Hobbies and Crafts

Not seen many birds around the past couple of days but it has been very mild. cold weather forecast for next week.

We have just been into town to go to the Victorian Christmas fair at the Docks. Goodness it was crowded, but not too painful once you got round the people whose aim was to eat and drink lunch using the free samples. There are easil over 200 stalls so a lot to see plus the skating rink is now open and also the Christmas Grotto. It was all very colourful and 'Christmassy'. Coaches come from all over the place to see it. we bought cheese for us and wooden Christmas ornaments, one for Gt Granddaughter, one for the Gt grandsons' tree and one for us, three for £5 very good value. Then we got flavoured coffee for daughter, a miniatur Gin for one of them, and a Glos rugby mug for youngest grandson plus a Glos rugby bottle opener.
The restaurants where the stalls are (and there are many restaurants) were all very busy so we walked round to the other side of the docks, guessing people on the coaches wouldn't know they were there, and had a lovely lunch in the Greek restaurant there. I had a delicious Moussaka and OH had a chicken/tomato pasta which he said was very tasty. We had a glass of a house red each which was very nice (no driving we were on the bus) We then shared an orange filo cake and ice cream which was really lovely. All while looking out over the docks in the glorious sunshine.

Poor Kandj, I hope things improve for her soon.

We're still getting the starlings on our feeder, much to Sandra's delight.

The pigeons can be a nuisance Vera. We have two dishes on our feeder, one for water and the other for food, to keep the pigeons off the food we put the dish just slightly under the water dish so the smaller birds can land on the food dish but the pigeons don't have enough head height to get to the food. Maybe you could try something like that.

Oh dear poor Kandj, she needs somebody supporting her not her doing the supporting. Thinking of you Kandj

Vera wow, the wrecker pigeon!! Can you hang a feeder where there is cover over it somehow to prevent the pigeon getting near it?

'Our' blackbird has returned. We know it is the same one as he has a whie patch on his wing. He was back on the table this morning eating mealy worms. We also still have a small flock of sparrows, and two days ago we had 5 or 6 starlings on the fat balls so birdlife is returning slowly. :-) :-)

Cheap and cheerful feeders needed then Vera. Naughty but rather clever Pigeons :-S
Touch wood the Squirrel hasn't found the window feeder yet here. I might have jinxed it now by saying that though!!!

Kandj will not be coming back just yet.There just seems to be one tragedy after another.This time is is not a family member thankfully but her next door neighbour had the most upsetting news and Kandj is trying to support her as well as coping with all that has happened in her life lately. She knows that we all still think of her . <3 <3 Kandj

Quite a few blackbirds about this morning. I think the rain overnight and first thing this morning has brought all the worms and other insects to the surface so the blackbirds are having a field day.

There was a robin bobbing around on our flower pots yesterday so I hope he is the one eating the meal worms. I never actually see anything in the ground feeder but the meal worms and other stuff I put out is being eaten and only small birds can get at it.

The dratted pigeons have broken our newest, sturdy seed feeder. Because it was nice and sturdy it would bear their weight. They learnt that if they were hanging on the perches they couldn’t lower their heads enough to get to the seeds, so they would swing the feeder to and fro until they unhooked the plastic slider things that held the tube to the base. Then the whole thing would fall to the ground and they could get at the seeds :-|. When I picked the feeder up from the ground yesterday I found they had broken the plastic sliders :-P.

I bought that feeder because it seemed strong, held lots of seeds and looked attractive, but it was expensive. So it’s back to the cheap small ones again.

Still have a few sparrows but it is very wet here this morning so I think all the birds are in shelter somewhere. I am sure that is why they are not using the feeders Gill, they can still get worms and insects because it is still quite mild. :-)

We had a squirrel trying it's luck on our feeder the other day, it was quite funny to watch him slip down the pole with me putting Vaseline on it, so if anyone has problems with squirrels Vaseline is the answer.......it works a treat. I haven't seen the squirrel again, so it looks like it's working.

I still have lots of food in the feeder, so it looks like it's going to last a while yet. We did have a flock of starlings once or twice which pleased Sandra. We've set the feeder up so she can sit on the sofa and see it without having to get up, not like OH and I, we have to go to the window to see anything. Sandra's still checking things in her little bird book, it's the best thing I've ever bought her, she loves it.

I was quite amused this morning watching a pigeon trying to work out how to get onto the bird table OH and Sandra made, it's not very tall so it was walking back and forth on the roof until it realised the only way to get on it was to fly onto the table, I was surprised it did it, but it looked very squashed eating the nuts and mealworms on there. We have lots of blackbirds, but they seem more interested in the worms in the lawn. We've also had a few great tits eating the nuts on the feeder, so all in all Sandra is really happy watching them all.

So we've had quite a variety of birds coming and going, I'm sure they'll be more once the winter sets in though. I hope you all see more birds arriving in your gardens soon.

