Hobbies and Crafts

Gail, You have some lovely birds in Oz.
Trying to find out about a tiny bird we saw in Tenerife. It was very small and quick, light brown with speckly front, like a tiny little thrush. We thought it was a canary at first because they are small, but they are yellow/greeny coloured and this one was definitely brown, tried to photograph it but it was much too quick for me.

Hi everyone
It appears that some blue tits have changed their tune.
This interesting article was on radio 4 this morning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8079000/8079780.stm
Did anyone else hear it?

Wow Gail that must have been a specacular site. Are they noisy?
Von

Today I have the usual magpies (do not confuse these with the English magpie) and butcher birds, and yes I do feed them. They are very friendly and love to bludge a feed, one magpie has a broken top beak so probably difficult to get a feed. They never bother my new hatched chickens either.

Also worth a google, I had a pair of Eastern Rosella's in my favourite tree today, they were grooming each other and then were feeding on the grass. These birds nest in tree hollows.

I do sometimes feed the parrots but only when there is not much food around, it is wonderful to watch them at the feeder as there are so many species that come in to feed. I must admit we have planted out our yard to encourage birds here with many varities of native trees, shrubs and plants.

There is a Red Wattlebird that hangs around most days, I have only ever seen the one bird. They love nectar out of flowers, and there are some ground cover gravillias flowering at the moment. I also have New Zealand flax plants, the Red Wattle bird really loves the flowers on this plant in summer, and for some reason seems to get slightly drunk from the nectar. They will also look for spiders and will pinch a bit of mince form the other birds when I feed them. I have seen the Red Wattlebird's tongue and it is up to 2 inches long past its beak.

Gail

PS: Just went to make a coffee and there is now a flock of Eastern Rosellas in the yard and putting on a very colourful show. There are also a few Satin Bower Birds around again today.

Gail that is a fascinating looking bird, much more exotic than our usual starlings!!!

Ann
glos

Hello Gail and Caz:o))

Will google the Satin Bower bird in a mo, sound wonderful and oh so lucky to have them in your back garden.

jude :o)

Hi Caz, like you love my bird watching. These are such a lovely bird to watch. When they are under the trees they are very well camouflaged and usually do not spot them until they move. Have had the odd one around for the past week, so exciting that there is a large flock around now.

Forgot to mention, the Satin Bower Bird only flocks in winter, usually they are more solitary.

Gail

PS: up until recently I had 5 cats, now have four and they never touch the birds, they will catch mice and usually the mice are still alive so can let them go.

Hi Gail, nice to see you on here. I used to love our emails of you describing the different birds you have over there. I am off to google the bower birds after a cuppa, they are one bird I love to watch when we have programmes of tropical birds on. Although come to think of it, we haven't had any recently.
speak soon.

Caz xx

I had a flock of Satin Bower Birds in the yard today and spent many hours watching them from the kitchen window. We still have some green grass in the yard and they were busy picking and eating the grass and clover and stayed till after lunch having a great time. I did not see any mature male birds. I am excited as last year only had a scarce few around and this year a whole large flock of about 50 birds.

They have beautiful eyes that are a very bright blue/lilac colour. The female and young (immature males) are an olive green with a scaly front of white/beige and green. The male bird is the same colour as the female until 7 years old then he changes to black, huge change in colour. The male birds love to collect anything that is blue, pegs, glass, milk bottle tops and rings. The milk bottle tops in Australia were changed so they break as a lot of birds were lost to the blue ring around the milk.

When moving around on the ground the Satin Bower Bird, hops around and it can be quite commical.

These birds are well worth a google, that way you can see why I am so taken with them.

Gail

Hi everyone:o)

Amanda......we have so many birds singing dusk to dawn, mostly blackbirds, will have to try adding a few notes myself, but knowing me l'll forget:o(((

Are'nt some birds horrible, but it is only nature, would hate to have seen that though. l understand Jays can be the same.

Y/Caz....l used to have a cockertial, also a few budgies, but could'nt get the cockertial to be friendly:o(((

My cold is more of a throat virus, no cold as such....just no voice and abit of a sore throat and a rotten cough at night:o((

Did anyone watch Spring Watch this evening, the Redkite place is the one we have visited a few times. Its very good there:

http://www.information-britain.co.uk/showPlace.cfm?Place_ID=1220

nite nite

jude :o)

I have had hay fever quite badly for a couple of weeks and it has made me cough loudly.

It has also made a starling cough loudly!

Bit of a Micky take,what!

Lol Tec. It's a Cockatiel, pale yellow with grey markings. He loves my hairdryer as well, especially after a shower, (spray bottle).

I have been looking in one of my books for the Cuckoo, and it says " A much lesser known call is a comparatively subdued liquid bubbling sound. It is likely that most of the 'cu-cooing' comes from the male and most of the bubbling from the female, but both sexes can make these calls". So there you are, I don't suppose we will ever know unless we see one, which would be rare.

