Hobbies and Crafts

Hi all, I have just witnessed a midair fight between a magpie and a collared dove ! and the magpie lost...
I have noticed the last couple of days, one magpie feeding, and each time a pair of resident doves take a swipe at him. I guess it's the time of year, but never known a magpie to be outdone.lol

Maggie

Hi Folks,
Lots of fledglings around the garden - sparrows everywhere, greenfinches and blue tits. We seem to have more doves than usual.

Jude..........The pictures are brilliant - lovely. I did enjoy them. I see Madoc appears to be looking for food, like mine, always never far away from the food. If I am to ever contribute to your blog I will have to get my 14yr old grand daughter to teach me. You may, between you, drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and out of my cave.

Regards
Tec.

Hello all:o)

Thats ok Bellblair, l'm only teasing, when you are ready we'd love to see them:o))

Our Reed bunting is back, collecting food fast and furiously, a blue tit was on our little wall picking insects, l watched him through the binocs grabbing something from a cobweb.

We saw a dunnock feeding its chic on another wall, all of a sudden everything is happening.

The sparrow is still there chirping away and we can definately hear another chirp now, so we think its mum teaching babe.

Blackbirds, pigeons and doves a plenty. The crows will now feed off the lawn, are'nt they big??

Oh and a starling flew into the patio doors and stunned itself, l went out to check it 10 mins later as it lifted its head and took off...bless it:o)))

see yeh

jude:o)

Hi Folk,

Jude I have not got round to down loading pic yet sorry but the gardening has been calling. even the housework ( sorry for swearing ) has been left. and I should really get a bit of updating done on my tree.

Well away to do a bit more.

Hello Ann...abit like the park in London and the South downs in Sussex.

The pics are on the blog now:o))

jude x

We have seen other paraqueets but think they have probably escaped at some time.

Ohhh, so its not an actual torch then, will take a look at that site though:o)) thanks.

Tec l have pm'd you.

The only treecreeper l have seen was in Sussex years ago, in the woods.

Don't see thushes her either, we have had one in garden approx 6 times but thats in the last 6 yrs

Nite nite:o)

jude

Jude........My dog flatly refuses to walk on laminate flooring. When we visit my daughter, she has to put rugs down especially for him.

It has to be Axminster or Wilton carpet for him I'm afraid.

Am I allowed to look at your blog? and if so, how do I find it?

I'm not into blogs - never seen one..........how sad

Regards
Tec.

You know those bird feeding poles? Well,some have a little squiggly finial thing on top and some have a light but the other sort have a conical sort of cage affair that you can put three suet balls in to.

Have a look on the Haith's site,they sell them.

Hi Folks,
Yes Bellblair, it has been a beautiful day - managed to get some gardening done - hope your Blue Tit chicks prosper. There was the most glorious sunset this evening over the sea. My dog took me for my walk, and we met the badger again on the little old stone bridge that crosses the river. Haven't met him for a while. He stops - we stop - we back off the bridge - and badger continues on his way, and shuffles off into the woods.

Thrushes seem to be getting very rare - I had a Missel Thrush visited through the winter, but haven't seen him for weeks. There are no Skylarks exactly where I live, but three miles away there is an area of open marshland, they are always there. I love to hear them.

Sylvia.....I haven't seen any treecreepers in this area, they were often seen when I lived inland. The reason I thought you were in South Africa, was because you mentioned Freedom Day, which is also celebrated in SA.
although I am not sure why.

Regards
Tec

Hi all:o)

Was it an escaped paraqueet or a wild one??

Slyvia:o(((

Bellblair....l'm still waiting for the other pics... when you send them you can send the bluetits aswell..lol :o)


Sharron...what is fatball torch?

For about a week now we keep hearing a bird calling, l think its was one of the fledglings l have mentioned. Its a sparrow and it sits either on the fence, the guttering or on the back gate and its chirping on and off all day, it really sounds quite sad:o(. Not sure if its a fledgling or not. Vic has put seed down near the gate and its been feeding there, it flys off if l get too close but managed to get a few photo's so will put them on the blog!! l also took one of the reed bunting a few weeks ago, although not seen it since, hope l did'nt frighten it off!!

Madoc is still limping, we have laminate flooring down and its too slippery for him, so we have bought some rugs, a round one in the hall and we're waiting for a runner type for the kitchen. It never entered our head that he would find it difficult, so if your thinking about having it down think about the dog!!

