Hobbies and Crafts

Something I don't? They have been in a feeding frenzy all day. Everything we put out disappears very quickly. we have had three blackbirds feeding up near the house, chaffinches, goldfinches, sparrows, dunnocks, Robin, Greenfinches, doves, woodpigeons, long tailed tits, blue tits, great tits, starlings magpies, crows and ravens all feeding in the garden today.
Perhaps they are expecting a famine, or snow!!!
Ann
Glos

I think its coz they know that Sain***** and T**** will be empty tomorrow so all those people whom dont rush out at 6am to get food will steal the bird food back!!!

Ann, it's the same here. On Christmas Eve I made them 10 fat cakes (I already had 2 or 3 in the fridge), and have 3 left. In addition to putting a fresh one out every day, I've also been putting out lots of seeds and cooked leftovers. They've scoffed the lot!
Bless them, no food goes to waste in this household these days.
x

We have had a lot more birds than usual. When it freezes our waterfal is very popular for a drink. Never fed birds in the past as our then cat would not leave them alone, but now one is too old and the other dont like it out there! So we are getting some feeders and will start.

Glenys - is fat cake easy to make?

I buy those fat balls to put in the wire feeder - they love those - but if it's easy enough to make them I'd be willing to have a bash.

Jill

I don't know what is happening with regards to the birds. On Christmas Eve I went into the garden to put some rubbish in the bin at 2.45 in the morning and they were cheeping, just like a dawn chorus, I fetched hubby out to make sure I wasn't imagining it and he couldn't believe it either.

Helen

What on earth are you putting out to attract the Ravens ?

That's odd as I said to o.h. earlier, where are all the birds, they aren't bothering with the bread and stuff we put out! We do have a resident female blackbird but haven't seen her for a day or so, and some doves too, and seagulls over in the field at the end of the garden, maybe as it isn't so frozen there is enough stuff out there.

Lizx

Hi, Jill. Yep - if I can make them, anyone can! lol

I'll post in a while, when I've prepared the "recipe".
x
P.S. Jean, we have 5 cats, and to their disgust they wear collars (RSPCA Approved ones) with 2 or 3 bells on them. However, it's academic anyway as like yours, they don't like going out in this weather.

The robins round here are always very musical around 3am. We arrived back from the new year's party to their serenade. It was beautiful!

This Winter the birds have been getting through the fatballs and nuts unbelievably quickly. The large peanut net is empty after just one week, and 2 of the 4 fatballs have been eaten in the same time. The bluetits were fighting over them this morning - I've never seen so many agitated hungry birds!

Do you know, I said Ravens without thinking when I meant jackdaws, but we also have large crows, I don't think we actually have ravens although nothing would surprise me as we have some very tall large trees over the back.

anyway, slip of the finger sorry. the 'large black birds' plus magpies were eating pieces of fat, bread soaked in fat, chopped bananas.

Ann
Glos

Nudged for tomorrow - I want the recipe for the fat cakes
Happy New Year One and All
Julia in Derbyshire

it's the same here soon as i put the food out its gone

Hi, Jill and Julia - and anyone else who might be interested. Here it is, a la Glenys:-

Bird Fat Cakes – home-made.

We have a saucer on our kitchen windowsill for breadcrumbs, before the plates go into the dishwasher.

Also, we save any fat from, say, spag bol when draining the mincemeat, and stock it up in the fridge until we have enough to make the "cakes". However, Tesco Value lard is good – and cheap!

We buy birdseed at the cheapest store - currently "Pets At Home"; this includes canary seed and calcium-enriched bird grit, songbird food and sunflower seeds.

Stale biscuits, and oats, can be mixed in, too. Remember that old cereal packet you forgot to use up? Now’s your chance!

You need at least 3 medium, heatproof containers; have 5 ready, in case. I usually use the containers that held shop-bought fat cakes, but you can also use Pot Noodle tubs and the like. Place them on wipeable placemats on your kitchen worktop.

When you have 2 or 3 dishes-full of fat in the fridge, usually collected over a few weeks, melt it in a saucepan. While the fat is melting, put the same, plus half as much again, amount of breadcrumbs, seeds etc. into a mixing bowl.

When the fat has melted, mix the food in with it, stir thoroughly and simmer for a couple of minutes. Then pour carefully into the tubs and leave to cool down. After about an hour, put them in the fridge, to solidify.

I hope I haven't made it sound complicated; it really is very easy. It takes literally a few minutes to do, and the pleasure it gives me to see those poor birds out in the cold, eating it, is great.

Catch you later.
x

I am most comforted in the knowlege that I am not the only one who goes to great lengths to keep our feathered friends alive and kicking through the winter months.

I still cannot get to grips with how I have been persuaded to fork out for a substantial daily ration of sunflower seed, mixed small bird seed, fat balls, suet pellets, maggots, freeze dried mealworms and half a loaf of bread on the pretence that I will somehow be repaid for my generosity next spring/summer when my garden is once more overun by every insect known to man.

Maybe I am a diehard grump .................................... but I cannot help feeling that my feathered friends will not be keeping their part of the bargain.

And by the way .................................... has anyone else noticed that "feeding time" seems to be limited to the hours of 8 to 9 and 2 to 3 ?

Normally yes Robin I would agree with those times. But today they have been out there all day.

I've seen a small group of Long Tailed Tits a few times this winter in my garden , I've never had them before.

Mr Blackbird has been getting very brave up at the allottment . My oh has been throwing him the worms that have surfaced whilst he is digging.

Amanda

yep they strip our bird table bare..........AND the collared doves are " AT IT " already!!!
Bob

I noticed the doves last week too....they are not normally about til spring....There was also a lot of smaller bird activity in my garden which I thought was unusual for this time of year.

my hubby made me a lovely bird table with a roof n put it ont he fence

the birds dont get a look in the cat thinks its her shelter lol