We've got a pair of bastard Sparrowhawks who regularly frequent our back garden murdering Blackbirds and pigeons
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A fair few birds (and other wildlife) visit 'my' garden on a regular basis. I'd love to be able to set up some cameras and film/live stream what goes on. You should hear the racket they sometimes make on the flat roof above my bedroom and in the garden.
Hopefully your 'companion' has many more good years in him.
We've got a pair of bastard Sparrowhawks who regularly frequent our back garden murdering Blackbirds and pigeons
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
Sparrowhawks have to eat too my friend - we don't begrudge the predatory Robin for how many Worms he eats, much as the sight of a Bird being plucked apart is unpleasant.
Predators help to keep the numbers from reaching a stage where prey Bird populations are too big for their food supply - starvation for many when overly numerous is no good.
If you wish to give your Blackbirds more of a chance though, get some dense shrub around so they have something to dive into to aid their escape and keep food within a range of that whereby they have time to get there - it's a balancing act - you don't want to provide cover for Cats, the true enemy!
Our cats hopeless at catching birds, although, we had Green Finches in our garden for the first time in years last summer and the twat murdered both of them because they're so docile and dozy, I was gutted, he can't catch the other birds in the day, but at night, particularly when it's been raining, the horrible bastard will sniff them out where they're sleeping for the night and bring one home every couple of months
The Sparrowhawks kill our Blackbirds, Pigeons and Doves, they have good cover too, they also eat the mice, they're proper cheeky bastards too, our kitchen is on the back of the house, and when I look out I will often see one of them perched on the wall or on one of the bloody bird tables
We do have plenty of Blackbirds and Pigeons though, my brother has an OCD about feeding the birds, you should see the amount of sunflower hearts, suet pellets and mealworms he gets through a week and all our bird visitors are bigger than any I see anywhere else
Still pissed off about the Green Finches, they are so friendly and dozy though, because we feed them, one of them flew right to me and landed at my feet right by our back door, when the bloody cat was right there too
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
I actually love Cats - prefer Dogs but Cats are great - a client/friend has 5 Maine Coons and they are so entertaining and relaxing. When it comes to outdoor Cats though, whilst it's their "Nature" and I don't hold it against them as such, they're a pet, so in terms of the Ecosystem are "invasive" whereas a Robin or Sparrowhawk are native.
Same way I wouldn't hate a Grey Squirrel for existing, but do begrudge it's negative impact on the native Red Squirrel as the Grey shouldn't really be here, but for human interference.
Pine Marten recovery is helping the Reds to fight back though!
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
Nineteen, your Greenfinches - you described them as dosy and the ones I get are usually incredibly quick/nervous/shy - did they look puffed up at all?
Google "Trichomoniasis" and look at some of he images - Greenfinches have been hit really badly with it since about 2006 - it's pretty rampant in the UK and depending on the species, the Birds worst-effected will change - in France the Goldfinches are the unluckiest with it, Greenfinches in the UK.
We had scored 3 out of 70 shots before Jota burst the net the other night with an early taken instinctive strike so few on here can appreciate.
The African wild dog is a pack hunter and useless on an individual basis - what we really need is a cat like lone predator who wants that damned ball in the net.
Stick to Bird watching and rolling fields and let me direct the attack
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