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[jaypo]

Ah,I've just changed the bird food from a mix to sunflower hearts,maybe that's why I'm seeing them now 
Rats have all but gone now,someone from the village fund set traps
Haven't seen any squirrels round here as yet,plenty trees mind you

[CLKD]

We have an air rifle to dispose of trapped rats and grey squirrels.

[Taz2]

We've had beautiful goldfinches on our feeders this last couple of weeks,they are soooo pretty

Yes Goldfinches are unable to open sunflower seeds but can eat the hearts. They are pretty to watch and their song is delightful. Sadly I've had to take my feeders down for a while due to some of mine getting trichomonas 😞. Hopefully I can put them back up at the weekend.

Taz x

[CLKD]

We haven't had greenfinches for years due to disease.  I've kept on top of the cleaning this last 18 months, as well as moving the feeders around the garden to areas that I am able to dig over. 

A few chaffinches: in the 1980s/90s there were 50+ here of those and greenfinches.  Not as many tits either, mayB more people are feeding locally. 

We have tadpoles 

[jaypo]

What is trichomonas?

[CLKD]

Causes problems with feeding. 

Trichomoniasis is also known as Canker (in doves and pigeons) and as Frounce (in raptors). T. gallinae is a parasite of the upper digestive tract of many avian species causing accumulation of necrotic material in the mouth and esophagus. It is principally a disease of young birds and is often fatal.



How do you prevent trichomoniasis in birds?

Prevention. Trichomoniasis can be controlled in a commercial/domestic flock by culling or treating carrier birds. Food and water sources, as well as bird baths, should be cleaned regularly and protected from contamination by wild birds. Generally parasitic trichomonads cannot survive drying out.

[jaypo]

Aww sounds horrible,will definitely keep my feeders clean 

[Taz2]

It's a dreadful disease and decimated the greenfinch population a few years ago. The virus is spread in saliva and as the birds get sicker they get food stuck to their beaks and also wipe their beaks on branches. They are eventually unable to swallow due to hard plaques inside the mouth and throat and die of starvation. More info here https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/disease-and-garden-wildlife/diseases-in-garden-birds/#:~:text=Trichomonas%20is%20vulnerable%20to%20desiccation,exposing%20itself%20to%20the%20infection.

Taz x

[jaypo]

Thanks Taz,didn't realise how many awful diseases they can get,will be cleaning my feeders a lot more often in future 

[CLKD]

Our pigeons help to keep the ground clear, the occasional starling too - though not many of those this year!

[jaypo]

You can have some of mine,bleepin starlings manage to land on the feeders and empty them in minutes 
We also have beautiful collared doves 🕊 who eat all the dropped sunflower hearts

[CLKD]

One of our collared doves got caught by a sparrow hawk a couple of years ago  .  She was beautiful: pale grey, violet and bronze feathers.  I knew she was a she  because the male, I knew he was a he  because he kept sitting on her back 

[Taz2]

You can have a few of my collared doves if you like CLKD and I'll have some of your starlings Jaypo. Starlings are my absolute favourite and I count the weeks until they bring their first, noisy, babies to the garden restaurant  . Over winter we have 40plus adults visiting each day but it dwindles to around 20 in spring as the winter visitors return to Europe for the summer. They get through nine fat balls a day this time of year plus the food I put out on the birdtable for them. Keeps me poor 

Taz x 

[CLKD]

I'm in the same Poor Group  .  I put 3 fat balls out on Monday, 3 crows took one each to the roof opposite then began pecking them.  How much waste as that I wonder 

[jaypo]

Ok,so a bird swap it is then  I wouldn't mind them guzzling all the food but sunflower hearts ar sooooo expensive,very upper class birds here.....me included