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| Ornitolog12. 11. 2017 23:21:58 |
In Slovenia there aren't many locations where you could observe geese flyovers multiple times a day. Mirank, I'm really curious where you encounter them so often?
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| sirt113. 11. 2017 14:54:10 |
Ornitolog
Photographed today 13.11. at 14:15 in Stražišče. Flew past Šmarjetna gora towards north. These too flocked like some geese.
(quickly taken with phone)
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| mirank13. 11. 2017 16:08:56 |
Ornitolog, check under ZS, there you asked me the same
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| silvij2. 12. 2017 17:21:43 |
Today at Razpotje (Kanomeljsko), 40 to 50 cranes flew south. Photographed quickly with phone, photo is so-so ...
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| zlatica7. 12. 2017 08:19:17 |
Ornithologist, question - for which birds are sunflower seeds or fat balls in ball shape most suitable?
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| Ornitolog8. 12. 2017 18:01:09 |
When it's frost and severe hunger outside, no bird is picky  all eat everything.
But at our feeder I noticed that each species has its favorite feeding method. E.g. tits preferably fly in for sunflower seeds, take 1 or 2 seeds in the beak, then fly to a nearby tree (for cover), where they shell and eat them. Sparrows preferably stay in some dense bush or hedge. We do them a big favor if we hang those round fat balls (in net) right into the bush. The sparrow will thus stand on the branch and peck the ball at the same time.
For tits it's also OK if the ball hangs somewhere more exposed, e.g. at the end of a branch. Tits are more skillful than sparrows. This means the tit will grip the net with its feet and peck the ball in a "hanging" position. Sparrows can't do that. Sparrows, and numerous finches, also like to stay on the ground under the feeder, where they "thresh" the seeds that fall to the ground from tits or other birds crowding at the feeder. There is also a hierarchy among species when waiting for the meal. If some (lower on the ladder) are too impatient, a fight quickly ensues...
Yes, it's certainly true that the more varied the food, the more different species will visit our garden. Sunflower seeds, round balls, fat (for woodpeckers and nuthatches), pieces of fruit (for thrushes), all that is OK. Bread doesn't belong in feeders.
The positions of the placed food should also be varied, but at the same time safe from cats... A nice place to put seeds can also be the windowsill near a tree/bush. Then we can observe birds at really close range.
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| jprim8. 12. 2017 19:29:59 |
Yes, everything you wrote, ornithologist, I know. For some years we have been feeding birds and I have learned a lot.
We observe birds at a distance of about 3 meters, of course behind the curtain.
Regards!
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| ločanka9. 12. 2017 06:47:39 |
Ornithologist, how does this woodpecker look now humbled, good that it survived
And I noticed something else, that you are a very handsome guy.
You didn't mention nuthatches, I think walnuts suit them best, what do you think?
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| miri9. 12. 2017 07:10:46 |
@ločanka
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| babim9. 12. 2017 11:55:47 |
At our place in the garden it's also very lively. A few weeks ago we noticed that in the "hotel" for wild bees, which my husband set up under the tree, the hollow sticks were pulled out, chewed up and drilled through. We observed that a great spotted woodpecker is processing them, so my husband took a 1m birch trunk, drilled holes all around and attached it right to the home plum tree. Now every day he fills the holes with peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and since then the hotel is safe. The woodpecker is busy all day and it's interesting to watch him. He doesn't let anyone close, not even his own female, so she takes advantage when the woodpecker isn't there. If the female comes, other birds can peck nearby too, but not with the woodpecker. We also have hanging fat cakes, 3 feeders and a round mesh with peanuts. The composition of visitors is quite varied, but we stopped putting seed on the window sill because we were rescuing one tit and a nuthatch that flew into the window, luckily we took them home and they flew away. Really interesting observation!
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| zlatica9. 12. 2017 17:06:40 |
Ornithologist, thanks for the answer in a broader sense. My previous observations also confirm your findings. I put sunflower seeds (bought in a plastic upside-down container at Lidl) on one of the spruce branches and the tits enjoy it endlessly, sparrows are constantly arguing around the mesh cylinder filled with fatty cakes, even 10 at a time crowding on that net and hurrying to eat. The tits really elegantly fly from the spruce with a seed in their beak to that other tree and shell the sunflower seed, then they also treat themselves to the fat cake in a hanging position on the net, while sparrows nervously jostle around. A few years ago greenfinches used to come to the fat cake and seeds, but for 2 years now they haven't. I don't know what the reason is.
babim, the idea of the drilled birch log is great and I believe it's a pleasure to watch the woodpecker. Two years ago a woodpecker completely destroyed some branches on my magnolia where I have fat cakes hanging, he pecked the branch with all his force, processing it completely alive until it dried up. Luckily magnolias regenerate so quickly and there was no damage.
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| Ornitolog9. 12. 2017 21:24:48 |
@zlatica, woodpeckers and green woodpeckers feed exclusively on bad wood that is infested with woodworms, beetle larvae, ants etc. All these live under the bark. From the outside the tree / branch may look completely healthy at first, but in reality it's slowly dying. The woodpecker with his "planing" and drilling actually saves the trees/branches from collapse, as he feeds on these parasites. They once explained this question about woodpeckers and "destroying" wood to me with a story / comparison with a dentist the deeper the tooth worm is, the more you have to drill into the tooth. at that moment it hurts and you have to grit your teeth (not literally!), but after a few hours we realize it's better.
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| zlatica10. 12. 2017 11:47:11 |
ornithologist, what useful stories you tell us! Well, one always learns something new. Thanks for this useful explanation. Now I'll look at this "branch processing" from a completely different perspective.  
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| mirank10. 12. 2017 12:27:13 |
At our place we say that the doctor has come to the orchard when we see a green woodpecker or woodpecker. Unfortunately green woodpeckers are seen
more and more rarely; black one last time still as a chick...
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| vespuci10. 12. 2017 13:26:55 |
Our "woodpecker" feasted like this before the snowfall
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| velkavrh11. 12. 2017 11:56:39 |
We have two feeders and for two months now every morning I regularly scatter colored sunflowers and a seed mix bought at Semenarna Ljubljana. This year I also mixed my own colored sunflowers and millet. For several years I've noticed that winter bird guests don't like black sunflowers as much, so I prefer to shell colored ones. I also hang bought fat cakes on tree branches. I buy fat cakes in a bucket and we have them for quite a while. The mixed seeds from Obij didn't work well - too many wheat and barley grains inside, which mostly end up unused on the ground.
Of course there are most tree sparrows - we're in the countryside. Followed by great tits. Fewer blue tits and marsh tits. These three tits are somehow staples at our feeders. A flock of chaffinches always flies in too, among them always some greenfinches but few. Regular guests are hawfinches - about ten of them. And a flock of siskins and goldfinches also comes. We also have three regular bullfinches and three regular great spotted woodpeckers. On the ground then the jackdaw and magpie pick up the remains as well as two pairs of collared doves. Just yesterday I noticed long-tailed tits on the feeder and fat cakes - rare guests. This year I've already seen yellowhammer and pine grosbeak on the feeder. This year I've also seen black grouse under the feeder - we have forest nearby. On the compost heap I see hooded crows and magpies. Green woodpecker I see in the nearby trees - only 10m from the feeder, but not around the feeders yet. No nuthatches or crested tits here.
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| samoa11. 12. 2017 12:52:47 |
At our place it's also quite lively, they don't like seed mixes at all, only black sunflowers.
But now we have new visitors.
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| velkavrh12. 12. 2017 08:24:28 |
samoa, if I see right those are hawfinches.
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