of food about from other sources at this time of year, Was walking round the local patch (see profile) and there was a group of 4-5 dunnocks (possibly a family?) in the scrub near the sewage works, don't often see this many together, I'm sure they will move back to the gardens as food gets more scarce in winter.
This spot at the sewage works gates is more interesting than it sounds, often interesting birds about, this morning aswell as the dunnocks was also various finches and tits, 2 song thrushes, a male bullfinch, grey wagtails, a great spotted woodpecker and a female blackcap.
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag" Mary Poppins
No wrens, but I'm lucky to have a number of dunnocks that use my garden, we have trees at the bottom of the garden that they skulk in then rush out to see whats on offer- they have taken to my DIY seed tray remarkably well. I've recently put a nut feeder out, and the tits are using this frequently. The coal tits hog the seed feeder, and being messy little so and so leave plenty of seeds on the ground for the Dunnocks.
This time last year my back garden was used as the dumping ground for anything we couldn't fit in the house any more, and since I started making it even slightly firendlier to wildlife I've been lucky to have birds visting regularly. Determined to keep it up and improve on it next year. Am I the only person who saved the fulll series of Wild About Your Garden on Sky plus??
I even love magpies
We find that both species become less visible in the summer - reasons as suggested in earlier replies - and also the Robins. Wren reappeared about 3 weeks ago, Dunnocks have been present all through, but numbers and frequency now increasing, and Robin reappeared last Saturday.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
I can happily say robins have definitely returned, they are very visibly singing and sitting out in the open again, but no sign of wrens or dunnocks.
I would like to think its just that they are still around but less visible because of cover, but our garden is so small its hard for us to miss any species, even more cryptic ones. Plus our hedge cover is still in young stages of growth (our garden was bare when we moved in) and so doesn't offer a large area to hide in. I'll keep my fingers crossed though.
I did get a great view of a chiffchaff or possibly a willow warbler (it was very yellow) this morning though as it washed itself in the shallows of our pond. They only seem to pass through our garden in spring and autumn.
We also see dunnocks and wrens far less at this time of year, but come the spring they're all there again. I've always assumed that they are just minding their own business somewhere out of our sight (and in the case of the wren, hearing!)
Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games [Robert Falcon Scott]
Our wee Dunnocks (I think a family of 3) have remained with us throughout. One was sat on the wall infront of the kitchen window at the weekend just looking at us. They are so cute. A robin has suddenly appeared which is a very welcome sight. Our blackbird has reappeared after a short absence but unfortunately our greenfinch seems to have vanished.
Make the most of today because, unlike Sky+, there isn't a rewind button.
Like Paula, our dunnocks have also stayed all summer. I don't see wrens - but that doesn't mean they aren't around, it's just that our garden is difficult to see from inside the house, so I only see the birds which come into the yard to feed - unless I am in the garden. The blackbirds didn't come to the feeders for a week or two, although I could still hear them in the shrubbery, but they are now back at the tables again. As for the robins which, in spring, were two pairs and are now too many to count owing to a somewhat productive year (!), the adults did the same as the blackbirds but the youngsters continued to come throughout the summer. The blue tits and great tits hadn't been seen for a couple of weeks but they are gradually returning. Finally, my chaffinch family, which has more than doubled in number, carry on eating regardless. And I don't even want to talk about the 24+ starlings...
Squirrel
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Squirrel, our starlings have vanished completely. A whole group of them would descend on the feeders at least twice a day. Now we have a large group of very entertaining sparrows appear three times a day. The blue tits and great tits are still around as I hear them in the trees but haven't actually seen them. It's a very long time, years, since I've seen a wren.