Hobbies and Crafts

Hi All
I help with a Brownie pack and they are doing their "seasons badge " and tonight it was the Winter part. We discussed British birds and they managed to name quite a few.
After that they made bird feed cakes to take home and now they have to record the birds that visit the feeder.
Take care
Von

The birds do seem very hungry now that it's colder. My feeders are very busy with the usual visitors. Quite a few bluetits, and great tits about. I spotted a red kite soaring over the field at the back this morning, and while watching through the kitchen window, a missel thrush suddenly popped out of the hedge, closely followed by another. I haven't seen one for a while, so was particularly pleased to see two together.
Braved a walk on the beach yesterday, dressed like Nanuck of the North.
Despite a very rough tide hitting the beach, and a howling wind, there were about twenty oystercatchers looking for food, and a few terns of some sort, couldn't identify them though.

Yanto is currently sulking because it is cold and wet outside. He has always believed that I am personally responsible for the weather, so lays there glaring at me on wet days.
Hope everyone is well,
Regards
Tec

Still not a lot of birds around other than sparrows, an occasional blackbird and Billy no mates our lone Goldfinch, also a single starling, don't know where the rest of his flock are (Spain maybe?) but every day he comes for his suet pieces. Oh yes, had a wood pigeon looking very bewildered this morning, to keep the pigeons off one of the feeders we have taken the saucer off the bottom, they used to sit on that and feed, he couldn't work out why he couldn't get there any more.

It was a rotten day here yesterday, lots of rain and very windy. Loads of leaves to sweep off the steps now it's dryer today, before postie slips on them.

We've seen a few more coal tits over the weekend. This morning being brighter weather and there being more activity in the garden, I've noticed a female blackbird and two males having a bit of a discussion in the front hedge. Seemed like one of the males was seeing the other off and Mrs looked a bit ruffled about the whole thing.

Morning everyone.What a mucky morning .We woke to rain and mist but is now clearing and brightening up.The Robin is singing his little head off out the back,and it sounds lovely.
I haven't seen the squirrel for a few days,but assume it is still about.
Off to town briefly,I just hope it's not too busy,but I need to change something.
Have a nice day y'all lol

Yesterday morning just before I left for work I saw a bird I'd not noticed before in our front hedge. It turned out to be a coal tit, to add to our collection of blue, great and long tailed. Actually I haven't seen any long tailed tits for ages. I hope they come again. They always look like they could do with a good spruce up.

I watched Autumnwatch last night and and they were at Abney Park Cemetery which is on our list of to visit for OH's family tree. Now I've seen it, it looks like we'd better get down to that visit for the actual trees - it looks lovely for inner city parkland. Then they were on our Wiltshire Downs - just around the corner from us. In one shot I noticed the Lansdowne Memorial which is just above the Cherhill White Horse, a regular walk for us especially when someone comes to visit who hasn't seen our new house or area yet. OH was on his way back from Amsterdam so I'll have to get him to watch it on i-player.

Jane I shall have to take a look and see if you got Woody's best side. Lol.

I hope Madoc enjoys his time with his sitter, Jude. I must organise us a trip out sometime to Dorset again - another lovely county. Just been reading in the Tadio Rimes about previous masterchef winners. Last year's one has opened a restaurant in Beaminster, might be worth a bash.

Jude, there is a long Barrow at Coaley Peak, Uley I think, near Nymphsfield

Thanks Dizzie, will look that up when we are home next week....off to Birmingham then Dorset again:o)) Madoc the dog is so excited cause he has his favourite dog sitter coming, mind you he loves most people unless he is the postie!!!


Thanks Jane....will look at it tomorrow or Monday, l love pics of Woodies:o))

jude :o) x

I got another photo of our Woodpecker at a different angle lol.I took it through the dining room window.I will send it to you Jude .See what you think I don't want to flood the blog with Woody lol

Sorry, it's a huge big ancient burial mound. Round here some have "sarsen" stones at what would have been the entrance. Like the standing stones Avebury stone circle is made of.

I have 2 wheelbarrows by the way - one down the garden, one at the top. Posh here innit?!

Erm whats a 'barrow' ??

l've heard of wheelbarrows, any simularity?

jude :o)

Went on a lovely walk this afternoon. It was really warm and sunny. After taking my son for a pub lunch we walked up Kings Play Hill to get rid of a few of the calories. There's supposed to be a long barrow up there but it's in enclosed farmer's land so we couldn't see it. But there were beautiful views up there and we saw a hare. I'm not sure I've seen one before. Their legs are so long it makes them look huge and they move really fast. Afterwards we decided to drive slowly along the road below the hill to see if we could spot the barrow that way. We thought we did but we can't be sure. Oh well, the walk was good anyway.

