I read today that a lot of our garden birds numbers are going down,House sparrows,Starlings Blackbirds,Robins,and song Thrushes are at an all time low,However Blue tits, Green Finches,and great tit,are on the increase,due to more nest boxes being put up in Gardens,Pity we can't invent a box for the others with a door in it that they could slam shut when the robbing Magpies and others come calling
Sylvia
Yes, I agree JoJo, those little sparrows are quite rare in the garden these days and I saw it on TV the other evening, about the increase of Green Finches which are frightening off our own bird life. I guess this is all to do with the climate changes.
One species that seem to be on the increase and a right blimin' nuisance, is those wild pigeons - I think they are called wood pigeons. They are everywhere and carry certain diseases, but you often see people in the Town Centre's, throw bits of food down for them, so no wonder they keep populating.
Those wood pigeons make a peculiar noise too, they sound a bit like a cuckoo with hiccups.
Sandie Seward
I think you mean Feral Pigeons, Sylvia, not Wood Pigeons.
Feral Pigeons a.k.a. "Rats with wings", are everywhere, and although some of them are very attractive, they make a mess, and will eat almost any left-over or thrown-away food.
Wood Pigeons, on the other hand, are not seen around towns or gardens, they quite literally prefer Woods and Shrubland. They are also eatable, whereas if you tried eating Feral Pigeons, you'd probably end up with a serious bout of food poisoning.
Sylvia
I stand corrected Admin, but those pigeons are a Feral nuisance nevertheless.
Sandie Seward
Quite agree with you, Sylvia, they are a nuscience.....but, I'd miss them if they all went!
Sylvia
No, I certainly wouldn't miss them if they all went Admin. They make a horrible noise that seems to go on endlessly. They make a terrible mess with their bird droppings over our Town's pedestrian footpaths and walkways and above all, they are considered to be vermin. I may be treading on dangerous ground here by bird lovers, but I think they should be culled and disposed of as any other vermin would be. Sorry about that!
JoJo
How do you feel about Magpies? beautiful birds or raiders of birds nests?
I have a couple of pairs of Wood pigeons visit the garden,I think they look funny their body is almost too big for their little legs to carry it, i call them walking tanks.
Sandie Seward
Magpies, Jo-Jo, are attracive looking birds, but they are vicious bullies, and will attack and even kill smaller weaker birds. We have a lot around here, and they are a menace to our litlle garden birds.
