Hobbies and Crafts

but 20 bullfinches Bellaire, some years since I saw even one. well done!

Hiya
Back this afternoon from weekend away:o)

l did'nt get my form done in the end, l realised the form l printed was for counting not posting, was going to add the list l did in the week and then thought l had time to do a proper one on Saturday am before we left, but we had a visitor at 9am till 10am and we wre supposed to leave at 10am.........l have no idea what birds were in garden in the end:o((

Hope to get back to normal in the morning, the birds were'nt fed all weekend:o((

Bell....20 bullfinches!!!! :o) l think we have had one pr here in 6yrs

Gaille....that poor little man!! lol

Stray....can't remember if there is another count or not...think not!!

jude :o)

what is very strange is that since I did the count at the weekend I have not seen the thrush again or the sparrow hawk and neither has another seagull landed on the bird table. were they all having a laugh!!!!

Hiya

Was watching the starlings this morning greedily grabbing bread and chucking it everywhere, no wonder the dog makes a bee line for the ground below the bird table!!

3 male blackbirds were on lawn chasing one another, a few chaffinchs are about the 2 robins and a sparrow.
Quite damp and gloomy here.

jude:o)

Ann.....snap:o))

Most probably ;o) its always the same here aswell...thats partly why l wanted to do a count on another day.

jude:o)

You all made me run for my book when you woundered about the bullfinches yes we have got quite a few here, and now we have got a few of the longtailed tits, garden is full of birds here today and its wt damp and foggy and now I wish it was spring time so that it would bet warmer.

We used to get quite a few bullfinches when we lived in Bedfordshire and we had a hawthorne bush in the garden. We do get long tailed tits but they were conspicuous by the absence on the weekend.

I tied some fat balls on the forsythia to keep them out of reach of the squirrels - it was amazing to see the queues of birds lining up along the branches awaiting their turn. As each bird flew off so another took it's place, at first it was mostly starlings and then a couple of robins and coal-tits. I'm not good at identifying some of the birds though.
I have recently finished putting together a bird feeder and nest boxes (to replace the makeshift feeders), would be wonderful if we get tenants for the nesting boxes the birds really seem to like the feeding trays so keeping my fingers crossed.
Oddly enough the baked potatoes I put out were ignored - perhaps they were not very tasty !!

Kathleen

Good morrow! Just looked in briefly, to read the latest postings. I read somewhere recently - probably in a bird book, lol - that if you see a sparrowhawk in your vicinity, it's a sign of a healthy bird community.

Gawd, isn't Nature cruel sometimes ...........
x

Not very healthy for the birds though Glenys!!!!

Kathleen, the birds were not too keen on my jacket potatoes either!!

Ann its the way you cook your jacket potatoes lol

I don't have bird tables or anything..... I hang stuff from the trees and make sure they are out of the way of a marauding cat!!

Now... my problem is this... I recognise the owls... we have three who appear every so often, each is different, but not WHICH owl, lol... they darned well won't sit still long enough for me to compare them with my *I-spy garden birds* book... we have a few buzzards which circle on the thermals most days about tea time... the palava with the crows is an absolute delight to watch, lol! And of course I recognise the robins (I have a front garden one and a back garden one) Plus the 2 pairs of Jays, all the magpies, the wood pigeons, collared doves and the two types of woodpecker which don't actually come into my garden, Maude, but I can clearly see them... andhear them most days. Treecreepers, and wrens... fine... plus a heron, but only once in the garden... usually it is fishing in the rene at the back... ditto a pair of mallard. Oh, and we have a song thrush, too.... stunning!! Plus about six blackbirds at a time

But... here comes the rub... we have a huge selection of others.... I know they are *different* but cos they all have similar colouring... I can never tell which of the sub-species I am seeing!! You know... like the tits and the finches!! HOW does one pin -em down long enough to identify them????

Love

Daff xxxxx

Oh, ps, have seen a kingfisher 3 times at the rene, not really my garden, but next to my fence... and I am only able to see it from my bedroom window..... pure bliss!!

Daff, blue tits are very small, blue & yellow fairly pale colours, Great tits are bigger and the colours are brighter plus the male especially also has black on him. green finches have a finch beak (not pointed) and a green flash on their wing. Chaffinches, finch beak and white bits on their wings. sparrows have a finch type beak and dunnocks have a pointed beak. that is just the basics which help you pick them out quickly If you look at the birdwatch site and look at the form for filling in there are icons next to each bird which you can click on and see what is what.

Ann x

lol Ann.... Thank you........they all look the same blinking size from where I sit... they have to be at the border of the house, because of the cats..... they wouldn't stand a chance with Jethro, in particular, if they were closer to the house..... R gave me his dad's binoculors, but they are too heavy for me to hold.. that is why I can make out the bigger birds, in general, but not the smaller ones!! All I can see is a blur of colour, so get the species but not the specifics... and of course, treecreepers are distinctive, as are the wrens and robins.

We have black and white birds which waggle their tails and they rummage around on the ground.... haven't seen those for a while, so maybe they go elsewhere for the winter.

Maybe I need to suggest to R that I need a lightweight pair of bino's and a decent book, lol!!

Love

Daff xxxx

Oooo new faces:o))

Daff....the male chaffinch has a pinkish chest aswell. The ones with the waggy tails are probably pied wagtails.
How lucky to have 3 types of owls:o)))
Mr Daff for goodness sake get her a light weight pair of bino's. Vic's got a telescope now:o)

This morning we've had 2 squirrels, but l'm sure these are'nt the usual ones, l think they are babies:i)) and so cheeky, the dog saw them off earlier and they were back before he got back indoors, good for them:o)

They like my baked potatoe's:o) lol

jude :o)

Hiya Jude, We have dozens of squirrels.......... and Hermie thinks he is one, lol.... we have all the conker and oak trees at the side of us.... the squirrels plant the conkers and acorns all around our garden.... it is so funny watching them trying to remember where they left them.... bit of a nuisance when they dig up the spring bulbs and chomp on those, instead, though ;¬))

Bino's on my must have list, lol

Love

Daff xxxxx

Hi Daff.....Instead of buying a new set of binoculars. You could mount your current pair on a tripod. It would give a a much more stable image & be able to keep your hands free, to identify the birds in your book.

Steve
xxx

Hi Kathleen, put your nest boxes facing NORTH as it stops the sun from cooking young one once they hatch, and dont put feeders to close to nest boxes either. Hoping that you get tenants its brilliant watching young ones leaving the nest.

When I took my dog this morning there were 3 Red Kites flying really low.It was a beautiful sight but one was probably only 30 foot above me and I thought it had its eye on the dog.lol.Yesterday there was a bird of prey(some kind of hawk) and it was sat in the field I think at the entrance of some rabbit warrens.Is this a normal thing for them to do? Would it have been waiting for a little bunny to stick it's head out and then pounce?

Ann - I agree! lol
x