Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 18th September, 2023)

They'll soon be on their way to South Africa in the next week or two. They'll be back next Spring along with many other birds.

A lovely photo of the swallows but I couldn't help remembering Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", when two or three soon became hundreds! It also reminded me of the telephone wires near my childhood home in Ince, (not that we had a telephone!), where many sparrows used to congregate. You never seem to see sparrows now....are they still with us but just not as plentiful as they used to be? Does anyone know?

That’s where the saying ‘free as a bird’ comes from flying away for the Winter! Equivalent to humans going on cruises for the Summer Sun.
The clever little dickies.

The flies and aphids get less and less as we slowly move to Autumn and Winter. Migrants birds will start the long journey back to warmer Countries but will indeed return next Summer.

Swallows eat insects, nothing else.

Thanks for that correction Alan and Sandra . They must have been swooping for flies in the stubble .
It will be sad to see them go on their epic flight . They are so much part of summer as the warm sun itself.

We still get quite a few sparrows feeding on the bird nuts in the back garden.

The one in the middle is saying "I don't know where they've all gone son, I slept in this morning".

Irene, Sparrow numbers along with other garden birds have significantly dropped since the 1970s, birds like the Skylark in the countryside are slowly disappearing. People blame in on modern farming and efficiency in technology.
I try my best to feed garden birds only in Winter, but don't think it's enough. Hope I'm wrong.

I’m looking forward to seeing Robin-with his red breast. I haven’t seen one all Summer…he stands out more in Winter on grey colourless days.

Alan is spot on, Swallow eat insects in mid air that's why they fly in a zig zag way.
Good photo.

Veronica your spot on, Robins stand out more in the snow with its red breast and brown feathers.
They always look good on Christmas cards don't they.

The blackbird would more or less demand food every morning,followed by the little robin red breast ..I put it on a garden table just under the kitchen window...but then I saw a rat climb up the table and take the food then ran off with it to wherever it was hiding.food, I feel so guilty .a lot more went on but I'd be here all day to tell it.

Yes they do stand out in the snow Garry . I have painted a few Christmas cards with Robins and holly branches they’re very popular.

Swallows catch food in mid-air so do Swifts.
Garry is right about the dwindling numbers in all our garden birds.
Seagulls, pigeons are on the increase. I much prefer out garden birds though.
About our garden birds and Country side birds, they are falling to an incredible level since 1970, farming and agriculture in modern farming as not helped birds of all species. But farmers are trying to help them by farming fields with shrubs and tree in edge rows and planting flowers that will attract bees and insects.
We can all do our bit the help birds with Winter food and fitting bells on cats. Remember cats kill birds even if they are fed well.
Nice photo of Swallows that are very much impossible to photograph in mid-air because of their lightning speed and zig zag flight.

Veronica the only reason bird fly abroad is for food nothing else.
Like the photo Poet.

Thankyou Garry. You'll have to put a nip of sherry in a little dish in Winter to warm them up!

Ha ha good Idea Irene, I'll try that, but only a drop lol.

I think robins are just winter birds, you don't see them in Summer.

They must like foreign food for a change then Wiganer…..as well as the sun…I bet they have second homes as well to let when they fly back here. Bird Box to rent for 6 months …Social Security birds need not apply!

We at one time had a lot of Sparrows around the garden Irene, though like as you've said where you live, they've also gone from where we live too, though a few years ago there was a family of Sparrowhawks nesting on the chimney at Rylands mill and they'd be coming throughout the day picking them off, also the gaps where they nested in the eaves of houses would be being blocked off with folks having renovations and repairs done, so the numbers began dwindling. I also remember never having seen any around the town centre after the old market hall had been demolished, and as you know it was full of Sparrows in there, and the chirruping and chattering of them was rather nice to hear.
As for migratory birds, Spanish gunmen not only shoot any passing bird, they also purposely go out twice a year, firstly in Spring to shoot the migratory birds when they're passing over Spain from Africa and going to Northern Europe and the UK, and again to shoot the migratory birds when they are flying over Spain returning to Africa in the Autumn - you know how bloodthirsty the Spanish are and the RSPB and other bodies have asked them to stop it many times with bird numbers decreasing, but no. So if any birds do survive the journey they then have these madmen with guns to contend with.

Red robin, UK Robin's don't migrate they just become less visible when food is more readily available during the Summer months. They forage out of sight in woods and plantation.
They'll be back this Winter to visit our gardens.

Veronica that's the hole point, there's no insects here in Britain during winter that is the only reason they fly abroad.

Red robin,I always thought they were solely Winter birds but I've had two coming here for months.

Maureen I think Garry has the answer to your question

Yes robins do visit gardens now and again Maureen, but in summer with the abundance of food the will spent more time in parks and in woods.
Garry sums it up perfectly.

Yes Maureen I usually see the odd robin in Summer but not seen any at all this lately.

The birds in the photo are House Martins.

I seem to spend forever looking for a bird feeder that won’t let the little birds scatter it on the ground … I don’t want those horrible rats again.

They are definitely swallows. House martins have stubbed tails.

I spend a fortune on bird feed, I love to watch them in the garden. I've got a bird feeder Maureen that I sent away for from a magazine. When it arrived, It said Bird Hotel on the box, which made me laugh, because its got a light on the roof with lights up when it goes dark.

Edna,do the seeds not get scattered on the ground, if not,which magazine did you see it advertised in or what brand is it..and thank you.x

Some bird feeder hotels with solar light and bath are for sale on ebay, Maureen, they start about £6.00.
Just to give you an idea.

Thank you so much for that Garry.x

Garry and Edna..I tried to buy the hotel bird feeder,but it seems that they're all sold out..so have sent for a similar type from Amazon...I'm looking forward to feeding them now and probably my blackbird friend will come back.x

I don't think my last comment has got through..it was just to say the ones on Ebay believe it or not have sold out so I've ordered a similar one on Amazon..I'm looking forward to seeing the blackbird and robins again. So again thank you.x

Oops...

Sorry Maureen, I didn't get back to you.It was a magazine that came with The Daily Mail, on Saturday's. No wonder they have sold out on ebay & amazon, mine was £19.99!!!