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[Taz2]

It is unsual for rooks to take seed Honeyb  especially from gardens. Are you sure it isn't starlings? I have two large feeders with saucers on which the starlings, doves and pigeons tend to go for as they find it easier than perching and then I feed the smaller birds a different mix on a smaller feeder without a saucer.  I feed normal seed in the large feeders and then sunflower hearts in the saucerless one and niger seed in a niger seed feeder (funnily enough!).

I also feed a breakfast for the starlings and blackbirds on the birdtable and on the ground - blackbirds are ground feeders and don't like to visit the table. I feed wholemeal breadcrumbs, digestive biscuits, grated cheese, shredded suet and soaked sultanas. I also put out any table scraps which go really quickly when the starlings and magpies arrive.

Taz x

[viv]

These are huge great big black things. We have had one crow visit and it was even bigger 

They will eat anything but its the fat balls that they go nuts for. I have a ceramic feeder which is sort of teardrop shaped and has a perch on each side and the little birds will sit inside and feed. They will even perch on this and steal whatever I put out.

They make a heck of a racket and I just want them to go away as the little birds and the doves are scared of them.

The dog will chase them off but they are back within minutes.

Honeyb
x

[Taz2]

Don't know what to suggest then.  I don't feed fat balls in the summer.  Do they go for the seed? I think they only eat grain and not the other types of seed. Have you considered getting in touch with the BTO or RSPB for advice. You may have more of a problem there with rooks than we have here. Do they have the grey faces?

My main pests are doves - they drive me mad and I have had to take the saucer off the sunflower hearts feeder because I was spending £15 a week on just the hearts alone because they just colonised it and emptied it twice a day. Doves are notorious for chasing off the smaller birds - they are extremely aggressive especially to sparrows and finches. It always makes me laugh that the Dove is supposed to be the bird of peace - not in my garden it isn't!

Taz x

[purplenanny]

Rooks are awful birds, we have them nesting in our pine trees and the racket they make in the morning is just dreadful

Taz2 - do they eat smaller birds do you know? I was watching springwatch last night and the hawk was taking birds off the feeder! It was horrible

I love Doves and have a pair visiting always, I did not know they were so nasty! Not witnessed that yet

I put the nigra(spelling?) seeds out last night, so hope to have finches soon. The feeder is stainless steel though - does this not frighten the birds with its brightness, especially in the sun (when its here!!!!)?

Purplenanny x x

Purplenanny x x

[Taz2]

No it wont frighten the finches but it can take a few weeks before they begin to use it. Where have you positioned it?

Rooks are not awful birds - they are Corvids and are amongst the most intelligent the same as crows and magpies. I can understand that their noise is off putting but does it help to  think about what is going on in the rookery? Think of it like a big family home! They have all woken up and, firstly, they have all survived the night which is a cause for celebration. Then there is the day to day chat to get out of the way while they are preening themselves (like us having a shower) and tidying their nests and roosting places (like us doing our housework before going to work). Once this has been done then routes have to be worked out for the nearest and best food source. Although they will mostly all set off in the same direction they will normally land somewhere for a while and then peel off in different directions. They will all meet up again in the evening before setting off for their roost and then they natter all the way home. They are living out their lives much as we do - I expect the noise of our cars, lawnmowers, strimmers etc. gets on their nerves too! I often have to attend courses held in an old manor house. There is a well established rookery in the parkland close to house. This time of year it is lovely to watch the celebrations as a baby leaves the nest and takes its first flight. I often forget I am meant to be listening to the speaker!

They don't normally take nestlings but will eat ones that have died already.

As for doves we started off with one pair and now have up to twenty all the time.

Nature can appear cruel purplenanny but the sparrowhawk you saw taking birds from the feeder also has young to feed. It's just the way it goes. In feeding birds in our gardens we have increased the sparrowhawk population as we have set up fastfood restaurants for them and more of their chicks are surviving. I have a pair that live in the copse just over the road from me and they bring their young to practice flying from our roof to the garage roof opposite. I find it amazing that whenever they are around the whole garden freezes - not a movement from the small birds.