Photo's will be on blog tomorrow.

jude x

Walking down the road on our way out yesterday evening we heard a strange bird noise, looked into the nearest shrub and there was a grey paraqueet, what a racket it made!

Tecwyn,
No, I am not in South Africa but in Holland - both speak Afrikaans!
I haven't heard anybody mention the tree creeper. In the house I used to live in we had several tree creepers. In that particular house we had at one time or the other just about every bird there was for the district. Even had a mother hen with its chicks walk into the garden one day!
My husband moved our shed from side of the house to the bottom of the garden and a blackbird made a nest inside. We had a lovely view of it if we climbed the ladder! Yes, but silly lot we are should have taken the ladder away when we weren't there. That old Tom Cat from up the road climbed the ladder and pinched the baby blackbirds.
I had a compost heap at the bottom of the garden too and lovely little garden mice lived in it.
Nature is wonderful, isn't it?
Sylvia xxx

Hi Folks,
Hope that you are all enjoying this lovely weather, I know that my birds are, they are bathing in the burn ( stream ) at the bottom of my garden.

whiltst cuting the grass today and weeding (M y best job ) I found the remains of a blue tit egg well the shell and I could here a bird swearing at me and I could not think why, in a tiny conifer bush there was this tiny blue tit nest and 2 babies, OH is going to take a pic tomorrow.
I have not seen them but I know that we have thrushes in the garden as we hve found a lot of snail shells along the side of the footpath. leading to the burn.
Sat for a wee while hoping to see the Kingfisher nothing shame

It is very strange but the only time we have seen a thrush in our garden in recent years was this year on the bird count day, not seen one before or since.

I am sure that the little birds are blue tits but a lot smaller than ours but I will try and find out.
There are a lot of Swifts here both up here on the hill where the apartment is and down over the sea.

We used to hang the bone from the Sunday roast on the washing line from a bit of string.Sometimes we would see a woodpecker on that.

Have never seen long tailed tits as close up as I have on the bird feeding station.It was worth taking the trouble to seek out one with the fat bsall torch on top.Everything goes to it,even blackbirds.

I do miss thrushes,you hardly ever see one now.Skylarks too,they were all over the place when I was growing up and I don't think I have heard one now for about twenty-five years.

Hi Folks,

Well as OH and I where walking the garden this morning ( sounds very posh ) me telling him what we need to do etc, a deer came running across the field right up to the corner post of our garden he was a beauty, and before you as Jude not a single pic but he is still in the field so will try later.

Getting a few more birds past 2 days blue tits are very busy in nest boxes, and the lane hedge is a live with thurshes and blackbirds in and out,

Hi All:o)

Just got back from Birmingham, went yesterday:o)) its grandsons 2nd birthday tomorrow, had lovely time:o)))) ooo he is just gorgeous:o)

Yes please Bellblair:o)
It was almost dark when we got in so could'nt see garden much.
l think l have heard fledglings during last week, sparrows (seen them aswell) and blackbirds. The collard doves are still chasing one another.

Ann....wonder what the little bird is, do you have any books, can you check it on the net? l can only think that hen blackbirds in Tenerife are the same as ours!!

Hello Sharron...we have the male and female lesser spotted visit, but not for a few weeks or more. Very alike but one has a red patch on head l think?? with red bum:o)

My daughter had a feeding station for her birthday in April and atlast she has birds feeding regularily now. She lives in Dorset a fairly built up area and a busy ish road, a blackbird has nested in the hedge and they both feed from the station along with a few other birds but can't remember what! She just loves loves bird watching....well trained...lol

jude :o)

Hi Folks,
Anne..........I don't know the answer to your question about hen blackbirds in Tenerife....but it's interesting. Also I would be interested to know what the Blue Tit type birds are - maybe you could ask a local?

Sharron......I've never had a Woodpecker in my garden, but I often hear one in nearby woodland. Must try some more fat balls.

Maggie......I hand fed a robin for two years - a really scruffy one. He suddenly disappeared, and I suspected next doors cat, because the robin was too tame for his own good, as I kept telling him.

Bellblair,,,,,It's been cold and wet here for a few days - wondering if the birds were wise to rear their young so early, but they seem ok. We seem to have a lot of fledgling sparrows this year

Regards
Tec.

Hi everyone,
Tec,
we have not got any fledglings yet been a bit to cold and we are about a month behind you. and OH did not have camera I did so not a single pic of me on my knees lol

Maggie,
Yes you could get your Robin to eat from your hand, it might take a bit of time but he will.