Hobbies and Crafts

Had loads of bluetits in my garden to-day looking for food in the feeders. Unfortunately, they are nearly empty and I've felt too rotten to go out and top them up. Must try and do it tomorrow. I've given up with the fat balls - the squirrels just come and demolish them in one sitting, greedy b*****s, and they've been out in force to-day with the milder weather. Found an old Christmas pudding from last year in a cupboard and thought the birdies would love it, but I know if I break it up and put it out it won't last 2 minutes with squirrels, foxes and the dreaded rats about.

After ages not seeing them, the swans came back past our garden yesterday. Cob, pen and a grown cygnet with its plumage in the middle of changing from grey to white. Funny thing was that they had a white goose with them as if it was part of the family. Not knowing what to call it other than a white goose I had a look up to try and identify it and I think it may be an Embden. It was almost the size of the swans and had a long neck a bit like them and a bright orange bill. It may have escaped from a nearby garden along the river as when we were walking on New Year's Day we saw a garden that had a new small flock of grey chickens and some white geese.

Oh oh. As I type I can see a few small flakes of snow falling again. I hadn't noticed the sky getting so grey and heavy looking.

*sigh*
I can't find the addy for Judes blog, can somebody help me please. I don't know where I have put it.

Turned very cold here again today and the birds are back feeding, not seen so much of them while it has been milder.

Sent pm Ann

Linda :o) XxX

Still lots of greenfinch and tits on the feeders of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Had a greater spotted woodpecker yesterday. And the usual visitors of robin, blackbird and wood pigeons too.

You just beat me to it Linda
Fairly quiet here on the bird front.Nothing really to report at the moment.

Thanks Linda

Glad I could help

We seem to be disappearing down the pages !!!! So a bit of a nudge.
I don't know where all the birds have gone .We just seem to have Robins and Blue Tits at the moment.It is so quiet out there.
I did have to laugh at a squirrel who took a leap up at next doors metal feeding pole.It landed near the top and then just slid all the way back down ,just as thought it was on a Firemans pole lol
I may send a pic Jude of a Squirrel hanging upside down on the birds Suet cake.

It seems the goose has taken up with the swans. The same little group was here this afternoon again. Goosie doesn't seem to get it when we are feeding them though. If we throw food for it all we get is hissing back at us. If we throw food in front of the swans and they let some go then the goose might spot it and eat it. Also this afternoon we heard a woodpecker in a tree just over the fence in next door's garden. It flew off after a while and we saw it was a greater spotted.

Liz I haven't seen our Wood pecker /s for a while now.I wonder where they go?
Poor Goosie sounds a tad confused lol.

Do you realise this thread has been running for a year now?
Birds seem to come one day and the next, nothing. The feeders are taking a long time to empty, but that on the ground soon goes.

I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday. It was a dark damp and dismal day and there were two sparrows collecting nesting material and heading for the gutter down the side of the house. They nest up there every year but surely they are too early?

I am hoping someone maybe able to help me with a little mystery.

Late afternoon always about 4pm there is a deafening chirping of birds coming from a tree/very large shrub in the garden opposite....it is happening everyday at this time though the rest of the day they are silent. Reminding me of the movie "The Birds" lol.

From my limited distance eye sight at the moment (cataracts) I cannot actually describe the birds only they that seem quite small and possibly brown in colour and there seems to be hundreds of them....a possible exaggeration however that is how it sounds.

It is really wierd and I would appreciate any help. Even my 5 year old grandson commented the other day when we were passing.

Linda

That sounds interesting Linda, or in your case noisy? I know that round here although we don't get anything to the extent you do, there are always lots more birds around in the later afternoon - I'd supposed it was that they get a last feed in before tucking up for bed and maybe you're hearing the opposite of the dawn chorus as they all get back home before settling down for the night. Wonder what they are and why they seem to gather in such numbers in one place?

Poor old Goosie seems quite happy to be with its swan friends and they don't seem to mind having him/her with them, my feeling is that it's a her as the swans usually send the male cygnets away when they get big enough to fend for themselves, and this family only has one cygnet remaining with them whereas they originally had five as I remember. The only thing is that it won't enjoy a feed like the swans do when it's offered which seems strange as it's the kind of goose that must have been used to being fed by people. It's definitely not a wild one, it must have escaped from someone's flock. It looks healthy enough though. I might try to find out the house on the other side of the river that recently seemed to get a few chickens and geese if I can, and ask them if they're missing one.

Linda Could they be sparrows? they seem to roost in small trees, bushes or shrubs. and they can be noisy.

Linda I was going to suggest Sparrows too.Or Starlings.We had the same happen here 1 year .The noise was incredible as they arrived in flocks and then all settled down.It was quite funny really.

Hello...l'm back home now:o))

l would say Sparrows too:o)

Ann..we've had sparrows revamping their nests for the past month, especially since the really cold weather, l've watched them popping in and out of their old nests and seen the old nesting materials on the ground:o))

Vic managed to get me out walking this afternoon, plus madoc of course. Wewere hoping to see a pr of buzzards and some black and white ducks, but saw nowt :o((...this means l'll have to go out again....lol

jude

Many thanks to you all..so they are possibly sparrows who would have thought it lol. The tree/shrub is some sort of evergreen so they have plenty of leaf cover during this cold weather.

I agree Jane the noise is incredible. It is quite funny to see the tree take on a life of it's own swaying about when there is no wind or breeze and then all of a sudden all is quiet and still again.

Linda x

Hi All
Rita about a week ago my hubby pointed out some dozen or so birds making a lot of fuss in the tree next door. Well we weren't sure what they were sparrow sized but bright and with a crest on their heads............... Yes they were your Waxwing.

You aren't too far from us as you know.

Linda :o) XxX