I have been meaning to get some pictures of all the birds visiting our feeder. We have a feeder by our fence that I can see from where I am working and it is visited by dozens of sparrows each day. We also get some collared doves and I have seen three of them on the feeder at once.
Some are just a blur as they swoop in. That feeded will be empty in a matter of hours with a fair bit scattered on the ground. Next door is very overgrown so they have places to hide.
A wood pigeon came for a look, but I did not see it try to feed. We get through a big sack of feed every few weeks plus some fatballs. This is on top of all the chicken food. I saw a rat in the run today and we may need a trap to stop them getting out of control. The cats are not doing much of a job.
This is not a great photo as I had to use my phone at the time. This is a sparrowhawk that has just scared the other birds away. I think it swoops down from the roof next door. I guess it must catch something to survive. We have seen them before in the garden where they have killed a few doves.
I keep seeing red kites around here, but have not got a decent picture yet. One was circling over me as I ran the other day and I saw one over the houses here today. They are pretty big birds and impressive fliers.
This weekend is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch where people count what birds they see over an hour. I have also seen blackbirds and great tits out there recently, so I hope them make an appearance. I will try to count the sparrows, but they keep moving.
Nature is precious and delicate. It can need a helping hand from us as we have reduced the space and resources it has.