Garden Wildlife UK

Hello everyone,

This is my balcony garden, where the birds spend their days relaxing, bathing and feeding.

The open lattice bamboo pergola was intended to support the canes of various berry plants, though, somewhat predictably, they preferred to grow on the south side. Only the ‘Willamette’ raspberry bushes (developed by Oregon State University) have truly prospered there. That explains the somewhat haphazard array of bamboo poles within the structure. Plus I used to hang laundry there before the birds discovered it — one must smile at how priorities change.



And yes, that is an FM radio ring aerial perched on the roof. I was a broadcast engineer in my youth plus was into Amateur Radio.

Returning to the matter at hand: this “Berry House,” as I call it, proved to be an ideal spot for flocks of blue tits and great tits that nest in the neighbour’s cherry laurel along the west wall of the balcony.


We have also provided a 7‑litre bird bath with a solar pump fountain, which runs for about three hours a day when the sun obliges.


At the east end of the balcony sits our hanging basket chair, and we suspend suet balls from the marquise or from bamboo rod pushed in among the strawberries.

Out back I ‘annexed’ a triangular plot in 2019 of roughly 12 × 6 × 13.4 metres for a lush garden. My neighbour had done likewise years ago, planting a row of cherry laurels, while my plot is bordered by several lilac bushes and planted with small trees, shrubs, currants, gooseberries and blackberries.

I shall report more later adding more stories to this thread.

Bye!

I had been using the services of freecompress.com to reduce each photo to a size not exceeding one megabyte and then attaching them.

However through your most welcomed suggestions Linda, I now us Postimage and have edited previous posts removing all attachments and replacing them with my Postimage photos.

The site doesn't have too much storage for direct photos as we all found out Charlie, which is why some of us upload via Imgur. You don't have to sign up to the site or anything, just drag and drop then copy the link into this site.

You have a lovely setup going on at home!

Here’s a photograph of one of my Great Tits, keenly pecking at a sunflower seed, together with an image of my FM antenna now correctly oriented to the south‑east.



(Note that all of my Great Tits here this year are not yellow at all and are adult size.)

The antenna is mounted on a stack of plastic trays — salvaged from supermarket meat and poultry — which act as insulators, lifting the loop clear of ground potential. In the second photograph you’ll also spot a cosy, safe spot where the Great Tits like to roost overnight.



Bye!

The image is unclear but your "Great Tit" is possibly another species.

Yes, I first thought they were all Parus Cinereous from SE Asia or prehaps the variation from Türkistan or the Caucases. They have all the usual markings of Great Tits but have pale cream coloured chests and bellies and also lack that usual tinge on their shoulders. I have seen nothing like these in the +30 years I'ven been here. In fact I have only seen one beautiful pair of 'normal' Great Tits here in my Garden this year and on only one occasion. They all nest and roost in the cherry laurel bushes around the corner but feed and socialize on my balcony most of the day. The fledglings, young adults and the rather plump adults are all the same pale cream colour. But now some of the bigger adults have moved on leaving a flock of thinner, younger birds to partake of my sunflower seeds, suet balls and bird bath fountain.

Please do give me all of your thoughts on these pale Great Tits! Have they all just 'faded out in the wash' from all the rain here this wet and cool spring and summer or is this a sub-spiecies?

Hey Charles, I'm afraid I only have experience of UK birds, and from what I've seen, our pale Great Tits are all youngsters. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Thanks for your reply!
A lot of birds here are the very same as what you have. If I could indeed turn myself into a gull I would be there after a 500 km flight.

Some members of an other forum suggested my flock are all young birds from this year but then again I've only seen one parent pair in their usual livery.

In such case I would then ask: "Where are all their parents?" And with so many here I would expect 6 nests full with zero casulties.

They nest right around the corner from my balcony in the row of big cherry laurel bushes, but others across the lawn in the little clump of woods there. And all these birds are pale cream colour from the chicks to the plump adults.

If they are indeed a Parus major sub-spiecies then only the Western Turkestan Tit (Parus major bokharensis) would come to mind. Perhaps the effects of weather, climate shifts or disruption due to war zones brought them this direction?

But time will tell if they all do moult yellow.

Hi again!
Here is a photo I made where the tits come and go all day through this dark 'tunnel' in the cherry laurel bush.



And while making this photo, an upset great tit 'dive-bombed' me letting out a long and loud: "Piiiieeepps!" Now then was he or she frightened or just telling me off?