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Well I'm really happy now, it was only yesterday I said the Swifts should be arriving about now at the other house and I would miss them. Just having a cup of tea in front of open kitchen window and a lot of Swifts went screaming past, I feel at home now. When they arrive they always sound so happy to be here with their screaming and mad flying and diving, I love them. Such lovely looking birds as well, I haven't seen any Swallows or Martins yet.
Jude I am not much higher up, there are only three floors.

Caz

Perhaps someone can help or is experiencing the same......we have lived in this house for over 30 years and every year we have house martins - they either nest in our eves or in the bungalow over the road - sometimes both - and in other places in the area. I have always said that their arrival means that summer is here. This year there is no sign - nothing. Any ideas ?

Christine

I justed started to hear the birds singing in the afternoon at work. It doesn't happen in the morning -just the afternnon. Really strange.

Hi Folks,

Ann.......Interesting that the Tenerife blue tits are smaller than ours, also the coloration of the female blackbirds. How nice to have canaries singing around you.

Caz.......Pleased the swifts have arrived for you. May you always feel at home there, with lots of birds to watch.

Christine........We had house martins nesting on the back of this house for many years. Then three years ago the sparrows evicted them. The same thing happened the second year, and last year the house martins failed to build their nest.
Also I think the house martins, swifts and swallows are very late arriving in many parts of the UK this year, and who can blame them with the unsettled weather we are having. I have seen very few of these birds so far this year in my area - North West Wales.

Patricia.......The birds around here tend to sing more in the afternoons, and the evening of course. Although, at 5am this morning I did have to get up and shut the bedroom window due to the melody and chatter.

Regards
Tec.

Hi all:o))

Our birds seem to sing louder in the morning and l have'nt seen house martins for a few years now, mind you an ex neighbour pulled all the nests down from his eaves because they made a mess....blinky good thing l stayed indoors at that precise time!!!!!!

We seem to have loads of birds at the moment. no chaffinches though or green finches. Dunnocks are coming xloser to the house and feeding off the wall for insects. One crow comes regularily now.

We thought we had lost Madoc yesterday morning....Vic was walking him along the river bank as usual, he looked round and no Madoc, little pickle had gone down the banks looking for stone in the water!! but Vic had walked on quite abit by then and did'nt know. Poor Vic he ran and called for 20 minutes, caught up with a man and his dog and as they both looked up they both saw a white flash in the distance....so off Vic ran again and there he was all wet....phewww such a relief as we have had alot of dog napping in the Forest of Dean lately:o(( Madoc was very tred to say the least and still is now.

jude :o)

Hi Folks,

Jude..........Hope Madoc is fully recovered from his watery adventure, also I hope your O/H has also recovered. I don't understand this nasy business of dog knapping, very worrying. Not much chance of me getting parted from my dog - he doesn't let me out of his sight for a second. Keeps about ten yards in front of me, keeps looking back over his shoulder to check that I'm still coming "can't you go any faster"
He chooses his own route on a walk, I just follow. When we leave the house if he turns left, we're going to the beach. If it's right, we're going up the mountain ( I groan) straight head then he's off to the woods.
If I've been good on my walk, I get a biscuit when we get home.
I do not , however, bark at strangers!

Saw something funny today while watching the birds eating off the ground underneath the feeders. Out of the shrubery popped a field mouse, took a seed then shot back into the undergrowth. This went on for ages, with the mouse scooting in and out taking one seed at a time. The birds totally ignored the mouse, although he was running in amongst them, extraordinary.

Regards
Tec.

I am trying to follow the progress of the baby pidgeon in our garden.It looks quite big but is obviously still a baby.It is taking short flights and still making little baby noises.Have tried taking a few photos.
I found a baby magpie that had been half eaten down the garden.Not nice.

I spent about 10 minutes today trying to get a photo of a hawk over the sea/cliff, managed to get one but it is not very good as you may expect. It was a bit bigger than a kestrel, reddy brown. Never heard a hawk cry before, quite a high pitched sound.

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all ok.

Jude I have down loaded pics, now all I have to do is send them to you lol

Look forward to seeing them Bellblair:o)))))) they'd better be good...lol

Ann and Helen......can you send me yours aswell??

Yep Madoc is ok thank you, he's met the new neighbour this afternoon so he's well chuffed, the neighbour loves dogs and his house mate has a dog, so that should be interesting, dog not moved in yet though!!

l was actually doing some real gardening this afternoon and Vic was mowing the lawn and we both had a female blackbird land about 2 -3ft from us, as l was weeding the bird was there, same with the lawn :o))

Nite nite:o)
jude

I will as soon as Jude.

Saw the hawk again today, as we walked along the promenade above the cliffs it suddenly swooped on something about 10 foot in front of us by a wall and flew off again. Didn't manage to get a photo although we spent ages trying, T may have got one. We wondered what he picked up and can only think it was a gheko or lizard.

Hi Everyone,
Was watching three hares in a field today, that was fun, but noticed three small brown birds quite close to me behaving in a curious way. They would fly up about two feet off the ground, then hover with rapid wing movements, then go back down, obviously feeding on something. I soon realised that they were skylarks. Having never been able to watch skylarks so closely, or for so long, I was fascinated to see how beautifully marked they actually are.

