Hobbies and Crafts

Hi Folks,

Ann..........I think that blackbird is the same one that eats your pansies - hoping to catch you planting more!

Regards
Tec

Hi there:o)

Been away since Saturday in Dorset:o))

Ann & Maggie....not noticed any birds pulling up plants, have seen the squirrels do it though.

Tec....Liked your story of feeding birds on the window sill and the robin:o))

Hello Sylvia....we get Morhens along the river Wye here and loads of mallards, so many chicks this year...two families seem to be swapping their young, one day one has 11 then 16, and another one that had 6 suddenly has 4. Vic noticed one family settled on an island bit thats attached to the metal leg structure of a bridge, usually the swans nest there and then get flooded, fingers crossed these are ok!!

Our chaffinches are back, one pr atleast, pr of dunnocks are here most days again and a pr of greenfinches as well as the usual w/pigeons, c/doves, blackbirds (not as many), sparrows,bluetits, great tits and afew starlings. One squirrel keeps getting the top of the peanut holder off the post by the top piece of wire, which leaves the holder hanging almost upsidedown, cheeky monkey. Vic thought he'd secured it too!!

Hello Bellblair:o))


jkude :o)

Hi Folks,

There is another pair of Osprey nesting in North Wales, in the Dovey Valley, near Machynlleth - so that's two pairs. The RSPB have set up a viewing site there too - so when the chicks arrive - hopefully - I may have to pay a visit. The site is guarded 24/7 by the RSPB.

Hi Jude.......wondered where you'd gone to - welcome back. Pleased your regular visitors are returning. We have a pair of swans been nesting on a nearby lake for many years. Last year, something must have gone wrong, because although they were sitting, no cygnets appeared. Hope they manage to rear some this time.

We have blue tit chicks hatched in a fur tree in the garden, and I think the starlings have hatched in the eaves - now there will be a mess down the wall.

Bellblair........Hope your birds have returned.....was it something you said?

Sylvia.......Are you in South Africa?

Regards
Tec.

Hi Tec I hope not got a few new ones though about a dozen or so Swallows and this lunch time they where sitting on the flat roof of my extention also a couple of black/white wagtails. and a new addition to the garden, eating my black violas was peter Rabbit, and Jude I have got a pic of him for you. on me hands and knees crawling along the garden so as not to scare him away. and all I could hear was Meg barking to get out into the garden lol

Hi Bellblair..........

It's gone very quiet on this thread. Maybe everyones gone away to look for their disappearing birds...........

The picture of your Peter Rabbit would be fun - but even funnier would be a picture of you stalking him on your hands and knees.........

We've got fledgling sparrows, blue tits, and greenfinches being fed by parents in the garden at the moment.

Best wishes
Tec

There are lots of blackbirds here in North Tenerife, we can hear them singing and also hear their alarm call. However, there don't seem to be any brown female birds, Anyone know if the female here is black?

Yesterday, down on the sea front we watch a couple of pigeons, male & female, the male was obviously 'wooing' her, he chased her and every so often gave her a light peck on the back, then he stopped in front of her making her stop and he did a litlle 'dance', turning round and round in circles, so funny, then they flew off together towards the cliffs,
There is also a blue tit type bird that visits, much smaller than our blue tit but with the same 'song'.
Ann
Glos

We have had a lesser spotted woodpecker on the fat balls( I always like to ask the man in the feed chandler's if he has any) a couple of times.

When I bought the bird feeding station for Christmas I made sure it was the one with the fat ball torch on top and I am very glad I did.Everything goes on to there to eat some suet.

Hi all, well my little robin that I took pics of in the pond waits for me each morning. I thought it was a fluke ar first, but no. Each morning I go out with feed for all the birds, and there he is. He sits only a foot away at my feet waiting. I swear he would eat from my hand. In fact I am going to try that next...lol
Maggie

Hi everyone,
Tec,
we have not got any fledglings yet been a bit to cold and we are about a month behind you. and OH did not have camera I did so not a single pic of me on my knees lol

Maggie,
Yes you could get your Robin to eat from your hand, it might take a bit of time but he will.

Hi Folks,
Anne..........I don't know the answer to your question about hen blackbirds in Tenerife....but it's interesting. Also I would be interested to know what the Blue Tit type birds are - maybe you could ask a local?

Sharron......I've never had a Woodpecker in my garden, but I often hear one in nearby woodland. Must try some more fat balls.

Maggie......I hand fed a robin for two years - a really scruffy one. He suddenly disappeared, and I suspected next doors cat, because the robin was too tame for his own good, as I kept telling him.

Bellblair,,,,,It's been cold and wet here for a few days - wondering if the birds were wise to rear their young so early, but they seem ok. We seem to have a lot of fledgling sparrows this year

Regards
Tec.

Hi All:o)

Just got back from Birmingham, went yesterday:o)) its grandsons 2nd birthday tomorrow, had lovely time:o)))) ooo he is just gorgeous:o)

Yes please Bellblair:o)
It was almost dark when we got in so could'nt see garden much.
l think l have heard fledglings during last week, sparrows (seen them aswell) and blackbirds. The collard doves are still chasing one another.

