Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Birds in the garden, or lack of them
I have been surprised that from about a month ago , the number of birds visiting the various feeders dotted about suddenly declined to about none. There are still very few about , often go for days witout seeing any. Do they heve better things to do in Summer and give up the easy life and go native?? The hand feeding robins have shipped out which is a particular disappointment. No increase in cat activity but the noisy Magpies might bear some responsibility. Any ideas, I rather miss them ??
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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I’ve been musing over the disappearance of blackbirds from my garden over the last few years, so interesting (and very sad) to hear about why is the case. They were the most common birds I’d see when I moved in over 20 years ago - now it’s robins and wrens, various tits and of course magpies and parakeets.
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Permalink Reply by Harringay_Birder on
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Afternoon, all!
Yes, birds do indeed moult after springtime breeding, their feathers being replaced by shiny new ones. As they need their feathers to fly, losing them during moult means that they are less well able to fly and so more vulnerable (as has already been stated) to predators. This means they stay well hidden, and that explains why their numbers seem to have reduced. They'll be back out and about soon enough...
(Also, I saw a family of Blackbirds together in the shrubbery in FP just a few days ago, so they are still around!)
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Permalink Reply by John Shulver on
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The evening song of a blackbird delivered from highest branch of a tree reminds me of my Mum and childhood days in Harringay. She always stopped to appreciate it and now her memory lives on in my appreciation. But fortunately, in my garden in North Norfolk we are blessed with many blackbirds. So sing away for my Mum.......
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Permalink Reply by Martin (Woodside) on
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One reason could well be that this is due to the massive decline in insects which many small birds feed on. Fingers get pointed at insecticides and climate change, and it could be down to many reasons but no-one really knows. It is a serious problem which will affect us in more ways than one.
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Blackbirds feed mainly on worms - as well as insects and berries - but the problem is likely to be more loss or change of habitat rather than climate change. That said, Blackbird numbers have decreased in London in recent years (the bird that used to sing in our street in high summer could not be heard) and are under further threat from a virus that is being spread by continental mosquitoes beginning to thrive in (the gift that keeps on giving) climate change. The British Trust for Ornithology has set up a survey for anyone who wishes to help monitor numbers; a link to the survey is here: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/blackbirds-gardens
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Just to provide another perspective, we have lot of small birds in our garden so hopefully yours will come back soon. A big flock of sparrows, blue and great tits a few robins, a lone chiff chaff and a couple of blackbirds are all regular visitors. I did think the blackbirds didn't look in great condition so that's sad to hear about the virus
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