The first birds to appear were Goldfinch; we always seem to get a lot of these colourful and feisty birds in our garden:
The question was what other birds would use the bird box feeder?
This time-lapse photography clip should give you an idea of the different birds visiting the feeder:
Now let's look at each of these different birds in a bit more detail, starting with the original residents of the bird box...........the Blue Tit:
Blue Tit
These charismatic little birds frequent most feeders and can be quite aggressive towards birds larger than themselves. They are also opportunists and often sneak into the bird feeder whilst other birds are arguing amongst themselves. Here is a little clip of the Blue Tits feeding at the bird box feeder:
Next up is the Blue Tit's larger cousin the Great Tit:
Great Tit
Although slightly bigger than the Blue Tit, in my experience the Great Tit is less aggressive and more likely to wait its turn at the feeder rather than 'pester' those birds already feeding. Great Tits are easily distinguished by their black 'bib'........... which looks like they have a black scarf tied around their neck and dangling down their chest...........see what you think!
Another tit that visited the bird box feeder was the Coal Tit:
Coal Tit
The Coal Tit is similar in size to the Blue Tit but it is much more shy and timid. It is normally seen high up in the branches of conifer trees, where it flits from branch to branch feeding on seeds and insects. An easy way to distinguish it from a Blue Tit is that one has a blue cap and the other has a cap as black as coal..........I will leave you to figure out which is which! Coal Tits don't dwell long at feeders, only enough time to swoop in, grab a seed then fly back to eat it in a nearby bush or tree (hence the very short clip):
OK so the Coal Tit also has a white stripe on its black cap........ and the Great Tit also has a black cap to match its scarf.............I'm sure you can identify them easily (I'll not mention the Marsh Tit or Willow Tit that will just confuse you, and we don't get them on our feeder)
Moving on, we will now look at one of the most popular garden bird and a favourite of gardeners (apparently) that is the Robin:
Robin
I'm sure I don't have to describe what a Robin looks like. In terms of its behaviour it can appear a very friendly bird as it follows you around the garden in the hope that you disturb some worms or insects for it to eat. Don't be fooled ...........this is a psycho-bird ..........especially if you are another Robin encroaching on their territory............then the feathers will really fly. Luckily we only had one at the feeder when I recorded it:
Let's have a look at the finches that visited the bird box feeder, starting with a very common garden visitor, the Chaffinch:
Chaffinch
The Chaffinch is often overlooked, but a male bird can be quite stunning. It is not the smallest of the finches that visit our garden and it is often seen in small flocks rather than singly (especially in winter). Despite this it can be quite reticent about staking its place at the feeder, this is mainly down to the fact it is more comfortable as a 'ground feeder' and finds perching on hanging tube feeders quite difficult. You are more likely to see them on the ground below the feeder hovering up any dropped seeds. My bird box feeder however is a bit more accommodating for birds such as the Chaffinch:
The next finch on the list is the bully boy of the feeder, that is the Greenfinch:
Greenfinch
The Greenfinch (as the name suggests) is predominately green......... at least the males are....... with the females being a bit more brown. They are much bulkier birds than a chaffinch and have a powerful beak ....... not something you want a nip from! They are not frightened to muscle other (smaller) birds out the way to get to the feeder, as can be seen in this little spat with some Goldfinch:
That brings us on to the Goldfinch, which we have already seen likes the bird box feeder:
Goldfinch
This colourful finch also moves around in small flocks and although it is slightly smaller in size than the Chaffinch it is far from timid. Our garden gets a lot of Goldfinch, often in flocks of about a dozen and it can seem like a group of unruly teenagers have invaded the feeders. The are noisy, boisterous and brash; not scared of taking on birds much bigger than themselves as they normally outnumber them. They also have a tendency to squabble amongst themselves, often leaving the door open for other birds to sneak in and steal a seed or two:
The Starling does not need to 'sneak' in to the feeder, it is not to be argued with:
Starling
This is the largest bird that visited the bird box feeder and with its sharp bayonet-like beak other birds just get out its way......... fast! It is one of my favourite birds and I think is hugely under-rated. It is a very colourful bird in many ways; with its iridescent green and purple plumage, its exuberant character and its fantastic ability to mimic other bird calls (Curlew, Buzzard, etc.) I just think it deserves more respect than it often gets:
That about covers all the birds that visited the bird box feeder over the last few weeks.......... however I will end this blog with a video of another finch that visited the garden but chose to feed on the last of the seeds in the Birch catkins rather than visit the feeder.
Ladies and Gentleman I give you the Bullfinch:
What a show-off!!!
Take Care
TeddyEdward