Ann....wonder what the little bird is, do you have any books, can you check it on the net? l can only think that hen blackbirds in Tenerife are the same as ours!!

Hello Sharron...we have the male and female lesser spotted visit, but not for a few weeks or more. Very alike but one has a red patch on head l think?? with red bum:o)

My daughter had a feeding station for her birthday in April and atlast she has birds feeding regularily now. She lives in Dorset a fairly built up area and a busy ish road, a blackbird has nested in the hedge and they both feed from the station along with a few other birds but can't remember what! She just loves loves bird watching....well trained...lol

jude :o)

Hi Folks,

Well as OH and I where walking the garden this morning ( sounds very posh ) me telling him what we need to do etc, a deer came running across the field right up to the corner post of our garden he was a beauty, and before you as Jude not a single pic but he is still in the field so will try later.

Getting a few more birds past 2 days blue tits are very busy in nest boxes, and the lane hedge is a live with thurshes and blackbirds in and out,

We used to hang the bone from the Sunday roast on the washing line from a bit of string.Sometimes we would see a woodpecker on that.

Have never seen long tailed tits as close up as I have on the bird feeding station.It was worth taking the trouble to seek out one with the fat bsall torch on top.Everything goes to it,even blackbirds.

I do miss thrushes,you hardly ever see one now.Skylarks too,they were all over the place when I was growing up and I don't think I have heard one now for about twenty-five years.

It is very strange but the only time we have seen a thrush in our garden in recent years was this year on the bird count day, not seen one before or since.

I am sure that the little birds are blue tits but a lot smaller than ours but I will try and find out.
There are a lot of Swifts here both up here on the hill where the apartment is and down over the sea.

Hi Folks,
Hope that you are all enjoying this lovely weather, I know that my birds are, they are bathing in the burn ( stream ) at the bottom of my garden.

whiltst cuting the grass today and weeding (M y best job ) I found the remains of a blue tit egg well the shell and I could here a bird swearing at me and I could not think why, in a tiny conifer bush there was this tiny blue tit nest and 2 babies, OH is going to take a pic tomorrow.
I have not seen them but I know that we have thrushes in the garden as we hve found a lot of snail shells along the side of the footpath. leading to the burn.
Sat for a wee while hoping to see the Kingfisher nothing shame

Tecwyn,
No, I am not in South Africa but in Holland - both speak Afrikaans!
I haven't heard anybody mention the tree creeper. In the house I used to live in we had several tree creepers. In that particular house we had at one time or the other just about every bird there was for the district. Even had a mother hen with its chicks walk into the garden one day!
My husband moved our shed from side of the house to the bottom of the garden and a blackbird made a nest inside. We had a lovely view of it if we climbed the ladder! Yes, but silly lot we are should have taken the ladder away when we weren't there. That old Tom Cat from up the road climbed the ladder and pinched the baby blackbirds.
I had a compost heap at the bottom of the garden too and lovely little garden mice lived in it.
Nature is wonderful, isn't it?
Sylvia xxx

Walking down the road on our way out yesterday evening we heard a strange bird noise, looked into the nearest shrub and there was a grey paraqueet, what a racket it made!

Hi all:o)

Was it an escaped paraqueet or a wild one??

Slyvia:o(((

Bellblair....l'm still waiting for the other pics... when you send them you can send the bluetits aswell..lol :o)


Sharron...what is fatball torch?

For about a week now we keep hearing a bird calling, l think its was one of the fledglings l have mentioned. Its a sparrow and it sits either on the fence, the guttering or on the back gate and its chirping on and off all day, it really sounds quite sad:o(. Not sure if its a fledgling or not. Vic has put seed down near the gate and its been feeding there, it flys off if l get too close but managed to get a few photo's so will put them on the blog!! l also took one of the reed bunting a few weeks ago, although not seen it since, hope l did'nt frighten it off!!

Madoc is still limping, we have laminate flooring down and its too slippery for him, so we have bought some rugs, a round one in the hall and we're waiting for a runner type for the kitchen. It never entered our head that he would find it difficult, so if your thinking about having it down think about the dog!!

Photo's will be on blog tomorrow.

jude x

Hi Folks,
Yes Bellblair, it has been a beautiful day - managed to get some gardening done - hope your Blue Tit chicks prosper. There was the most glorious sunset this evening over the sea. My dog took me for my walk, and we met the badger again on the little old stone bridge that crosses the river. Haven't met him for a while. He stops - we stop - we back off the bridge - and badger continues on his way, and shuffles off into the woods.

Thrushes seem to be getting very rare - I had a Missel Thrush visited through the winter, but haven't seen him for weeks. There are no Skylarks exactly where I live, but three miles away there is an area of open marshland, they are always there. I love to hear them.

Sylvia.....I haven't seen any treecreepers in this area, they were often seen when I lived inland. The reason I thought you were in South Africa, was because you mentioned Freedom Day, which is also celebrated in SA.
although I am not sure why.

Regards
Tec

You know those bird feeding poles? Well,some have a little squiggly finial thing on top and some have a light but the other sort have a conical sort of cage affair that you can put three suet balls in to.

Have a look on the Haith's site,they sell them.