Hobbies and Crafts

The pictures of the snow and Elan are lovely Jude. The Elan ones took me back a few years.

Jane as far as I can tell pheasants were not at the front of the birdy queue for brains. Whenever something startles them they make a huge noisy fuss and flap about like nothing on earth. Earlier on in the year we were walking in an area where there were loads of them about. There were buzzards circling overhead and the fuss sounded like "Don't panic everyone, danger overhead - by the way I'm here Mr Buzzard if you were looking for lunch!" Not exactly incognito...

Here's a link to the BBC....some loverrrly photo's of Mid Wales including Elan and Kites:o)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/in_pictures/galleries/scenes4.shtml

Agree with you there Dizzie....they are a bit dim, bless em.

Jane...look forward to any photo's:o)

Jean...l might try that, leave a plastic bottle with nuts under down the bottom and see what happens:o)) l remember watching a nature programme years ago about squirrels. Lots of obstacle courses were set up,the squirrels always won!!

Nite nite

jude :o)

Hi
It's the RSPB great bird watch tomorrow.
You can download forms at

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

I do believe I put the same information up on the thread last year. Can't believe a whole year has gone by but it's been a really interesting thread.
Take care
Von

Driving down a local lane this morning a sparrow hawk took off right across the front of the car, luckily it was higher than the car.

Von....Vic reminded me this morning it was this weekend and l still forgot to get the form, so thanks for another reminder:o))
Yep another year has passed and l have loved this thread:o))

Thanks Ann:o)

Lucky sparrowhawk!!

jude :o) x

Well I took my camera but no sign of the white pheasant this morning.I tried very hard to take a pic of a Buzzard but each time I had the camera right it had swooped away too far .
I think I have mentioned the Moorhen(coot)in the garden,well I saw 3 a little while ago,one was chasing the other 2 and they flew up onto the top of our Yew Hedge.Then they just disappeared into it.The 3rd one went up there aswell.The hedge is about 8ft thick and I'm wondering if they might be living in there.Any ideas???
The daft pheasant was disturbed by Chester this morning .I could see him sniffing along the fence where is some longer grasses and the bird shot out and actually collided with Chester before making a noisy hasty departure lol
I hope my neighbour didn't hear me screeching at the dog to LEAVE IT.

Jude I have a pic of long tailed tits on the coconut outside.Not sure how clear it will be ,but will send it.(I hope I didn't already send it).My memory honestly!!!!

Years ago we worked at Sudeley Castle, and the son there had a pheasant collection which my OH had to care for. There were pheasants of all colours, the prettiest being the Golden pheasant. Alot of them were originally of Indian descent. These were kept by a lot of big houses and there have been many escapes, thats why we see some different ones about.

Thanks for the reminder Von - OH and I will set up by the window in a couple of comfy chairs, a cuppa and clipboards and great fun shall be had. Might even put a blanket on our knees... Actually it will be good to be able to sit and watch for a whole hour instead of just a few mins.

We've got more snow falling again. Hope it doesn't settle this time, not doing so far. I thought we'd got away with it but it started on my journey home from work. Our daughter's driving home from Sheffield over the weekend so I hope it's OK for her.

Jean,my Niece had her wedding reception at Sudeley Castle.What a lovely place !

Sudely castle Jane, that was some wedding!!! It is a lovely setting I agree. I love Golden pheasants the colours are lovely.

We've had a light dusting of snow overnight. It's cold but it's bright so hopefully a pleasant hour will be had doing the birdwatch over the weekend. Glad we've got huge patio windows to sit inside in the warm though.

All ready for the bird watch? We will be doing it tomorrow I think.

l dunnit:o)) and what a loverrly show of birds this morning:o)) but it is colder and the snow hindered their usual food supply.Was trying to watch the tennis at the same time:o)) Yep we had snow not much, about half inch or less. At 4.30 this morning it looked much thicker than that, but that was probably the street lights making it look much brighter(waffle waffle..).
We had the nuthatch and a greenfinch, both not seen for ages, although the greenfinch has been seen by Vic more than me. l'll do a proper list later, just going to the rspb site.

jude :o)

One that we don't get Jude is the nuthatch.

