Forum Topic

No birds and few bees

Am I the only person to have noticed the lack of birdsong in Acton?Hardly a tweet, squawk or cackle. Just the odd, very rare, seagull or pigeon.No lovely blackbirds at dawn or dusk. The silence is very strange and eerie.There are also far fewer bumble bees.  My lavender is normally swarming with them.Any ideas on the causes of this sad and ominous situation?

Sarah Vickers ● 4075d22 Comments

Thanks for this Lorna - I love watching them, somehow it always feels like summer when they arrive.

Nina Battleday ● 4072d

There is a petition:https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/ban-bee-killing-pesticides-for-good-937d4563-7694-41a8-a642-65e6b0e51453and some workshops re beeshttp://www.museumofarchitecture.org/

Philippa Bond ● 4072d

Lots of birds in park and garden... A fair few bees on the lavender but NO butterflies on The buddleia this year - and I cultivate it specially for them.And my mint has barely surfaced this year - generally grows like a weed

Sara Nathan ● 4072d

They're swifts - always good to see, but vary in numbers from year to year.

Lorna Dodd ● 4072d

I have noticed, with pleasure, that this year there appear to be rather more martins zooming around high up in the sky. I think they're martins - someone more knowledgeable might put me right on this.  Maybe this year there are more flying insects for them to eat.

Nina Battleday ● 4072d

We live in Highlands Avenue. Plenty of goldfinches on my feeders, some greenfinches - but a decline in numbers over the years -, robins, blue tits, great tits, dunnocks, a pair of chaffinches, pigeons, green parrots... No sparrows now, which is a shame. Definitely a dawn chorus here!

Amanda Knights ● 4073d

This is getting more strange.Don't hear the parakeets flying over and squawking their heads off either.

Sarah Vickers ● 4073d

Can't say I've noticed many bees, but up here in North Acton we get a good dawn chorus. However, during the afternoon it's the Parakeets which you can hear - they never used to come this far out, I don't think - N Acton/Park Royal hardly has much to offer them! But now they're always around, and they screech so loudly! They've done studies showing the parakeets scare away local birds :(

Elly Belpassi ● 4073d

- I do every year!

Lorna Dodd ● 4073d

Will do.But it is odd that this absence of birds seems to be  only in my area.Can't believe it!

Sarah Vickers ● 4074d

All very interesting but if you fprward your observations on the RSPB website [birdwatch campaign] then you REALLY would do some good!http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdwatch/?utm_source=bbcwebsite&utm_medium=online&utm_content=bgbwlink&utm_campaign=birdwatch

Mike Furniss ● 4074d

Last week during our early morning walk in Acton park I saw about a dozen pairs of thrushes. This was very strange, I usually see no more than one pair. They were very busy pecking the ground and being very assertive with the black birds.Loads of sparrows in my railway backing garden but I still keep one feeder on the go and enjoyed watching the babies.Bees much more arrived today as the first dry day since the lavender is in full bloom. several species of bumble and honey bees

Kim Rugg ● 4074d

I've seen far more honeybees than usual in the garden this year - lots of the regular bumbles but matched in numbers by honeybees - so someone must have a hive somewhere around. Not so many at the moment, as there is a lull in flower availability... Usual numbers of birds (plenty of blackbird song) and the occasional (and very rare) thrush. Sadly, sparrows disappeared from our area years ago.

Lorna Dodd ● 4074d

My feeder is visited around the clock by small birds, sparrows, dunnocks, tits.But far fewer bees , my Lavender only has a dozen or so as opposed to hundreds in previous years

Kim Rugg ● 4074d

Good selection here - goldfinches, greenfinches, robins, blackbirds, thrushes,woodpeckers, wagtails and of course the usual selection of pigeons, magpies,parakeets.  But interestingly, i've never had any sparrows here.  Have had dunnocks, but not seen them for a couple of years.

Nina Battleday ● 4074d

Plenty of sparrows tits and robins on my feeders, inc the fledges. Of course those flying rats are in attendance to scoop up the spilt wild bird seed. Only a few bumble bees.Dawn chorus starts between 4 and 5am.

Ewan Howard ● 4075d

We're near Horn Lane close to the A40, and we have loads of birds singing at all hours it seems. We have a pear tree in the garden and are regularly serenaded.

Teresa Byrne ● 4075d

I live between Churchfield and the High Street right next to burial ground/park and it's extremely quiet here.Would like news from north of me....up Horn lane maybe.Could be air pollution perhaps.

Sarah Vickers ● 4075d

Also in good fettle in the Mill Hill conservation area, but definitely less bees :(

Gary Sinclair ● 4075d

The birds have certainly been in good voice in Southfield Park the last few mornings.

Frank Dacey ● 4075d

Well, at least that's good news bee-wise!

Sarah Vickers ● 4075d

Some time ago I put two bird boxes on my house, and both were busy for several years. I noticed that only one was in use this year, the other now appears to be a beehive.

Christopher Bell ● 4075d