Have a look at the clever rook here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8059688.stm

Taz x

[Taz2]

This is fantastic - a tracked Swift http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/326649   3300 miles without landing once!

Taz x

[changesbabe]

Gosh taz you really are an inspiration with all your wildlife knowledge. It was a joy to read what you had written about the rooks - and yes I could see why you would be distracted at meetings! Xxx

[Taz2]

Thanks H&S. I was given a love of all things to do with nature by my dad. We would go off for hours into the countryside and he taught me to sit still and listen to what was happening around me. He had endless patience.  He taught me loads about birds and that even if we didn't like what they did they were still a part of our countryside and all things have their place. My mum didn't see things the same - especially when she discovered an ants nest. Out would come the boiling water and me and dad would watch the ants rushing around trying to rescue their eggs before it was too late. We used to keep quiet when we found one!

Most birds are good at looking after their young but this weather has badly hit a lot of them. Bluetits have been dying in the nestboxes which is so sad. The wet weather has washed away the caterpillars which are their main food source (the hatching of the eggs is timed to precisely coincide with the hatching of the caterpillars) and so they have starved to death. Rooks have been hit too as their nests are open and in the top of trees and the relentless rain has killed off many of the chicks. Magpies, of course, are clever enough to build a roof over their nests so they have been cosy.

I have a young magpie visiting the garden today and he has not quite got his balance right! He lands on the birdtable and tips forward much to the delight of the other birds who sit and snigger from their perches in the plum and apple trees. It is unusual to see one so young without the adult birds so either he is not well or has left the nest before the others and they have yet to catch up.

Taz x

[viv]

Well its not rooks as the ones I have have got grey faces. Still big b**gers though. 

I also have magpies and they can be bullies but pretty ones.


Honeyb
x

[Taz2]

This one has a grey face - they have light beaks http://www.bto.org/node/2045 

Late this afternoon I heard an adult magpie calling and the young one - who was dozing on the bird table - suddenly began chattering back. Mum or Dad flew down and cuffed him round the ears with a firm beak and then led him up into the plum tree (high up). Adult bird then flew off and returned a few minutes later with two more young. These had only just left the nest and were very wobbly on landing. They have now explored the garden and discovered the delights of the bird bath (old frying pan sunk into the ground). The three of them are all chattering together. It would seem that the one who has been here all day must have left the nest and the others refused to jump out too. I have only seen one parent bird so this may also explain why the first one has been on its own all day. I'm glad they have been reunited - I was quite worried for him/her! 

Taz x

[ariadne]

Honeybun, could they be Jackdaws? They have grey "hoods" and can be mistaken for crows or rooks.

ariadne xx

[CLKD]

Jackdaws are comical  - we had one at a sporting event last year, it even sat on the Judge's shoulder 

[purplenanny]

Taz2 - I have just returned home from an evenings work and caught up with your messages.

I have totally changed my way of thinking as you make everything sound so fascinating! I have never really thought that deeply about birds, although I do love (most) of them. The thought of them 'chatting' about their day brought a smile.

My new birdfeeder is hanging in the hawthorn tree with all the other feeders - a cheeky squirrel found it today but I think he was frustrated by the very small holes. He decided to move to the birdtable where I had put some dried apricots - he loved those.

A beautiful Jay has started to visit us today, taking the peanuts and drinking from the bird bath

Also had a baby robin sitting on the fence, still showing some fluffy bits here and there - delightful sight

Purplenanny x x

[Taz2]

I have always seen birds and insects in this way - I reckon it must have been my dad. Wasps are amazing too once you get to understand them.

Did you know the woodpigeon is the only uk bird that can use its beak like a straw? I am full of useless information me! 

Taz x

[changesbabe]

Taz your relationship with your dad sounds like it was very special indeed. Xxx