Me again:o))

Here's my list......

5 blackbirds.
1 blue tit.
3 chaffinches.
1 coal tit
14 collard doves.
1 dunnock.
1 greenfinch.
4 house parrows.
5 jackdaws.
1 magpie.
3 robins.
3 starlings.
10 woodpigeons.
1 nuthatch.

jude:o)

Jane.....looking back at your post about the Moorhens, l'm really not sure, had always assumed they lived in the tall grasses etc along the river banks or on the islands, but the hedge could be extra strong and safe for them!!

Your photo is on the blog:o))

jude :o)

Jude, was that 14 collard doves all in the garden at once? You must get through some seed and ten wood pigeons as well.

Why is it that as soon as a bird watch is mentioned all the birds go on hunger strike??? I chose 9AM to 10AM because there are usually loads of birds in that time. And what is more when the hour is up they all flock back in!!!
Still we had:

4 blackbirds
2 blue tits
2 chaffinches
1 dunnock
3 goldfinches
1 great tit
2 greenfinches
2 robins
2 starlings
2 black caps.

For future reference for birdwatchers. Copied from Liz's bird watch thread.

10 BIRDWATCHING TIPS

1. Set up your feeder or bird table near a window so you can easily see what's going on in the garden.

2. Use the RSPB Top 15 birds and A-Z of birds pages to help you identify the birds you see.

3. Birds are more active first thing in the morning, so by doing your count then you will increase the number you see.

4. Don't worry if you don't record all the birds, just note the ones you can clearly identify.

5. You don't have to have a garden - you can do the count in your local park, or if you're in a flat, put a feeder on your window and count the birds that visit.

6. Only count the highest number of birds you see at any one time.

7. The RSPB counting sheet will help you keep a tally of what you see and the pictures will help with identification.

8. Send your records in online - it's quicker and easy.

9. Try putting out a selection of foods, including peanuts, seeds, fat and kitchen scraps, which will attract different types of birds.

10. The Big Garden Birdwatch is an ideal excuse to take an hour out for yourself - make the most of it: make a cup of tea, get out the biscuits and take the phone off the hook.



WHAT TO WATCH FOR


Blackbird - The male blackbird is black with a bright orange-yellow eye-ring and bill, while the female is brown.


Blue tit - A colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green make this agile bird one of the most attractive resident garden visitors.


Chaffinch - The UK's second commonest breeding bird, chaffinches are arguably one of the most colourful of our finches.


Collared dove - Distinctive with buffy-pink plumage, black neck collar and long, white tail and with a black base, collared doves are usually seen singly or in pairs.


Dunnock - A small brown and grey bird with a slender beak, dunnocks are easily overlooked as they creep around under bushes in a mouse-like way.


Goldfinch - Goldfinches often feed in small flocks, and its twittering call, red face and black and yellow wings draw attention to it.


Great tit - Great tits are green and yellow with striking glossy black heads, white cheeks and a distinctive two-syllable song.


Greenfinch - The male greenfinch is a green bird with yellow patches on the wings, a forked tail and a stout beak, while the female is browner.


House sparrow - This noisy and gregarious bird is one of our most familiar and is affectionately recognised as being a cheeky and loveable rogue with a promiscuous nature.


Jackdaw - A small and stocky black crow, jackdaws are easy to identify with their grey head and distinctive 'jack jack' call. A social bird, you'll find them in pairs, or larger groups.


Long-tailed tit - The long-tailed tit is easily recognisable with its distinctive black, white and pink colouring, a tail that is bigger than its body, and undulating flight.


Magpie - With its noisy chattering, black and white plumage and long tail, there is nothing else quite like the magpie in the UK.


Robin - With its bright, orange-red breast, brown back and dumpy shape, robins are a familiar garden bird.


Starling - With a short tail, pointed head and triangular wings, a starling looks black at a distance but when seen closer it is very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens.


Woodpigeon - The UK's largest and commonest pigeon is mostly grey, but has distinctive white neck and wing patches that are clearly visible in flight.