Hobbies and Crafts

LOL

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

The directions to people looking for my house are as follows................ "Look for the house with the tree full of bird feeders and the bird bath in the front garden"
hehe no one missed it!

The birds have been buts here too, we usualy fill the feeders up every 2 days........... this week we have been filling it up everyday.

Oddly enough we seem to have had an influx of birds we havent seen before, Greenfinches, Long tailed Tits, Coal Tits, as well as the usual ones we get every day.........


(lol and yes, the birds seem to think its spring here too)

Gail

Robin - ah, but it needn't be that expensive, as I've found out. I've had to be reminded that birds also eat our cooked leftovers, including meat, so the term "doggy bag" no longer applies lol.

Mind you, have they said so much as a "thank you"? Have they heck! lol

*covers ears while Bob's posting about the doves*

This is a very entertaining thread! :-))
And we thought birds just - well, flew! lol
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Can I include leftover cooked rice?

Not sure if that would swell up inside the little stomachs ...

Anyone know?

Jill

I put a small amont of rice out a while back but the birds ignored it.


Mrs Blackbird (or probably miss as she looks like a young one), is a minx!! She is leading to male blackbirds a dance around the gardens.

Ann
Glos

Can I just make a point about rice (cooked) please. It can be highly poisonous to birds (and us) if it is say more than a day or 2 old & esp if its been left at room temperature. I personaly never eat rice that is more than a day old. Just a thought.

Just to add too, Desiccated coconut should never be used as it may swell once inside a bird and cause death. Bread should always be moistened before placing on the bird table.

It's good to feed the birds. I hand feed a Robin with grated cheese and suet, he comes to my kitchen window.

I just found this our of interest.

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

I've made up a list of "offerings" for birds', which includes some definite no-no's. I've printed it off and is on our fridge door; it's a very handy quick reference. If you want a copy, pm me.
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Thanks for the advice Whirley - I won't put out the rice then! Sounds ominous! Normally any leftover rice I put in the dog's dinner/breakfast as he loves it.

Jill

Thanks Glenys the Menace for the recipe for Bird Fat Cake,it doesn't seem any trouble to make at all. My trouble is with the pesky squirrels, who eat everything I put out for the birds, unless I can shoo them away first.
Julia in Derbyshire

I love this thread being a bird lover. Can I just add that I always put dried fruit chopped up in my fat cakes. My birds also love baked potatos, left on the bird table cut in half, they dig at it till all the inside has gone. I know you don't need reminding that water is as important as food for them as they still need to bathe as well as drink.
We have had many more birds coming into the garden but not a lot of Starlings for some reason.

Caz xx

I have to report that today was sparrows bath day (must be ebcause it is friday Lol!!! We have a water feature that is a jug pouring into a wide bowl and four sparrows were all having a dip and scrub in the bowl this afternoon. The blackbirds visit most days for a bath as well.

Oh, and the birds love left over fruit cake and squashy bananas

Ann
Glos

You're welcome, Julia and Julie. Thanks, too, for the other tips. Ann, you've started something here! :-))
Julie, aren't they just! (A joy to watch)
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'Our' blackbird loves apples so any that go a bit crinkly in the bowl get cut in half and put outside usually just under an overhanging bush so he has some shelter when dining!

Lizx

Glenys thank you for the list, very helpful.
Liz, yes blackbirds and starling like manky apples!

Ann
Glos

You're welcome, Ann.
The amount of food currently being consumed by them is colossal! Well, for them anyway. I for one, underestimated just how much food they need at this time of year, particularly fat - which, I read somewhere, is "a life-saver in winter".
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So far today I have filled up a feeder with bought suet and fruit bits and that is now half empty, they have had two lots of scraps, one of which was the raw fat off pork chops ground up and mixed with biscuit crumbs, I put out two small baked potatoes, one has gone the other is still there, the peanuts are almost empty and the black sunflower seed is going down, likewise the mixed see. But for some reason they are now ignoring the fat balls, how strange, I guess there is too much other food which they like better.

ann
Glos

Ann - your little families have a banquet! lol

They'll go back to the fat balls today, I can guarantee.
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I haven't seen any birds in my garden for several days now.....perhaps they are all laying up somewhere , stuffed full of christmas left-overs ?

Amanda, the only time we saw hardly any birds a t all for two months was after the aggressive visit of a Sparrow Hawk.

Ann
Glos

Amanda - they're probably being very considerate, lol, sharing themselves amongst you and your neighbours! :-))

Actually, thinking about it, that may not be far off the truth, who knows?
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