Concern over fewer sightings of garden birds (From Daily Echo)
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Mild winter sees feathered friends staying away from Hampshire gardens
11:00am Thursday 26th January 2012 in Environment
The song thrush is just one of the birds you may not see in your garden this winter
BIRD lovers across Hampshire are in a flap this winter – due to the lack of feathered friends in back gardens.
But the good news is that bird populations have not taken a sudden dive.
It is simply that the mild weather means that birds are staying in the countryside where there is still plenty of food.
In colder winters the ground becomes hard and more difficult for birds to find insects, seeds and other food in the countryside – so they head for urban birdfeeders instead.
But if the mild weather continues, it may be some time before they return to our gardens.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has been inundated with letters from concerned suburban bird spotters, wondering where they have gone.
Sam Stokes, press officer for the RSPB in the south east explained that birds know where to find food in people’s back gardens through habit.
“We encourage people to put food out all year round,” she said.
“If there is a regular food supply the birds will know this. There can be other reasons for food shortages as well as a harsh winter.”
This weekend the RSPB is holding its Big Garden Birdwatch event.
She said that this would be a good opportunity to get a clear picture of just how much bird numbers have gone down in cities.
In Southampton last year sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and goldfinches were the most commonly spotted birds in the count. Bird populations had increased slightly in the area last year.
Ms Stokes added: “If the weather starts getting colder, we will see more birds coming into people’s gardens. They need to eat up to 40 percent of their own body weight to survive the night in harsh winters.”
There is a possibility that the mild winter will encourage birds to nest early. If a late cold snap follows this could then put chicks at risk.
Ms Stokes says that food is the key to giving early chicks the best chance of survival.
“A late cold snap can cause problems but if food is available some species will be able to survive,” she said.
“The more food that is available, the more chance there is for the chicks to build their fat reserves to protect them from the cold.”
Comments(9)
hulla baloo
says...
11:56am Thu 26 Jan 12
Brite Spark wrote:Can we cull the cat owners to? They seem to condone, even support/encourage the behaviour of their pets.
It sounds harsh but cull Magpies and cats, that's the answer, there are far too many of both animals which has resulted in fewer songbirds in our yards.
teamgreen
says...
12:05pm Thu 26 Jan 12
hulla baloo
says...
12:15pm Thu 26 Jan 12
teamgreen wrote:Use water from a high power washer jet, that usually deters them.
just like where i live,they kill the birds that feed from the bird feeders and sh1t in my garden but as i have found out from the police,rspca,pdsa they have the right to roam and do as they please any attempt to dissuade them with any thing other than water will get me arrested for cruelty to animals.but we have loads of mess and the best advice they could give me was buy a dog or cat or get sand or cat litter and put it in the corner of the garden then i have only one place to clean.as for the birds they said to remove feeding posts etc and let them go else where.
teamgreen
says...
12:27pm Thu 26 Jan 12
hulla baloo wrote:but the policeman said no high pressure karcher type things,no pumped up to the max water guns and a big no to kids making something at school that fires water that could injure or distress the poor things.i now know how that woman felt when she put the cat in the wheelie bin.i was even told no netting hanging from my fence as this could trap the cat let alone someone hurting themselves trying to rescue the thing because i could be sued.perhaps some korean family might like to live near here as i,m sure is a nice food to eat lol
teamgreen wrote: just like where i live,they kill the birds that feed from the bird feeders and sh1t in my garden but as i have found out from the police,rspca,pdsa they have the right to roam and do as they please any attempt to dissuade them with any thing other than water will get me arrested for cruelty to animals.but we have loads of mess and the best advice they could give me was buy a dog or cat or get sand or cat litter and put it in the corner of the garden then i have only one place to clean.as for the birds they said to remove feeding posts etc and let them go else where.Use water from a high power washer jet, that usually deters them.
freefinker
says...
12:30pm Thu 26 Jan 12
hulla baloo wrote:.. or Saturator AK47 Aqua Fire Water Gun, or similar.
teamgreen wrote:Use water from a high power washer jet, that usually deters them.
just like where i live,they kill the birds that feed from the bird feeders and sh1t in my garden but as i have found out from the police,rspca,pdsa they have the right to roam and do as they please any attempt to dissuade them with any thing other than water will get me arrested for cruelty to animals.but we have loads of mess and the best advice they could give me was buy a dog or cat or get sand or cat litter and put it in the corner of the garden then i have only one place to clean.as for the birds they said to remove feeding posts etc and let them go else where.
Also useful for car hi fi systems - they always seem to have their windows open just to annoy us more.
teamgreen
says...
12:30pm Thu 26 Jan 12
hulla baloo
says...
12:53pm Thu 26 Jan 12
teamgreen wrote:or just below freezing. Collect up the cat poo and put it through the owners door. may not stop the cat, but some self satisfaction may be gained.
but forgot to add that its ok to throw water from a bucket or bowl at them but they didn't say what temperature it had to be so maybe the kettle should always be ready ?
teamgreen
says...
2:28pm Thu 26 Jan 12
hulla baloo wrote:started putting in her back garden but got told off by the housing people as i was being anti social.getting to the point now that i think land mines leaving loads of fishing hooks around the garden and say whoops dropped my mates fishing bag and it was dark and i thought i got everything haha
teamgreen wrote: but forgot to add that its ok to throw water from a bucket or bowl at them but they didn't say what temperature it had to be so maybe the kettle should always be ready ?or just below freezing. Collect up the cat poo and put it through the owners door. may not stop the cat, but some self satisfaction may be gained.
Brite Spark says...
11:46am Thu 26 Jan 12