Caz

Hi Tecwyn
You reminded me about a blackbird that used to mimic the ring of a phone when we had a public telephone box next to our house.

The daisies I have are the tall varieties that normally flower in the autumn which was why I was suprised to see them flowering so early. Mind you I still have some Hellebores which are still in bloom.

We have just returned from a holiday in Cornwall and there were an amazing amount of butterflies there.
Take care
Von

Hi Everyone,

Amanda..........I have known a blackbird imitate a human whistle before. We had an elderly gentleman living near us.Every summer evening he would sit in his garden whistling back to a blackbird singing in the apple tree. Occassionally, the old chap would alter the notes of the "tune", and sure enough, the blackbird would answer accordingly. it never failed, and was highly amusing.

Y/Caz............They didn't mention on Springwatch which cuckoo we hear - trust me to wonder about something nobody else would think of. I still haven't heard one this year, I think it may be too late now. They did mention that cuckoo numbers have dwindled by a third in recent year, and are now carrying out a national survey.
What kind of bird do you have on your shoulder? owl? buzzard? duck?
Do excuse me Caz.....it's the heat! Weird sense of humour!

Maggie..........Wouldn't worry too much about your robin - the one here disappears for weeks sometimes - he'll be back

Hi Von....... Magpies can be vicious - they will kill smaller birds, steal eggs out of nests. They even steal a friends hens eggs out of the coop. I don.t care for them at all.........but I suppose that's nature.
I have Michaelmas daisies that start to flower in August, and go on into November, but I once had an earlier variety that flowered through June/July August. They had short stems. Maybe this is wat you have.
I have seen more butterflies in my garden in the last few days than I've seen for years. Must be the weather. Mainly tortoiseshell, meadow brown, and frittlllery, and cabbage white of course.

Regards
Tec.

Hi
I've just witnessed two small Magpies chase a blackbird forcing it against our fence. The poor Blackbird fell to the ground where upon the adult Magpies descended and killed it.
My neighbour saw a Magpie in her garden kill a small mouse a couple of weeks ago. The mouse was scurrying along a step.
Maybe that's why I don't have too many small birds in the garden at present.

On another note does anyone have Michaelmas daisies out in their garden?
I have several that are in flower and having read that they are a source of food for certain butterflies I'm wondering if they will be affected later in the season.
Regards
Von

Hi all~~~~~I am getting very worried about my little robin I photographed in the pond. Haven't seen him for over a week now. We do have a sparrow hawk that visits now and again trying to get the birds, and I am worried he may have been snatched . I did get a photo of the hawk but it is very blurred. May send it to Jude though. Also saw a wood pigeon the other day in the pouring rain. He just sat there ...lol

Maggie

Hi all, Just catching up with who's seen what. I didn't see the Springwatch Tec, so did you find out which does the call, or like you say do both. I haven't heard it again (the Cuckoo) so I think it must have been passing through.
We have a lot of Wood pidgeons up here, although come to think of it there are a lot of fields and trees.
I was sat in the kitchen late last night and heard an owl really close, I had the window wide open and it sounded very close.
Weather here today is scorching hot, we have the fan on and our bird is sat on my shoulder relishing the cool breeze. Have to go and get a cool drink.

Caz xx

Hello everyone .

There is a Mr Blackbird in my area to whom I have been whistling certain " notes" over the past few weeks . Now , when ever I go out in the back garden he seems to spot me and starts whistling the " notes" back at me........he has even added them to his dawn chorus ( I've heard him a few times at dawn if I've been on feeding my baby Granddaughter duty ).

My daughter says that she spotted a Sparrowhawk this morning at 6am , it was chasing a Blue tit across the garden , I know there is one in the area as the lady across the road has seen it in her garden .

I hope you are all enjoying this lovely sunshine : ))

Hi Everyone,

A buzzard flew over the garden this morning - unusual to see just one, they often come over two, even three at a time. Haven't seen a red kite for must be a month now.
Lots of swallows flying low yesterday evening catching the insects.
Noticed a dove lying on the ground in the garden today with her wings and tail stretched wide open. I thought she was dead, but as soon as I went into the garden she flew up into a tree. Must have been sun bathing.

I always make sure there is clean water available in the garden for the birds - especially in this heat - they do need it.

Jude...........Hope your cold is better. Has the new neighbourhood dog moved in yet? The new pics on the blog are good - I will get there soon!!!

Helen.........Strange what happened to your magpies, especially if there was no evidence that a cat had attacked them. Maybe they were poisoned somehow - mysterious isn't it?

Regards
Tec.

I have found 2 dead baby magpies in the garden.They look too big to have fallen from the nest .They looked fully fledged.So I don't know why.Anyone have any idea why ?

I have found 2 dead baby magpies in the garden.They look too big to have fallen from the nest .They looked fully fledged.So I don't know why.