Hobbies and Crafts

Jan...do the magpies have a sort of roof to them??

Dizzie/Linda....we don't hear geese, we do hear seagulls occassionally chasing the buzzards, also (more often) the rooks/crows chasing the buzzards.

If anyone wants me to record their sightings let me know, but you'll have to pm me the area so l can get a grid ref!! or l'll do the first one then my area will email me with your area's website, like l did with Tec:o))
They really like to know what goes on in your garden/area, because it can change next yr or next month for a long time or ever!!
Sorry am l boring....lol :o)

Tec...how are you both and Ianto??

jude

For the first time for ages we had a small flock of long tailed tits in the garden today on the large fat ball.

I wondered where we had gone lol
Jude I don't know if there is a roof on the Magpies nest.It is too high and too far off to see.I haven't taken a pic yet as it has been too misty here.But as soon as it is clear enough I will see what I can get.It just looks like a great ball in the top of the tree.
Long tailed tits still enjoying the coconut fat,and Blue Tits by the blooming dozen lolI don't think I have ever seen so many here.

Thanks Jane:o)

Ann....our blackbirds are still around but now they are bossing each other around, still about 6 of them and loads of blinky woodpigeons!! Yesterday l heard a woodpecker, l think it was the green one:o))

jude x

I hope those 6 are 3 pairs Jude or there is going to be trouble!!!!!

Joyce's photos are on the blog.

Evening all .Just a nudge up the pages lol.Not a lot to report on the birdie front today ,although we seem to have a stray pheasant that insists on parading up and down the verge outside and pootling around in our front garden.It looks quite a young one.Maybe it managed to escape the pheasant shooting in the fields across the road and is still in hiding lol

Evening All
I have had the lovely family of Long Tailed Tits today,on the coconut outside the kitchen.Unfortunately my window was too mucky to get a clear pic !!!!.How bad is that lol.Another job to do I think .

We had a heron at the bottom of the garden today trying to fish in the river, but it was getting distracted by a few ducks down there who were waiting for us to come down. We decided not to disturb the heron, but unfortunately it was under the willow tree, so although we could see it, we weren't able to get a decent picture as it wasn't in a position with a clear view.

Hello Everyone:o)

We just had A PAIR OF REED BUNTINGS and the usual chaffinch, sparrows,blackbirds (atleast 4 are male), crow, jackdaws, woodpigeons about 7, couple of doves, b and g tits and 2 cheeky rats!!!!

Dizzie...never mind next time:o)

Jane...we have'nt had l/t tits for such a long time now, such pretty birds.
Will get those phot's sorted onto blog later today, off out soon. Sorry l did'nt see them and l am so slow:o((

Ann...l think there were more males blackbirds than female!
jude

Hi~~~

Saw something quite interesting this morning.Well I've never seen it before.

Neighbours,who live below us have a nesting box in their tree.

Another neighbours cat who often walks tho our garden was in the tree and then climbed onto the nesting box, 2 magpies appeared and stalked the cat, who finally gave up and left the tree.

The magpies don't nest there, some of them do in next door neighbours conifers, but this box is too small for them.

Bird neighbour watch !

Sandie.x

I've seen magpies bothering a cat Sandie. Said cat was mine, she was on the fence in our old garden a few years ago and there were two magpies, one she had decided to stalk along the fence and one she had not see behind her. The one behind her harassed her and she turned round to try to chase it off, at which point the first one was now behind her and did the same. This went on for a short while until my cat jumped down chastened by her experience. OH and I watched for a bit as it was all quite amusing to see her getting the wrong end of their beaks for a change.

Today we went for a lovely walk with our new hound. While out we saw a couple of mad March hares jumping about in a field, until they got wind of us and the dog. It's been a beautiful day at last.

I so pleased you now have your new addition to the family Lizzie.Is he settling in well? Did you ever get your home check?

Hello Jane:o)

Dizzie...how exciting hows he settling??
Send a photo, l promise l'll get it on blog asap...lol :o)
jude :o)

JustJean and Jane....your photo's are on my blog:o)

jude x

Jane....is your squirrel a Red one??

jude:o)

Yes, Jane we got our home check when they realised that everything else was ready for us to adopt him but that. Once that was done the lady filed the report the following morning and when it had been checked we were able to adopt later in the afternoon.

We will have had Guinness for two weeks tomorrow. We can't believe how well behaved he is. At first he was really quiet, but seemed happy enough as he would play in the garden. He ignored the toys we'd got him, but found an old ball in the garden which obviously had the requisite smells on it and he loves that old thing. He also likes to chase sticks but we have to be careful with that. At first he would go and get himself a stick from under the willow - it always sheds a few that we can't reach to cut out when it's windy - and then having chased it a bit would chew it up, so day two we were straight at the vets as he started coughing a bit, and we noticed he had sore back paws. Now, thank goodness, he doesn't chew them up any more so it must have been a nerves/settling in thing. The toys we bought him have now developed enough smell for him to play with them too, so that helps.

He's walking better now, not coughing, and has begun to bark when postie arrives, but other than that is quite a calm lad. I've managed to leave him a couple of times to pop to the shops and the neighbours say they haven't heard him. We expected a few sleepless nights settling him in but not a bit of it. We put him in the office overnight so the cats could have a bit of free range to get at the cat flap without bother. He just settled straight down (we borrowed the blanket he'd had at the centre until his smell got onto our bedding for him) and when I got up in the morning he was still lying down and waited for me to call him to get up. He's been to the pub quiz with us and is quite a hit, not so much with Reggie the other dog who attends regularly but no real problems. The two dogs settle quickly under their tables, and the softie landlord has given Guinness a treat the twice he's been. Mind you his head went up the other day when someone ordered a pint of Guinness! Lol.

Someone has lost a lovely dog that they've put quite a bit of work into training. I feel sorry for them, but at least he has a happy home again now.

Morning...

Dizzie he sounds lovely bless him, are'nt you lucky:o)
My sister has taken on a cat that spent all of its 18mths in a cage and run, its gradually settling down and atlast has sat on sisters lap, but will only allow you to stroke her when she has walked all round the room to get to her chair with blanket on and sometimes from there she can pick her up:o))

Have a good day

jude

Thanks Jude, the only naughtiness we've discovered so far is nicking the cats' food - but after they've left it so it seems he reckons it's fair game if they walk away leaving some. I'm trying to remember to pick it up and put it down again when they show interest again because pre dog they did usually eat most of it before the next meal.

Dizzie Lizze~~

That a lovely post about Guinness, what breed is he, or a cross which my last 2 rescue dogs were.
Sandie.x

Thanks Sandie. He's a black and white border collie. Because he was a stray they said he is a crossbreed, but he looks pretty straight border collie to us having had them before. Mind you at the rescue centre we were just looking for the dog that responded best to us really so we could have ended up with a Heinz 57.

What was sad was all the staffie types in there. I think some people get them as status symbols and dress them in all the leather studded harness etc, then can't handle them properly as they're so strong. They're perfectly lovely dogs in the right hands though.

Guinness is now spark out after an energetic footpath walk over the local fields.