Hobbies and Crafts

I am so envious! All I have had today is a really fat pigeon balancing precariously, upside down, on a jasmine branch, whilst pecking at the bird seed feeder as it swung to and fro. lol She did look funny though...BUT would swap her for a heron or even better, a pheasant knocking at my back door:-)) BC XX

Afternoon everyone:o)))

Its been raining here but not much, quite abit yesterday evening though!

Is'nt she luicky BC, but then l'mlucky aswell:o))
What a clever Stag, hope he returns to live for many more years yet!!
Neighbour has had a heron but only to pinch his fish, he sat on our fence tooo) but that was about a yr or more ago!
But OH saw 2 heron's this morning whilst out dog walking
We used to see loads of cormorants, but the farmers or someone did a cull a few years ago, so we only see the odd one now:o((( The cull was because they eat the fish(salmon mostly) in the river. Most of the fishermen don't even have a blinky license....if they get caught they get a fine, if the birds get caught they get shot!!! something wrong there me thinks??
We've had the usual,sparrows, blackbirds, w/pigeons,jackdaws, chaffinch, robin and a wren flew in and out as quick as a flash!!

Have'nt put any potato out today, forgot!! will cook one when the roast is in in a mo :o)

c yeh
jude :o)

I have a pair of knut hatches that come to my bird table, we get woodpeckers in the oak tree opposite, one did visit my nut hanger. The Jays (which I love) eat the acorns off my oak tree..

My robin that feeds at my kitchen window now has a girlfriend/boyfriend and they visit together. One robin I had a couple of years back I sometimes fed by hand and he'd fly into the house via the kitchen window if I was late putting his cheese out. Funny character he was...

Nut hatches, lovely, daughter gets those in Hampshire. I like Jays too, haven't seen them round here though.

Jude, should they shoot the fishermen then do you reckon??

It hasn't rained here, you must have sent it the other way.

Dear All - Spurred on from reading this thread from the onset, and having some advice PM'd to me re the squirrels pinching everything,I decided to start putting food out for the birds again. Went to my local garden centre on Saturday afternoon, for a cup of tea, and to get out in the lovely sunshine, having been in hospital all week.
Had a good look round and bought a nut feeder with very fine mesh, in the shape of a Strawberry, and nuts to put in it. Also bought a seed dispenser and seed,and half a coconut shell filled with compressed fat. The whole lot came to less than £20, but I reckon I will get more than my money back with the sight of the expected flood of our feathered friends. I can't wait to make Glenys's (sp) sorry, recipe for fat balls, and have some lovely ingredients ready for this purpose.
Do you know, this thread has bought out the good nature in us all. No falling out, abuse,calling, offending or anything of that ilk. Not that I am saying there is alot of that on General as a rule. But it has been a lovely thread to read and add to. We can thank the birds for that.
Lets keep it up
Julia in Derbyshire

Julia.....Aww good luck with all your feeders etc, it may take abit of time though!! Hope you are feeling better today?

Whirley - how lucky are you to have fed a robin by hand, brilliant:o))
OH and l were only saying earlier what lovely birds Jays are.l have'nt seen that many here in Wales, saw more in Sussex.

Ann - oh yes!! most of em don't have a license anyway!! and the rest, well they are being abit unfair are'nt they, the cormorants can't go to the supermarket for lunch now can they.....lol :o)

jude :o)

Julia, be prepared to be patient with the feeders, the birds take a while to get used to anything strange. didn't know you were in hospital, sorry. I hope you are now on the mend.

Ann
glos

Lots of birds in the garden today finches Great tits blue tits

starlings 1 Robin sparrows and a Woodpecker which we

have'nt seen since the summer

great thread love it

Jenxx

Just put some raw fat out from pork chops. Mr blackbird sat on the fence and watched me and flew down as soon as I turned to come indoors.

We had a blackcap on the fat balls this morning and the usual goldfinches, green finches on the seeds, and starling gobbling anything in sight.

Ann
Glos

Jude you must have sent the rain and snow this way, todays weather has been sun shine rain sleet and now snow which looks as if it might settle as the temp is droping. will have to brave the elements later as the peanut feeders are nearly empty. The green finches have come back along with the gold finches.
BC I wish we could put some pic up as you could then see his lordship courting his ladies, its so funny in the mornings all they want is brekkie and he has other things on his mind, doing is one sided dance with his wing down and tail feathers in the air.
I have not seen so many fieldfare as there are at the moment,

And I agree with Julia it is a great thread.

Beautiful sunny clear but frosty morning here in Glos this morning. Just been out to the bird table and the Blackbird is singing away. obviously has thoughts of spring!!!! At this moment on the feeders, a single goldfinch, green finches, a single sparrow and a single starling on the shop bought fat balls.

Ann
Glos

Raining now and the birds seem to have gone to bed early. usually they have a last frenzied feed around now. Wonder if they know we have got rough weather on the way? It doesn't look very nice out there and has turned very cold.

the Blackcap paid us another visit this lunch time, he or she seems to like the fat balls.

I ate Pigeon for the first time last week ,,,mmmm tasty

How can l forget this thread?? but l did:o((

Its beenmiserable here for a few days and not so many birds,l think they all nip out for a feed when they know l'm not looking!!lol

Bought a nyjer feeder to day £10.00 its quite tall aswell and its metal with holes in it not wire mesh or plastic, so no hole at the bottom,lets hope it works. We looked at other shops and they were £15 - £25 (Droitwich).

l am going to do a bird watch report tomorrow on the net, l did a watch for an hr the other day and l won't be here on Saturday,hope they don't mind, but then l won't tellem. Usually l find on the day its so very quiet and no birds to watch:o((

Our woodpigeon with the damaged leg is still about,he's been aroung for about 3 yrs now, so thats good.Whenl went to London Victoria coach station back in October there were loads of injured pigeons,you'd think the rspca would get in the and sort em out. What really gets me are the kids that are allowed to chase them....grrrrr

First thing this morning l heard the Green woodpecker (well 8.30am is first thing to me...lol), but l could'nt see it, he went on for about an hour, wonder what he was saying......lol

We're stillgetting 4 or 5 chaffinch prs but they are usually early thengone and 3 - 4 prs of blackbirds,more often 3 males and 1 female.

Bellblair - is it still raining there??

jude :o)

Ohhh Mark did you really,lcould'nt:o((((

mark, I suppose not a lot different to eating pheasant or even chicken morally both of which I have eaten.

Ann
Glos

Ann - l could'nt eat Pheasant either,but there again l eat chicken and love it.

jude :o)

Jude, and duck?

*gives Mark a clip round the ear*

Do you know, I've only just found out that, where there's more than 10 pages of a thread, you have to use the drop-down box where it says "more pages".

This may have been mentioned before, so if it has, I'm reminding you! lol
*what self really means is that self doesn't want to lose face*

Julia, good luck with the fat balls. :-))
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