Wildlife in your Garden

[IrishBlue2022]

Parakeets in the park behind my house making it to BBC news.

Parakeets: Why are parrots living in a park in Belfast?

It's estimated that about 15 parakeets have found a new home in north Belfast.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[jazzy]

Lack of rainfall - Two wood pigeons on my roof blast water at them while washing the car - did they move = NO - did they try to dring the hard jet of water = Yes ..... & crapped all over my car the next day

It's called karma, crap away wood pigeons

 

[COYBL25]

Parakeets in the park behind my house making it to BBC news.

Parakeets: Why are parrots living in a park in Belfast?

It's estimated that about 15 parakeets have found a new home in north Belfast.

www.bbc.co.uk

We`ve had them for years, they`re common now.

Spread slowly over the whole country from escapees in the South of England a few decades back.

As much as they`re colourful, they`re bad news for native birds that nest in holes in trees, as they`ll quite literally launch a native bird out it`s nest, if it wants the hole as a nesting site and eat it`s chicks / eggs at the same time.

 

[kev]

We`ve had them for years, they`re common now.

Spread slowly over the whole country from escapees in the South of England a few decades back.

As much as they`re colourful, they`re bad news for native birds that nest in holes in trees, as they`ll quite literally launch a native bird out it`s nest and eat it`s chicks / eggs at the same time.

I take your point about them being bad news for native birds, but I'm still jealous that we don't have them round here yet.

 

[COYBL25]

I take your point about them being bad news for native birds, but I'm still jealous that we don't yet have them round here yet.

Trust me, it`s only a matter of time.

About 5/6 years back there was a loose colony in Sefton Park, now every single park, cemetery etc, in South Liverpool has got whole flocks of them.

They`re too big to get into the holes that the likes of Blue / Great Tits use, but fit nicely into holes that the likes of Woodpeckers and Nuthatches use and because their breeding season coincides with Great Spotted Woodpecker ( who don`t take any crap ) you can sometimes come across a woodpecker battling it out with a parrot, as it tries to take over it`s nesting hole, which can be quite a noisy affair !

 

[Littlesue]

…..lovely pic, Sue. Cropped it for you, it’s so easy even I can do it;

View attachment 304204

Cheers, will have to get one of my sons to show me how to do it

 

[Cake]

Not my garden, just up the road, earlier today out with my dog in regular walking area. A Grey Heron? Never seen one before there in 8 years. Closest I could get without falling in.

 

[Eggs]

Not my garden, just up the road, earlier today out with my dog in regular walking area. A Grey Heron? Never seen one before there in 8 years. Closest I could get without falling in.View attachment 304211

….poor duck doesn’t get a mention.

 

[Littlesue]

It's like feeding time at the Zoo for the Herons when all the ducks and Cootr's eggs start hatching, seen a few carry the chick's off

 

[Cake]

….poor duck doesn’t get a mention.

I've just looked again (I think that's a goose mate?)

 

[kev]

….poor duck doesn’t get a mention.

Not sure how that Canada Goose would feel about being called a duck

 

[kev]

It's like feeding time at the Zoo for the Herons when all the ducks and Cootr's eggs start hatching, seen a few carry the chick's off

Thats nature A Herons gotta eat

 

[RufusCat]

….seen quite a few really small birds this year, I think they’re wren. I have them visiting my garden and noticed them in my daughters this morning. Tiny little things.

I downloaded the Merlin app to my phone last autumn and try to record the birds in the garden for a few minutes whenever I can. The number of birds it identifies really surprised me, although quite often, like the wrens and finches, I cannot spot them. One bird that you hardly used to hear is becoming increasingly common - the chiffchaff.

 

[COYBL25]

Thats nature A Herons gotta eat

Also why ducks have such big broods, if one survives it’s a result.

 

[Eggs]

Thats nature A Herons gotta eat

….its residential by me but I see one regularly and he/she gets ‘dive bombed’ by the local birds, I presume they’re protecting their young.