We never get Starlings here Ann. Maybe once a year when they suddenly all fly in and land in the conifers,but then they fly off again. The Magpies are still hopping around the garden as are 2 Squirrels.I seem to be seeing more Blue Tits now on the window feeder which is nice.I shall need to fill it up in the morning as it has been a busy day there today.I am just hoping the Squirrels don't realise the feeder is back as they will scoff the lot :-S

We have not seen many birds at all until this morning we had six sparrows in the pyracanthus by the house and a couple wee eating seeds and drinking from the water feature. We also had one starling in the apple tree looking lost on its own (not seen any starlings for way over a month. On the fence we had 2 male blackbirds. I put some mealy worms out and the magpie pinched some. :-D

Great that you are able to enjoy the birds on the window feeder Jane.

I don’t know what has happened to the birds around here. Last Friday morning, before we went away for the weekend, I filled the feeders and they were still nearly full on Monday morning. Then on Tuesday we saw our usual flock of sparrows and there was one blue tit and one great tit on the peanuts.

Then we had a couple of days with hardly a bird in sight. Even the mealworms went untouched though they had all gone when I drew the blinds this morning. I have put more out in the ground feeder but haven’t seen anything on them or on the fat balls, the seeds or the peanuts.

I think all our birds must have flown up to Jane’s :-D

I will refill the window feeder tomorrow. It is down about 3 quarters now.It is so lovely to see the birds all back again. Even the greedy blackbirds. The main thing though with have the window feeder is the mess left on my window sill :-S .Poop ,and soggy suet bits :-S. :-D

We did have two blackbirds on the fence this morning although not feeding. And a wood pigeon too, otherwise we have been out so don't know if some sneaked in while we were not here.

Brilliant Jane, I bet that was a surprise the birds turning up so quickly. I'm pleased you have some to look at now. I meant to ask, does Thomas notice the birds with the feeder being on the window?

We had another bird on the feeder yesterday, again Sandra got her book out to see what it was, she loves it. I'm sure in time Ann you'll see some birds, like you said there's plenty of food around at the moment, but come the winter they'll be around for what ever you put out for them.

I've just had my new fridge and freezer delivered so I need to sort out the packaging they left behind. OH and Sandra have taken the old one to the tip, so I want the rubbish out of the way before they come home.

Still not seen a single bird anywhere around here except crows and they are not in the garden.

Yay!!!! The Birds are back on the window feeder :-D :-D. It suddenly got busy this afternoon. I think I am lucky in getting them back so quickly ,but it has to do with the fact we have trees right opposite the feeder(just a few feet away ) so the birds are always somewhere up in the branches.

It looks like we're all in the same boat with not seeing many birds although having said that we did have a few coal tits on our feeder this morning which Sandra was thrilled about and quickly went to get her book.

I did explain to her about the berries, we have lots of berries on the ground in the front so she now knows that until they're all gone there won't be many birds for a while, she okay with it and so long as she sees a few every now and then I think she'll be happy.

So you've put your window feeder back then Jane, it won't be long before word gets around and you'll have lots of Robins and other birds coming to it, so long as the sparrow hawk stays away that is.

Pleased to see all the animals were okay with the fireworks. Our neighbours little dog was barking, she's usually a very quiet dog so the fireworks must of upset her, the poor little thing. I'm sure our neighbour will have given her a cuddle and made it all better or her.....she's such a darling and so friendly. It's very quiet here today with hardly any fireworks so I think last night was the main one. Sandra thinks there's going to be lots of fireworks tomorrow night, but I'm not so sure with it being a school night, there again, you never know do you?

I have not seen a single bird today and the feeder is still quite full so they haven't been around while I was not watching. the sparrowhawk won't help Jane, we once didn't see any birds for over a month after we saw a sparrowhawk in the garden.

I have just seen a Robin on the window feeder :-D. Hopefully he has gone to tell all his friends to come back :-D. It actually seems very quiet bird wise in the garden. So as Ann(I think Ann) said there are plenty of berries for them to be feeding on . I am sure they will be tastier than my Sunflower Hearts and Suet pellets.
There is also a Sparrowhawk around so that will be keeping the small birds in hiding.

I hope Cas and Merlin were ok last night and not frightened of any firework noise.
Thomas was fine although not too happy at being shut in so early.He soon settled down and slept until 4am,when I let him out.

I hope all is quiet around you tonight for Cas .I am hoping for the same here but just know it is going to be very noisy especially if the wind continues to blow our way :-S
I just need Thomas in tonight........ just spotted him in the Summerhouse so have grabbed him quick and brought him in. No doubt he will be playing Merry Hell to get out again but he is in lock down now for the night :-D
I have finally put the window feeder back up on our side window of the lounge.It went up at 4.30 ,a bit dark now for old friends to visit but I am keeping fingers crosssed it will be found again tomorrow. :-D I know it can take a while so Gill and Liz I am sure the birds will turn up at some point.

Fingers crossed for her Liz.