General Chat

For some time we have had a very big black spider scoot across our carpet in the lounge when we sit watching tv, it didn't bother me as long as it steered clear of my space.

Yesterday I swept the patio outside the back door of leaves and such. We have been diligently feeding the birds all winter and it was a bit messy out there.

I went into the lounge just now and saw the spider on my chair so I scooped it into a plastic cup and emptied it outside on to the grass, I saw it run back towards the house over the patio. No sooner had I come in and closed the door than one of our resident robins swooped down to the patio and before I could do anything, grabbed the poor spider and proceeded to tear it apart and eat it!

Wish I had just left the spider where it was now, it would probably have moved away later today and gone back to it's hideyhole. There was plenty of food for the birds outside, why did he have to spot the spider on the clean paving?

Feels a bit like the book Five people you meet in heaven, all about consequences.

Lizx

lol

I couldn't bear to have a spider in the same room with me! :-(

The Robin probably felt like something different :-)

The Robin probably needed protein :-)

How could you, Liz!! I am shocked. Poor (not so) likkle spider. :-0

Oh boy! Now you've done it

Wait until the King of the spiders hears about what you have done :-0

I'd move out now!! :-D

incy mincy spider...............is coming to get you!!!

I am not scared of spiders as in paranoid, but am prepared to let them live under the furniture if they keep out of my way (remember the spider that crawled into my ear a year or so back? - even that one got put outside rather than squished when I managed to remove it from inside my ear) It was just that the big one in question was sitting near my spot on the sofa and I imagined him/her staying there and coming out onto me when I sat down later, hence popping him outside. How was I to know Robin was so sharp eyed? Next time I put a spider out I will make sure I tip him/her into a plant pot so there is instant cover.

Lizx

Good girl, Liz. That is what I do. Not that I put many outside, there are too many of the daddy long legs inside to catch them all to put outside, but there was a big one recently which I put into the garden.

Its known as the food chain......

Flies deposit all sorts of filth around our home and contaminate food..............

Spiders eat flies (yippee)

Small birds eat spiders

Sparrowhawks swoop down and eat small birds................etc etc etc

Its nature at work and its wonderful. Just be happy that flies are down the bottom of the chain.

The Circle of Life :-)

Once when I was about to go to bed I found a centipede on a towel in the bathroom. Now there is something you dont want lurking in the house. I called to Phil but he was in bed and not interested in getting up to deal with it so I got a jar and bit of stiff card. It had dropped to the floor, against the wall. I managed to get the jar over it without squashing any of its tootsies. The card slid underneath and I took it outside and dropped it into the garden. Centipedes can give a nasty numbing bite if you are not careful. It was about 6 inches long (150mm for those who are metricated). We have quite a few around here. There is one in the workshop basement (or at least there was a few months ago, I presume it is still there). I photographed it before it scuttled out of sight. A bit nervous getting close with the camera!

Oh ugh, Huia, that sounds horrible!

I know it's all part of life's rich pattern but I did feel a bit sorry for the spider.

The other day I had a sort out of the dried food cupboard and found lots of packets lurking that were out of date, including cereal so I have made a big pan of mush, with all sorts of things in and half a packet of lard so the birds have a hearty breakfast out there for them. They have all enjoyed my catering this year, including specially bought peanuts, and other bird foods for winter consumption. I can't begin to count the number of fats balls we have put out but the pleasure of the birds flying around the garden and nesting in the hedges is our reward.

Lizx

Robin just came and tucked into the mush and then flew off with some bits in his beak, must be feeding babies, is it early for babies? A blackbird is nesting in a thick conifer bush next to our fence, goes into a tiny space and if you didn't see them going in you wouldn't know there was a nest ther.

Hope we have lots of babies around the garden this year and they all thrive, with no accidents due to the local cats or the magpies.

Lizx

I would have felt just the same as you Liz, spiders are welcome in our house, makes you wonder how many creepy crawlies there must be in a home to keep 'em going!

At least you didn't put it down the plughole, it infuriates me when people still insist they came up through 4 inches of water in the trap so they washed them back down, they’re spiders not sea urchins :-P

I know it's mean, but I still smile about a massive builder I worked with who was fond of throwing his weight around, squeealing like a girlie as he was chased across the building site by someone holding a spider. :-D

Mayfield

What a picture that conjures up, that builder's street cred went right down the pan if you will excuse the pun. I also hate the thought of washing spiders down the plughole or down the loo.

Lizx

If all the insect in the world were not predated upon by insect eating birds and other creatures we would have a layer of insects of 20 feet deep all around the world in one year, (i read that somewhere)..

So i say well done to the Little Robin keep up the good work....

Oh that's a horrible thought Lee!

I went outside late last night to brush some threads from my jumper as I had been unpicking the hem of a top I bought.

Who should I disturb from dining at the plate of mush but my hedgehog friend, must have come out of hibernation at last and knew where he/she would find food.

Will have to look out every evening from now on as they often come in pairs to visit the garden. We don't use any slug pellets or such because of the hedgehogs, they have been visiting for several years now. I love to watch them.

Lizx

Last night around midnight I noticed the outside security light had gone on so I got up to take a look, a neighbour's cat often comes in and eats the bird food. I saw two hedgehogs which isn't unusual but what was unusual was that they were fighting! I have never seen it before, altho I have seen one shoving another around. Altho I walked right up to them with my camera and stamped my foot they didn't desist. It really looked quite vicious, one hedgehog was hanging on to the other near it's face. After several minutes of trying to distract them I picked up a very small pot of bird water and threw it over them. They stopped fighting and one ran off with the other going in a different direction. I noticed one go to the end of the garden and stop still and then the other one went next to it, they were both breathing heavily but didn't make a move to fight again. One wandered off while the second curled up into a ball but later I noticed it walk away too. Hope they were both ok and won't do that again, it was horrible to see.

I looked on line and apparently I did the right thing, tipped a little water over them which shocks them into stopping the fight.

Lizx

In our garden yesterday morning were loads of feathers don't know if a cat had got the collared dove or maybe a sparrowhawk,didnt find a body
later in the day a black bird was picking up the feathers
Just thought I would add this

A couple of days ago, the nest which the Welcome Swallows had made over my back door screen fell down. I hope they will build again, though they do make a horrible mess.