Dunnock Identification: The Bird That Isn’t a Sparrow (UK)
A dunnock has a slate-grey head and breast and a thin, fine bill — where a house sparrow has a buff-brown head and a thick conical bill. Dunnocks shuffle about…
Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Collared Dove or Feral Pigeon? A UK Garden ID Guide
Beakfeeder is reader-supported. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Check the neck. A woodpigeon is big and…
Do Birds Use Nest Boxes in Winter? Roosting Pockets and Keeping Small Birds Warm
Beakfeeder is reader-supported. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Yes. Many small birds use nest boxes to…
Siskins at the Bird Feeder: How to Identify This Small Yellow-Green Finch
Beakfeeder is reader-supported. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A small, streaky, yellow-green bird hanging off your…
How High Should a Bird Feeder Be? Heights and Distances for a UK Garden
Beakfeeder is reader-supported. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hang hanging feeders about 1.5–2 metres off the…
A Sparrowhawk Killed a Bird at My Feeder: What to Do
Don’t stop feeding. Sparrowhawk predation is natural, and long-term research has not found it to be a cause of songbird population declines. The useful response is to move the feeder…
How to Photograph Garden Birds From Your Window
The single biggest improvement isn’t the camera — it’s the perch. Stake an attractive natural branch a foot or two from the feeder and focus on that instead. Birds land…
Wasps Around Your Bird Feeder in Late Summer
Wasps aren’t after your seed. In August and September their colonies break down and workers switch to hunting sugar — so they’re drawn to fallen fruit, sugary residues and water,…
Bird Droppings and Mess Under the Feeder: How to Deal With It
Most feeder mess is seed husks, not droppings — and switching to sunflower hearts removes almost all of it, because the husk is already gone. For droppings, move the feeder…
Do Garden Birds Recognise You? And How Long Do They Live?
Yes, some do. Corvids — crows, magpies, jackdaws — have been shown in research to recognise and remember individual human faces, and to hold grudges. Robins and tits learn routines…