For quite a while we hadn't seen many sparrows in our garden and hardly any starlings at all.
This year things seems to have changed - I don't know whether this is as a result of re-siting our bird feeders or us widening the range of food that we put out.
Whatever the reason our sparrow population has grown. Bath time is chaos!
Although our starling population isn't as large we are now seeing one or two individuals regularly. This one had just left the bath in time before the sparrows arrived.
One thing for sure is that they are keeping us busy filling up the baths. Birds are also starting to use our new bird bath but at the moment bathing there is a more refined affair favoured by robins and blue tits.
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I really miss seeing sparrows. I haven't seen a sparrow in my garden in London for years and years. Cheery little fellows.
ReplyDeleteI love to see the birds having a good old bath...only problem is they get so much water everywhere you then have to go and refill it!!
ReplyDeleteIt really is a full bath there. They must have taken reservation;-).
ReplyDeleteWhat great pictures! My bird-bath is often used by Magpies, not for bathing in, but for softening bits of bread that I put out for them!
ReplyDeleteFab pictures!! I miss the sparrows at our old house, we used to get quite a few and one in paticular (at least I always say it was the same one) used to sit on the guttering and tweet all day. We haven't seen any at our new place :-(
ReplyDeleteWe went from flocks of sparrows to hardly any but they seem to be back in force now Matron. I think it's because our feeders are now amongst bushes and trees.
ReplyDeleteI plant moisture loving plants around the base of the bath Tanya. This way the plants don't mind the overspilling water either when birds are splashing about or when we fill the bath.
Hardly room to splash Diana with more waiting their turn.
A magpie visits our bath too Mark but for a drink. WE also have a great spotted woodpecker on the peanuts for a couple of days but it makes off as soon as I get my camera.
We have a young great tit that often wakes us in the morning tapping along the window ledge, Alison. It explores any tiny gaps for insects.
What fantastic photos, Sue, really lovely. My daughter enjoyed looking at them too and laughed at some of the sparrows with spikey feathers. We have lots of sparrows and starlings in our garden, along with blackbirds and bluetits, sightings of other birds are only occasional.
ReplyDeleteSince we varied our menu we have had loads of different birds just hoping some of the ones we had over winter come again next year.
ReplyDeleteWhat fab pictures! So sweet :-) Love 'n' hugs, Mel xx
ReplyDeleteThey do add life to the garden Mel
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