After a loooooong break from here (is it really November?), I’m pleased to say I’m back feeding the birds! The disease affected a couple more Greenfinches, so I waited for the feeders to empty then took everything down for a couple of months. The garden was given a chop back of hedges / bushes etc and I’ve now set up the feeding stations again 🙂
Sadly, Colin’s health deteriorated and he ended up going blind in both eyes. He started walking round in circles & bumping into things – needless to say he didn’t make it – I have to say I actually shed a tear for the poor thing 🙁
On to a happier note, House Sparrow numbers are still just as high as last year (if not more) in our back garden and are happily munching their way through the endless bags of seed! Two Goldfinches are also visiting the Nyger feeder every day, and we’ve started attracting the Blue Tits & Coal Tits again, so hopefully once the weather turns slightly colder we’ll get more & more in the garden!
The Starlings don’t seem to have noticed that the food is back at “Chez Shazza”, but I’m sure they soon will, especially with the apple & peanut butter that I’m putting out – who could resist?!
Oh and the Robin which I desperately wanted when we first moved in, has finally started coming into the garden on a more regular basis – Yay 🙂
No photographs this time, but hopefully will post some next time. I hope all my regular followers are still around & I’m sorry its taken so long for me to update!
Welcome back Shazza, good to hear you are feeding again! Bring on some colder weather 🙂
I’ll put you on my blog list again so i can check back 🙂
Shazza, it seems to be the school of thought that the Greenfinch disease is only prevalent during July, August and September, so you should be OK now till next summer. Whilst we don’t seem to have suffered to much of it here in Kent this year, Greenfinch numbers still seem well down after last year’s severe outbreak.
Aah thanks Warren – can’t wait for the colder weather, hoping to get Redwings & Fieldfares in the garden again this year 🙂
Hi Derek – thanks for popping by.
We actually had the disease from March/April time & with November being as mild as it is for the moment, I’m still a bit paranoid about it coming back.
But I’ve gone too long without feeding them & need my “fix” of watching 🙂
Well that’s worrying Shazza, having the disease during the breeding season means that the young are infected/dead before they even leave the nest as its spread in the saliva.
Let’s hope things stay OK for the winter at least. By the way, do you feed sunflower hearts, the finches go mad for them here.
I found it hard to source sunflower hearts over here Derek, although I haven’t tried for about 3 years now so we probably can get them.
I put out the normal black sunflower seeds though, which the Coalies & Blueys love – just means they have to work a bit harder to get to the good bit inside!
Hearts appear to be one of the more popular feeds used over here and most of the photos of tubular feeders that you see will have hearts in. They are also easily obtained from most pet shops and birdfood suppliers. They can be expensive though and you need to shop around but I’ve found that Goldfinches will always take them ahead of niger.
Sharon, your comment on my blog Re the shooting idiot had me in stitches 🙂 🙂 🙂 cheered me no end!!
I aim to amuse Warren 🙂