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[Taz2]

Not sure I could afford to feed all the robins with the mealworms and how would I choose? We have four at the moment. The wagtails appear to be doing ok - they love the grated cheese and I feed a dried insect mix which is supposed to help them in the cold weather. The grey one spends loads of time sitting on the ice watching the small portion of pond which isn't iced over due to the waterfall still trickling. I keep thinking he has fallen asleep!

I fear that I have lost my favourite Chaffinch who suffered from bumblefoot. He has been visiting since July and his foot infection has slowly got worse and worse until it covered a lot of his leg. I thought that a severe cold snap would be the end of him. He did appear on Monday and was very lively but the infected foot and part of the leg had fallen off leaving him with a little waving around stump. He was such a brave little character. 

Taz x

[dando]

Oh Taz that is so sad.  I have a chaffinch coming to the feeder I just put up in my front garden.  He has a few feathers on the top of his head that stick up like a mohican! I call him Punk.  Bless

[CLKD]

That is sad.  Usually we don't know what happens to the birds which visit because we rarely find bodies although I had several greenfinches die from disease last year.  They sat around all fluffed up ........

Off to top up the water and let out our chickens!

[Taz2]

We had that here too CLKD - it's called trichomoniasis (sp?) and also affects the woodpigeons and dove population. http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.asp   It is known to occur with game birds but they can recover as the antibiotic is added to their water supply - or it used to be anyway and I don't think that has changed. Unfortunately, even when a bird is starving it can still fly quite well so catching it in time is very difficult. I normally get asked to pick up wild birds with this when it is far too late to save them. It is also very contagious and so feeders have to be disinfected each day if an infection is suspected and this is far from easy to do. I hate it when one of  "my" birds has it and sits on the feeders passing the infection on.

We very rarely find any bird bodies either and hopefully Mr Bumble will have just died while asleep and dropped off his twig. Do chickens get it?

Taz x

[CLKD]

Any bird can get bumble foot, due to a laceration which becomes infected.

Birds have all sorts of different virus problems.  In fact it's surprising that chickens survive at all, it is said there are either dead or live chickens, nothing in between  oh all the Winter hats have gone  .. so I make sure the water bowls and feeders are alternated and cleaned as often as possible.  Parrots are well known for carrying a virus which can be passed to humans!

[Taz2]

Most birds also carry salmonella which is why it is so important to wash your hands well with soap and as hot water everytime you touch the feeders.

Good news about bumblefoot - he has appeared today and is feeding well. The rest of the flock are being ok with him too which doesn't always happen. The photo on this site http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/british-birds/15204-female-chaffinch-foot.html   looks the same as the infection on my chaffinch's foot. It says it is part of the papilloma wart virus. It does say that digits may be lost so I expect thats what happened. Maybe the whole foot froze onto a branch overnight and he left it behind when he took off in the morning!

taz x

[CLKD]

TLC required then - does he look healthy otherwise?

[Taz2]

He looks ok - is feeding well and being left alone by the other birds so I hope he will survive.

Taz x

[Corky]

I put out some more porridge flakes and suet yesterday and had a veritable stampede of giant wood pigeons (I don't really like them.) I became quite alarmed, such were their numbers. They began fighting each other almost immediatedly  - before there was any shortage! This meant that my dear little robins were nowhere to be seen.

This morning I saw two robins outside and ran out to replenish my garden table, but now those damn pigeons are back! Any thoughts on attracting the wee ones and warding off the bullies?

Corky

[CLKD]

Putting food in different places around the garden, I had 8 pigeons yesterday but no air rifle pellets  ..... I have smaller birds at the front of the garden, starlings and pigeons in the back and yesterday a magpie 

It's hard work keeping them all separated so that everyone gets a bit!

[Taz2]

I love the magpies CLKD - they are being very clever here and using last years nest to shelter in each night. It must be quite cosy in there - not many birds have nests with roofs on!

As for the woodpigeons - I have 14 sat in my apple tree at the minute but you are not allowed to come here with your air rifle!! On a good note - the first Siskins arrived this mornng so are competing with the goldfinches for the nigerseed. They are the only two birds with beaks slim enough to get into the slits.

Wow - have just looked out on my tiny garden and there is a flock of Fieldfares sitting in the tree - we very rarely see them in the garden.

Taz x

[Corky]

That's a really good idea - separate feeding stations - but at the moment I have only cleared about a 3ft area of snow.... I shall have to clear some more tomorrow to organise the little blighters. I had to break up a bird fight before I left the house this afternoon. There were several different types of birds all jostling for postion and getting qutie cranky with each other. When I told my two friends why I was late they looked at me with a mixture of incredulity and pity!

I tried to buy some of those hanging food ball things, but there were none to be seen at the supermarket - I guess everyone has had the same idea.

I am pleased to report though, that just before I left the house (about 8 minutes after theh brawl) there were 4 robins feasting on the suet and one in the bowl of water! I was so excited.

Corky

[Corky]

I cleared more snow this morning and now have a line running from my door and extending half way up the garden. I have sprinkled suet and porridge along the length  of it and, I am pleased to report, at about 2.50pm I observed an orderly queue of birds of various types and sizes pecking away at the ground. 

Curiously, I observed a squirrel earlier today! Shouldn't he be tucked up in hibernation?  Worryingly, I told a freind about my Snow White antics with the birds and she said her parents had to stop feeding in their garden because they saw a rat!  Oh horror!  Any thoughs or experiences on encouraging the wrong sort of company?

Corky 
 

[dando]

Oooh, well I feel very put out    I went to the pet shop near me yesterday.  Had to trek up a steep hill in the snow to get there to buy mixed bird seed, peanuts and 5 fat balls.  Waitrose and Sainsbury's had run out of all their bird feed.  I smashed up a pile of peanuts, mixed it with the mixed bird seed, crumbs etc and put it out on the wall, and apart from the odd robin, most of it is still there!!!  Sniff, sniff, where are the birdies? I had bacon this morning and snipped off the fat, chopped it up small and put that up on the wall.  Have seen a couple of robins but little else. I was expecting to be swamped.  I feel agrieved....as if my food isn't good enough   Will keep feeding them tho!  Maybe I need to try live mealworms

[catweazle]

Corky I had a rat in my garden a few months ago. I'd put food for the birds on the table and some on the ground as well. I was idly watching through the window when I saw what I thought was a squirrel - aww I thought, I like squirrels  , then it turned round and I saw its tail - it was a rat!!

I banged on the window and it ran off but the cheeky monkey came back a few minutes later to finish it's snack.
I don't put food on the ground any more and I haven't seen any more of the rat.

Catweazle x