Where have all the birds gone and why?

Dorset Diver

Dorset Diver

Joined
Dec 23, 2014
Posts
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Location
South Somerset
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34,546
MH
Carthago C-Line I 50
Exp
Since 2009
What has happened to all the birds? Our garden is normally a hive of avian activity plus raptors circling and gulls making a lot of noise and being a nuisance but in the last three weeks we have only seen the odd pigeon.

Earlier this week we spent a day in Weymouth and noticed the almost complete absence of sea birds. One could eat a sandwich or chips without be mobbed by gulls. Yesterday we spent the day in Lyme Regis scene of many gull attacks on unsuspecting grockles, but again hardly a gull or any other bird in sight. Can anyone suggest a reason for this and has anyone noticed similar?
 
My first thought but they disappeared from our garen about three weeks ago and we have had mostly good weather since. Just how good is there long term forecasting?
 
Possibly hiding whilst renewing worn out feathers. They are vulnerable at that time. We seem to have about the same number as usual for this time of year
 
I've noticed exactly the same. For 20 years my garden has been alive with flocks and groups of all types of birds and daily sparrow families in the hedges. I've had to refill my bird feeders about twice or thrice a week but there have been none except one visit by a pigeon and a blackbird in the past 3 months or so. Haven't even seen a Starling. I've had nothing this year in my 4 nest boxes and emptied out my full bird feeders as the seeds had started to sprout and soured. No sign of any raptors or Magpies to scare them off either. My daily countryside dog walks have been completely bereft of birds and birdsong even missing during the Spring when it's usually noisy with mating and territorial song. Could it be avian flu down here in the South?
Same lack of butterflies when I took part in the annual Big Butterfly Watch and saw only two common Large Whites when I usually log a dozen or so of several varieties in the meadowlands.

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I agree . I did see a small flock of Canada geese this morning. They always amaze me with the long journey they make. They seemed to circle around the field for a while, trying to get their bearings, and then they were off.
 
Agreed with hja - there are often times when certain species have to re grow feathers, so they tend to bunker down during this spell.
Raptors on the other hand (especially larger ones) head for Africa.
Herring gulls, I read last week, have been put on the red list of birds in danger, which was very surprising to discover!
 
Very low numbers of birds and butterflies this year . Weirdly no sparrows . Virtually seen no wasps and few bees even though we have lots of flowers and flowering shrubs
 
Swifter said:
I agree . I did see a small flock of Canada geese this morning. They always amaze me with the long journey they make. They seemed to circle around the field for a while, trying to get their bearings, and then they were off.
Click to expand...
I didn't think Canada geese did migrate ?
Our local nature reserve get over run with them, gangs of 50-60 harassing passerbys.
They don't seem to go anywhere, but happy to be corrected.
 
Down here it's not been a steady or gentle decline just here one day, gone the next. I once saw similar abroad ahead of a big storm but over a much shorter period. Disappeared 24-36 hours before and back about 24 hours after. We have been virtually devoid of birds for about three weeks now.

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Avian flu combined with bad weather? The House Martins have had a very bad breeding year with nests failing due to damp.
 
Swifter said:
I agree . I did see a small flock of Canada geese this morning. They always amaze me with the long journey they make. They seemed to circle around the field for a while, trying to get their bearings, and then they were off.
Click to expand...
Hmm, although I'm a bit of a 'birder' I had to look that up.............

1726839403702.png
 
When did you last have to clean a load of dead flies off your headlights and windscreen? Either there are less insects about and so less bird food thus less birds, or our more aerodynamic cars push the insects clear.

It's a mystery.
 
strangeley when i went out yesterday, there was such a lot of bird noise and activity, was really noticeable after such a quiet time, although i have had a gang of sparrows in the garden most of the summer..
was so lovely to hear them..
think it was probably and mostly starlings and sparrows..

sadly very few bees though and thankfully hardly any wasps..
seen quite a few butterflies the last week or so particularly around the buddleia but mostly white ones..

.
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Sadly the same in Derby, few insects of any sort, few birds.
A Robin, a Blackbird, a few pigeons and magpies at the mo....

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This is the first year ever there have been no swallows nesting in my open garage. And definately a serious shortage of butterflies around.
 
Plenty of sea birds at East Fleet this past week. Gulls, oyster catchers and curlews. Also saw earlier this week literally thousands of martins flocking southwards, they were flying and swooping overhead for several minutes as they moved past us. Haven't seen such numbers for many years.
 
Haven't seen a single Wren in our garden this year, only been a handful of Swallows and two Swifts. Sparrow numbers are down though we had the usual group in our hedge, but they disappeared concentrating was over.
Got a Robin doing the rounds and a welcome song or too off him, but all in, a very poor year.

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Generally agree with this thread, less butterflies, small birds, insects and even large birds. Quite worrying, but it does seem to wax and wain. Although we probably don't help, it's beyond our control.
 
Cat owners often don’t help.

There are too many domestic cats allowed to roam beyond their boundaries here in London, and that is without taking into account those without owners.
I watch my neighbours cat hiding below fences waiting to pounce on sparrows etc

I don’t know why it is considered OK for someone’s pet to decimate wildlife or defecate in other peoples back gardens or jump all over other peoples cars

Like dogs, I love well all behaved pets.


It’s the owners that I have problems with
 
Maybe it's a regional thing. Our bird feeder has been heaving all summer with plenty of sparrows and starlings and gold finches have started visiting over the last few weeks. On top of that Robins, dunnocks and blue and great tit's.
Maybe it's because I've got 2 dogs and the moggies avoid our garden.
 
Plenty of magpies and crows in our garden, but haven't seen many smaller birds this year. we used to get a one legged robin visit us every year, but haven't seen any this year, and as others have said butterflies are few and far between.
 
68c said:
When did you last have to clean a load of dead flies off your headlights and windscreen? Either there are less insects about and so less bird food thus less birds, or our more aerodynamic cars push the insects clear.

It's a mystery.
Click to expand...
In Wales they've put it down to the 20mph speed limit 😭

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