General Chat

I don't know, Ann. I have searched the internet for an answer but cannot find it. Hopefully someone else will know.

Does anyne know if after blue tits have made thier nest they go awa for a while--just we havent seen them for a day??

I am pleased that you are renewing membership, Harry, and look forward to seeing you posting on here … :-)

Whey Hey---we have Blue tits nesting at last!!!!!! In one of our nest boxes. Also have Blackbirds,greenfinches,starlings,collared doves and an odd chaffinch visiting to feed ---oh and a Robin---not much more i'm afraid apart from blooming Magpies

can I add a plea please? Don't put fat balls or peanuts out in those mesh things. Birds can easily trap their feet and/or beaks in them and perish. At the moment our resident blue tits are very stroppy, divebombing the goldfinches on the feeder. We have had to put an old glove on the wing mirror of the car because the tit is gioing demented attcking his reflection. I am in Somerset Pat

We have Starlings and Blue Tits nesting in ours.... freqent visitors are also Great Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinches , Collared Doves, Blackbirds, Sparrows, Pyed and Grey Wagtails a Dunnock, a Robin and a Gold Finch (just spotted it this morning) Oh yes and we have Ducks and Swans flying over to the lodge nearby. I love watching the birds Gaynor :-)

Morning Harry, we have a blackbird singing his heart out every morning from about 5 onwards and a very cheeky Robin who winds up the local cats, much to my amusement as the cats couldn't catch a cold never mind a bird. Wonder if you could answer a question for me I came through Milton Keynes the other day and there were some very large birds circling. My o.h. says he thinks they were Buzzards have you any idea? Lin x

Over 1,000 Parakeets roost in trees 100yrs away

Just wanted to have a read through of this again. Very interesting reading imho. Since moving house, there are no squirrels in the garden now so they don't take the bird food from the bird table. At present, there are robins and sparrows in the garden.

In the Chilterns, we get lots of red kites. Adults have a wing span of 5 to 6feet but I cannot believe how wimpish they are. We also have a large rookery in the nearby beechwoods and, if a kite gets any where near, a couple of rooks, maybe only one, comes out to see off the intruder. The falsetto cries of alarm let out by these large birds as they flap to escape is quite amusing. len

I am on holiday in America and managed to photograph a Pelican and a night hawk. I also heard a mocking bird but I can't recognise it. Lots of birds which I must look up when I get home. When I was a girl someone gave me the Canadian brook bond tea cards of birds but unfortunately I lost them.

My ickle garden is full of noisy birds and i get to giggle watching Clicquot sitting under the tree waiting for prey to fall!! She isn't quick enough to catch anything these days but its so funny watching her try!! xx

Thanks for the latest batch of stories. Sure if you save one life you feel very pleased. Good tip Len. Most of us don,t seem to like magpies, but they do have some fans, probably cos they look nice. XXX thanks pink, for the below.XXXXX Happy days

I have learned to leave my hanging baskets in situ over the winter as the blue tits appreciate them in the spring - they strip out the mossy liners for nesting material. len

There seem to be so many magpies the last few years. Quite often one will land on one of our trees in the back garden and all hell will break loose among the other birds - they are so brave, rushing at the magpie until it gives up and flies off. One day I heard a terrible crying outside and I imagined a cat had caught a bird. When I went out there was a sparrow hawk holding a thrush down on the ground - the poor thrush still had some food hanging from his beak. I ran out shouting shoo and you know what, that hawk just stood and stared at me until I was virtually on top of him. He flew away, poor old Thrush shook himself and took off to, bit of food still hanging from his beak!

What lovely stories. I went to visit my son at Reading university on Tuesday. We went to the cinema in the Oracle centre and then walked back along the Kennet and Avon Canal. I saw Mallards, Coots, a lot of swans and even a heron right in the centre of town. We have a magpie nest in the lime tree outside our house. I had always thought those untidy nests were crows but magpies are just as messy.

Hello everyone, a nice friendly thread Harry! I was sat waiting for my train in Harrogate yesterday, and had (as usual) just missed the one I wanted! I sat down on the bench on the station platform where I noticed that someone has kindly left the remains of a pizza. A moment after a little robin sat down next to me and ate some of it! Made my day lol. Other than that, we have a pair of magpies who visit regularly, some wood pigeons who waddle round the back garden most days, lots of little finches - not sure what type but they have blue & yellow faces. We also have a next of very noisy little birds just above our front door in the pyracantha! Happy thursday to you all! Margaret.

What a lovely, mainly, batch of bird tales. Nice that people care so much. Reading the stories makes me feel I,m in the garden with you. Good work by you bird healers (and carers) My neighbour has blue tit boxes and says they are nesting now. Can thoroughly recommend Mea,s site if you have a few minutes to spare. I have all kinds of strange objects hanging in my trees and shrubs, but not an old boot. If I,m allowed to swear on this pure thread, damn;damn; damn. Cleared the loft out recently and threw away a pair of (then) unwanted boots. Keep your eyes peeled Happy days.XXX Margaret, re below. god bless you (both) XXX

We have a big garden, areas of it have been left wild intenionally and last year we got a mixed batch of wild flower seeds from a sepcialist nursery who analyse your earth for the right mix - it was over £100 but well worth it. Last year the mix attracted so many butterflies that it was like one of those ads when you walked through the long grasses, dozens flew up around you. Our pond is heaving with tadpoles now and Im expecting the newts to be in there at the buffet shortly. Have you ever seen newts courtship dancing? I fell in the pond once, watching them dancing around in pairs. So what a great shame we have been landed with the neighbour from hell who even cut down one of our tree stumps we had intentionally left in our hedge because it supported so much ivy with berries and gave a nest area for Mrs Wren every year. Did I tell you Harry about putting old boots in the hedge - we had a nest of Robins the first year we did it. And against all Ive been told, we will often have 3 Robins outside my window scratching about quite happily together. Yesterday when I took Ralph out through the wooded area up the road, I saw again the Blackbird who has one white tail feather - it does look strange. The trees and bushes were full of long tailed tits, they are so lovely, they always reminded me of a twittering group of schoolgirls. And, as we walked along, I heard an old familiar screaming sound high up in the sky! The Martins are back!

About 35 yrs ago my children brought home a very young sparrow, wasnt even sure what it was apart from all mouth and not much else. Just stumps of feathers. They found it on the ground. We couldnt find the nest so put it in hot water cupboard and from time to time fed it on soaked bread. Probably not the right thing but it survived, grew to full size. Found an old birdcage under the house to put it in at night or when our cat was indoors. It would sit on our shoulder and try to pinch the food from our mouths so had to put it in cage at meal times. When OH was washing dishes it would sit on his shoulder then hop down his arm and dunk its head in the water. Decided detergent was not good for him so back to cage. One time when OH was in bed with flu he opened his eyes to find himself staring up the sparrows backside! We did let him go outside but he would always fly back in when he felt it was time for food or bed. It was a wonderful experience having a sparrow as a family member.