Did not blow them to here. We have not had small birds in this garden for any length of time since we moved here.Sad!

On the feeders there are Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Long Tailed Tits, Bluetits most days as they all love the Sunflower hearts we put in the feeders. Pigeons clear up any that fall on the ground, as do a Robin and a Dunnock.

Now there are Crows and Magpies battling it out for space in a large Eucalyptus tree across the road and, unusually for here, a bird of prey was circling overhead at midday.

I wonder why the smaller birds are scarce for you.

I see plenty of small birds on my neighbour’s feeder. He puts the sunflower seeds out year round. We haven’t had any green finches or gold finches though but see the Great Spotted woodpeckers often, also lots of house sparrows whose numbers have dropped in recent years, so we’re lucky to have them I guess. Starlings a bit too plentiful!

This has made me think….with having Red Kites in our vicinity, will that mean we won’t get many small birds?

I had to stop putting bird feeders out because of the numerous starlings clearing them in about 15mins.
We have had some very strong winds recently but even so I haven’t even seen a blackbird either.
Perhaps Karen is right about red kites as they are always flying over this area.

Karen, I found this information: Red Kites are scavengers and prefer to eat dead animals, road kill. They have been seen to take smaller, softer animals such as mice, voles, rabbits, crows and pigeons but they are fairly weak hunters in comparison to say a buzzard. They also eat invertebrates such as beetles and earth worms, especially in Spring.

many birds are out in the fields gleaning after harvest. Our blackbirds tend to reappear around october. Still plenty of tits and finches. No starlings this year as we had our eaves repaired before they could get in and nest.

Thanks Shirley. That is interesting!

Karen, I'm glad you think so. Speaking to a local resident today, somebody who has lived in this area their whole life, we both agreed that the birds of prey are losing so much farmland and are coming into more rural areas to find prey.

The 1,200 new homes around here, with another 400 plus due to be built, are destroying the habitat for so much wildlife. Rant over!

Yes, I’m afraid it is the same here Shirley. I suppose anyone who lives in a house or flat, anywhere has bought into the destruction of natural habitat though. It’s all about where we draw the line isn’t it. Personally I would pause all building on rural land until every acre of grey/brownfield land has been used up. But I’m not a politician of course!

Shirley, thanks for the red kite info. So obviously they can't be blamed for the small bird loss. Wonder where they've gone: they don't usually disappear over the summer. We have had some terrific winds though so maybe they're just roosting in safer places. I do miss them though.

Thanks everybody for your comments.

Karen, today we drove almost to Brighton and were amazed at the new road layouts to incorporate all the new housing developments! A journey that used to take thirty minutes took over forty five ... so much traffic now ... :o(

Arbuthnot, it really is very odd about the lack of small birds around your area. I can't think why that is.

Shirley, did you know that in Victorian days Brighton was called Brighthelmstone? I discovered this when researching my GGGF on Ancestry. He was in the 4thLight Dragoons and he and his wife lived in the Barracks with their baby there. He fought in the Crimean war. Almost the whole barracks has been destroyed and built over now.

Karen, yes I knew that and wonder if, in your research, did you visit this site ...

https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discovery/history-stories/brighthelmstone-brighton-in-the-middle-ages/

Closer to us there was a village called Cudlow, now swallowed up by the sea!

I did not! Thank you! X

You are most welcome ... :o)