I notice this thread is reaching an important milestone of its 600th posting, and I would like to express my gratitude to Ann for starting a thread that gives me, and others, so much pleasure.
I very rarely post on any other thread, but here I feel comfortable among people I can relate to, with a common interest in birds, nature, and lifes simple pleasures.
Thank you Ann - long may the thread continue.

Regards
Tec.

So pleased that you are enjoying the thread Tec.
We have just walked back to our apartment from the local fish restaurant, we were passing a patch of waste ground with some dense shrub covering it and listening to the crickets when a rush of wings in front of us and across us as we walked made us jump. Couldn't see too clearly as it was very quick but we are both sure it was an owl, which flew up out of the shrubs, don't know what sort, fairly big, and we heard it screech a couple of minutes later.

I agree Tec, it's a lovely thread, thanks Ann. Well I have heard a lot more birds up here, Great Tits and Blue Tits and Robins but I think I have mentioned that. I was very puzzled this morning, I heard what I thought was a Cuckoo, I tried to make the sound into a Collared Dove but it was all wrong. Our complex is on the main road standing back with a large garden separating us from the road. Across the road is fields and farms with a lot of trees, a cow escaped it's field the other day and held all the traffic up, I had a great view of the rescue. Does anyone know if it's the kind of area a Cuckoo would lay it's eggs in someones elses nest? I am so used to hearing the Doves every day but this was just like the Cuckoo, I have only heard one once at the top of Sutton Bank on way to Whitby.
Found this on page 4, too good to be so far down.

Caz xx

Morning:o))

Yes Tec your so right...... Thanks Ann, l just love this thread:o))

Y/Caz....l don't know anything Cuckoo's other than they their eggs in other birds nests, l would think the area you describe is perfect. So pleased you are enjoying your flat and the birds once again. Hope the cow was ok??

Well my Madoc is'nt ok he had a fight this morning and ended up at the vets:o((( he's ok as in not badly injured though!! It was a boxer and they hate each other....nose to nose on a very narrow bath on river bank, they tumbled down the bank which was fortunate really cause they let go of each other. Madoc's wound is just by the arm pit of left front leg, very clean with a puncture hole, he could have done the damage tumbling down and a stick etc, rather than the boxer. Anyway he has to go back to vets at 2pm to have it stitched, waiting for his breakfast to go down. We had a bucket collar to thats on now:o(( bless him he's been so good, rolls over for the vet, will do almost anything for them, gets so excited when he's there....strange dog!! lol
Will let you know later how he is!!!

My poppies are all almost out now, about 23 of them in total at last count. Have taken some photo's when about 10 were out will get pics onto blog asap.

Tec .... has your g/daughter shown you how to download yet??

Ann....have you found out what kind of hawk it was? would love to have seen the owl, bet it made you jump.

Off to sort spare room's as family are here next weekend 8 of em:o))))))))

jude :o) x

Me again:o)

We got Madoc back home about 3.45pm he had just come round bless him. He's had 4 stitches, they are quite sure its not a dog bite, more likely a stick. No walks for a few days just out in the garden. Vic won't like that he loves walking. Back to vets Wednesday unless he is poorly.
£200 just like that, but l spose thats not too bad considering. They had to get a nurse in as it was bank holiday, but he's worth it:o))

jude :o) x

Jude.......Poor Madoc - so pleased no serious harm done, though nasty enough as it is. Now he will have to have lots of treats to help him recover. Biscuits, cheese, sausages, cream cakes etc, and allowed up on the sofa of course. Seriously, I hope he is soon mended. If Vic is missing his walks, he is very welcome to take Ianto - I could do with a break
G/daughter was only here two days - first day spent pony trecking, yesterday on the beach all day - so no time. However, mentioned it to neighbour who is a whizz on the computer and she is going to show me how to get pics on your blog.

Caz.......Could well be the cuckoo you heard - the time is right. We usually hear one about now, somewhere in the woods near us, but haven't heard it so far.
Talking of cows, the farmer keeps cattle in a yard opposite me, one day last year I could hear all this bellowing going on. When I looked, a young bull had somehow got his head stuck in a huge metal farm gate. He had lifted it off its hinges and was running around the yard with it round his neck. He then got through the opening, complete with gate, and ran up the mountain, with all the others chasing him. I phoned the farmer, and it took three of them to extricate the bull from the gate - silly creature.

Regards
Tec.

Jude I am glad Madoc is ok, it shakes you up at the time though doesn't it.
Thanks Tec for the information on Cuckoo, I'm almost sure it was one now. The cow in the road was alright, the farmer and a driver of one of the cars managed to get it into the top of the little lane to the farm. Another 4x4 driver then parked across it to prevent the cow running onto road again, it didn't half protest though.

I had to laugh at the bull story, although not nice for the bull, I could just imagine it running up the hill wondering how to get rid of the gate.

Caz xx

Just been reading some of this thread love all your storys , i have had more birds feeing this year next door must be a haven for nesting as its all over grown , but i am having problems with the snails from next door , i also did the bird warch again this year,
Margaret xx

Hi Everyone,

Jude.........How is Madoc doing? I hope he improving

Caz........Anymore from the cuckoo?

Margaret.....Hello - don't think we've "spoken" before.
That overgrown area next to you should attract lots of birds, not just for nesting, but for berries and seeds.
I missed Bird Watch again this year. It always seems to fall when I have to be elsewhere - maybe next year.

Regards
Tec.