Hello everyone:o)

Dizzie you are so discriptive:o))

Our little acer tree has almost shed its red leaves, its in a pot, not sure whether to plant it in the ground....mmmm will think about that one! Our view is mainly of 100ft fir trees and they get rid of the old bits with the wind chucking it our way...lol (not), then there is a really old house, so our view does'nt really alter but we can see the farmland and the cows:o)))

off out for a while have paint to buy for lounge:o))

jude :o) x

The new feeder we got seems to work better. It's one of the ones that have holes up the sides with perches. Olympic Squirrel can still get there but can't get at the seed so easily and it doesn't spill anything like as much when he tries. The old one was a hopper with a tray at the bottom that had perches round the tray and as the squirrels got there the seed poured out the bottom and off the tray. I don't know why we didn't try this before but when we've looked previously for some reason it took us a while to see that the same wouldn't happen.

The willow tree is just beginning to yellow and drop its leaves. Up till now it had been holding its colour and leaves. Now when I look out of the upstairs windows the view is beginning to extend over the farmland at the back.

Evening all....just a quickie:o)

Hello Tec long time no see. Have you tried just letting him sit in the front seat!!! lol

Dizzie....your photo's are fantastic and on the blog, only just found them sorry!

Our nut feed er held on the post by a nail which we hang the handle on, then we tie wire round that and round the post to stop the squirrels from disapearing with it all!! it works most of the time, occasionally its on the ground. Its a metal feeder. Even 2 jackdaws were feedng from it this morning, could'nt believe my eys, great big lumps hanging on there.

Quite a few birds were wating to be fed this morning, vic was abit late.
Don't like it now that it gets darker earlier:o((

jude :o)

We checked out a strange twittering in our trees today too Tec. We're not very hot on identifying bird calls so we listened on the rspb site. I had very briefly glimpsed what looked like a wren and checking out the call confirmed it. I only heard one but OH said he'd heard two in different trees replying to each other. I'm really glad to see they're back. Haven't seen them in ages.

The squirrels - well one of them - can still get at the seed on our feeder. Having put a baffle on a couple of weeks ago it didn't stop them at all. We discovered how they were getting there and moved the feeder further away but there's nowhere else to go with it besides too close to where the cats could get to or too far for us to see properly. It's definitely more difficult now and it seems one squirrel who thinks it's a bird can pretty nearly fly from the rose arch to the feeder. All four of us watched as still and quiet as we could in the lounge and were so amazed at the gymnastic feat we cheered. That frightened it for a minute. Later we saw two on the ground waiting for what Olympic Squirrel knocked down for them. We've bought a different kind of seed feeder, but didn't really want to get one of those with the cage round it in case it's too small or puts the Greater spotted woodpeckers off coming. Haven't had them back at the feeder yet but we're hoping as we've seen them around. We sort of don't mind the squirrels being there but we just don't want them to empty the whole feeder out so quickly. They don't seem to eat much of it but spill loads. We even don't mind a little spill as it means it's there for the ground feeders, but in summer we ended up with wheat and oats growing from the seeds under the feeder.

Hi Everyone,
Nothing wildly exciting to report - no pink flamingos, pelicans, or sulphur crested cockatoos.
Usual visitors - sparrows, chaffinches, blue tits, green finches, robin, starlings, doves, and marauding jackdaws.
Strange twitterings coming from a stone wall yesterday turned out to be two wrens. They were investigating all the nooks and crannies.
The heron is still visiting a neighbours garden - they can't have any fish left in their pond.

Yanto is still refusing to have anything to do with the ramp I made him. I crawled up it again the other day to no avail. He looked at me crouched in the back of the car, practicularly shook his head and walked away. Ungrateful dog.

Regards to all,
Tec.

Morning.....more spider pics on the blog, plus a couple of fish:o)

Have a nice day, its raining here for a change...lol...garden is loving it though.

jude :o) x

Evening all:o)

DON'T forget its.........http://www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds/ tomorrow:o)

Von has sent me 2 photos of spiders on their webs for the blog, and felt you should be warned, so if you don't like spiders DON'T LOOK. Lovely photo's:o))....Thanks Von:o)

Just watched Autumn Watch, some of the filming was down the road from us (almost), the canoes were from the local canoe hire place, nice picture of Simon and the owners in local paper.
Do you think there is something going on between Kate and Chris?? lol

Yes please Jane:o)
jude:o)