General Chat

I've had a Chiff Chaff calling in the garden all morning There have been siskins, blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits, a pair of bull finches and an escaped zebra finch that has been visiting for several months. There are house and hedge sparrows, redwings, robins, wrens in fact all the usual suspects in the garden and on the feeders.
In the fields are starlings,linnets, snow buntings, fieldfares, huge flocks of goldfinches.
And not a single greenfinch to be seen. I have n't seen one locally for several weeks although I would expect to see dozens in and around the garden at this time.
Greenfinches have been killed off in huge numbers by a parasite, Tricomonosis Gallinae, which has crossed from pigeons and doves into the finch population.
If you feed your garden birds, and they need it right now, PLEASE ensure the feeders and water bowls are kept absolutely scrupiously clean as unclean feeders and dirty water are the main ways that this parasite is spread.
Trico. Gallinae is harmless to humans and other animals.

Also, if you are putting food out for the birds, try to put it somewhere where it won't get covered in snow. A lady on Radio Scotland pointed this out and when asked where you would have somewhere like that in the garden said under a tree or put out an umbrella.

We have dogs and anything within their reach gets eaten but luckily we haven't had too much snow so we are putting food out for the blackbirds on top of the barbeque. The other birds are quite happy with the nut feeder.

Like Eddie, we haven't seen a greenfinch all year nor have we got the variety he has but we do occasionally get a red squirrel.

Eddiesgranddad...can l post this onto "Do the birds know" thread started by AnnGlouc.....??

How luck are you?? We had a female greenfinch this morning not seen any in ages and ages.
You can send these kind of reports to various sites they really do ike to know what birds/animals are in the garden, fields, river banks....etc because one day they may no be there:o((

jude:o)

Jude,
Sorry, been out with the binocs. all afternoon. Yes of course you can.
You're fortunate to see greenfinches, they seem to have been decimated here. I've been looking again today but there's none about. I hope the chaffinches don't die too. Next time I take a couple of wood pigeon for the pot I will do so with a clear conscience!
There are one ot two waxwings about though : )
And the snow buntings are still down at the harbour (Clovelly),
I guess they've come across from Lundy, and there are more on the moorland heading down towards Stratton.

Thanks Eddie:o)
Blimey you get about!!
l did'nt realise its the pigeons and doves that spread the desease. We get quite a few of each here.
l sent a report this morning telling Gwent Wildlife trust what was in the garden today....if you look up Wild Life trusts on google you can then find your area, they really do like to know whats going on, which to us seems so normal!!

Will c/paste later:o)

jude :o)