Hobbies and Crafts

The robins are singing their hearts out here in the garden.Huge numbers of crows and magpies.

Jude would love to go but not enough hours in me day at he moment lol. now have two gardens to get ready for the summer. Birds have had a good day here today its been nice and warm.

funny enough, we haven't seen many birds here today, must have all gone on holiday to Scotland!!

Hi everyone,

Not seen much birdlife today, other than a few house sparrows and a wren - think Ann is right, they've all scarpered for the weekend.

Jude, hope you're feeling a bit better.

Yes, the New Fancy viewpoint has occasional days when RSPB volunteers are on hand with telescopes to (hopefully) help visitors get some good views of goshawks. Of course, you can't rely on the birds turning up but late Feb/early March (ish) is a good time to get a view of them, when they are displaying and trying to attract a mate.
The site is always open but I don't know offhand when the next Volunteer day is but there's a RSPB guided walk in the area on March 7th:

Link: www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.asp?id=tcm:9-206320

Nearby Symonds Yat is the place for peregrine viewing.
Link: www.rspb.org.uk/brilliant/sites/symondsyat/ (scroll down past the season highlights bit)

Hiya

Thanks for that Dormouse, we might try and go there during the week :o)
Vic is keen, depends on me.
Feeling abit better thanks, still have a sore throat though, anyone want it???

About the same as everyone re the birds, not much about, its been so much warmer l spose they venture further afield, we have the rive Wye about 200 yrds away:o)
The crows are always about, they live in the massive tree's at the bottom of the garden, ooo they are so greedy!!
Thanks Ann:o)
Bell - how come you have 2 gardens now?

jude :o)

Do birds ever 'cross breed'? The reason i ask is that we have goldfinches who eat the nyger seed and we have greenfinches. often there are several of each but every day one goldfinch and one green finch fly in and eat together, no other of either species around. very strange. Will we be seeing greenygold finches??

Ooo er don't know Ann, thats interesting though......and for the first time in a few months (atleast )we had a pr of greenfinches feeding on our little wall, until Vic got too close to the window and frightened them. As l looked out a minute ago the w/pigeons were chasing each other about and one in particular was chasing anything off, including one of the g/finches, bossy boots, he did look funny though ..... doing 20mph across the grass!!! lol
Magpie was feeding on the mound in the bushes.
l still have this throat thingy even after taking day/night nurse capsules, one minute l feel abit better the next ugg!!!

jude x

Hi jude, the only time i ever took night nurse it extended my cold rather than cured it, so now I let colds take their course and just take beechams or paracetamol.


We have a young blackbird that lives in our front garden. Most of our frony garden is gravelled but in the centre is a large choisyia bush and he lives in there. doesn't seem to have a mate and is quite tame. I went out to give him a few cake crumbs and he sat just under the bush watching me, the minute I was indoors he darted out, grabbed a crumb and took it back under the bush to eat.

Ann....bet he has a secret partner somewhere :o))

My thoughts exactly but vic kept on so l took em:o(((

jude x

You'll never gues where l have been:o))??

jude :o)

PS ...Bellblair don't say a word!!! lol

Ok if your not bothered l'lll tell you anyway:o)

New Fancy viewpoint:o) no Goshawks though,nor Hawfinches. Goshawks had been there earlier. We'lldefinately go there again. We watched about 20 chaffinches feeding from the feeders etc that are topped up everyday:o)

This morning Vic saw a longtailedtit, seems strange we get just the one everynow and then.
Hop along Woodie is about today, not seen him for a few days, he looks even funnier trying to chase the others about.
Dog is all restless today, Vic has gone to work and l think madoc thinks he'll beback any minute. He keeps coming in here and sitting at my feet.....bless him, he adores!! :o)

jude:o)

shame there were no Goshawks but sounds as though it is worth visit, we have thought about it.

Ann
Glos

Jude you have passed your germs over not been doing very much OH has also got a cold ( MAn Flu ) Why are they alway worse than us lol. Birds are having a field day in the garden as I have put out some bread, along with all thier other bits and pieces. my birds dont get the bread normally as I turn it into a bread and butter pudding or bread pudding. The blue tits are getting very busy in thier houses. think that they have got the decorators in

Hello Bellblair....ooops sorry, hope you both ok??

jude :o)

Hi All, Just to let you know I tried out my 1st lot of fat balls on Friday. Well they're more like fat cakes lol. Poured fat seed content into a betaware type container. When semi-hard cut into slices.
I put a couple out in the garden. Checked an hr later - still there. That's OK, the birds will find them in their own time. Checked ½ later - GONE!
Had a look in the garden & fat cakes gone. But where they were, in the last of the snow was a trail of large bird prints. Ah, either pigeons or sparrows with large feet !! lol :o))
I put a couple more fat cakes out & kept an eye on the garden. An hr later 2 fat looking wood pigeons were there. They ate the lot, the other birds hardly got a look in! Was surprised they were able to fly off. lol :o))
I don't mind seeing the odd pigeon in the garden. But had visions of fat cakes = a garden full of wood pigeons.....Noooooo!
Different strategy required. Now push the fat balls into forks of branches of the green gager & plum tree at bottom of garden. The blue & great tits seem to like them. Also gives them room to feed whilst the sparrows squabble over the bird feeder. The 2 pigeons & pair of collared dove hoover up what spills to the ground. Equilibrium restored !

Steve

Stephen......l still have'nt made any bird cake etc, at the moment the frenzy has settled down anyway now that the weather has changed, but it does sound good. My woodies would have a field day cause l dont have any trees in the graden only very young ones in large pots.

We had a couple of squirrels this morning and the youngster had a quick wash in bird bath, not seen them do that before:o)

Nothing new as far as birds concerned, we keep looking though incase something appears.

The other day though we saw Redwing in the fields beside Speech House, we called in there on our way back from New Fancy View hoping for a cup of coffee! took photo's but not very clear.

Have a nice day everyone and Bellblair hope you and OH are feeling better!!

jude :o)

and did you get a cup of coffee then Jude?


Not much feathered activity in the garden at the moment, guess with the milder weather they are finding other food. Mum blackbird did have a long bath yesterday, actually she pops in most days for a wash but that was a long one, she also displaced an enormous amount of water!!!

Ann
Glos

Hi everyone, I was so excited yesterday but didn't get to computer to tell you. I was having a cuppa in the kitchen when I heard this noise getting louder and louder. I have heard it before so knew what it was but this sounded massive. I looked out at the sky westwards as I knew where they would come in sight, and the biggest flock(?) of geese I have ever seen came flying over, one very long wavy line of them then a smaller one behind. There must have been 150 of them, then a few seconds later another lot came by, about 80-90 in this lot. My cockatiel sat on the window catch watching them and not saying a word, then when they had gone out of sight he just looked at me and said 'gone'. I must admit he gave me a good laugh.
It was noisy here yesterday morning about 5-30am, the fox was barking about two doors away and the owl hooting away on our chimney.
You say it's not been busy in a few gardens, our tree has been very busy last couple of days, the greenfinches are back, don't know where they have been but they always seem to be here.
Oh well another day tomorrow.

Caz xx

Ann.......nope:o((

Caz .... its a lovely sight is'nt it to watch all those birds flying together, must admit l have'nt seen flocks of geese like that for ages:o(

Vic said on his dog walk this afternoon.....he met 2 staffie's(with owners), a very bouncy yellow lab,(with owner) a heron flew off in front of him and something else, but l can't remember what it was...doww


jude :o)

wow Caz, i love to see geese flying in a 'flock' (or whatever) (gaggle?)

could you see what sort they were? Brent? Canada/

Ann
Glos