Hobbies and Crafts

Morning:o))

We had a slight frost earlier, it was gone now!

Sorry Linda l also forgot to say something about the Red Kite....they are magnificent are'nt they:o) l have never seen them near to home but have seen hundreds at a Red Kite feeding station in S.Wales, an amazing sight when they are all hovering waiting for the farmer to arrive with the tractor and then dish out the food......as he starts to drive away they start to land and feed along with some crows and a few buzzards:o))

Now l must tell you about Vics sighting in the garden this morning......feeding on the nyger seed....yehhhh a Goldfinch...Ist one here as far as we know....thanks to those who said about the nyger feeders:o)
Vic was'nt too sure about getting one, so l just bought one, it took a couple of weeks to persuade him its a good idea....welll now he thinks its abrilliant idea:o))

As Vic walked away from the feeders this morning the blackbirds and many chaffinches were there feeding, no time waisting this morning!!

jude :o)

Hope Dormouse is feeling abit stronger this morning:o) x

Frosty this morning and it looks as though the feeders need re-filling again. Birds have all been busy.

I meant to have said Linda, how lovely to see a Red Kite, magnificent birds, only ever seen one.



Ann
Glos

Ahhh at last...a thread I can relate to! lol Thanks for that information Ann...my few birds have been very busy today...but havent seen the lone dunnock :(- Goodnight all....XX BC

Thanks for that Ann...:~)

jude :o)

As it appears it is going to get cold again more food for birds tips from a leaflet i picked up by the RSPB.

A wide variety of fats are suitable but not all are suitable for warm weather.
hard fats from cuts of meat (unsalted, uncured) can be put out in large pieces, make sure they are well anchored so that larger birds don't carry them off. Only use this in winter.
Home made fat balls or bird cake is only suitable for winter feeding since they will soften in summer and may smear the birds' feathers.
Polyunsaturated fats are unsuitable for birds.

Peanuts, never place out loose nuts but offer them in a feeder from which birds are only able to extract small pieces, or finely chopped in a seed mix.

Bread, - all types but it only acts as an empty filler as it doesn't contain the necessary fats, proteins, vitamins or minerals.
Moist bread is better than dry and brown is better than white. During the breeding season crumble the bread into tiny pieces so that it is only eaten by adult birds and only small amounts at a time.

Milk... Never give milk as birds can't digest it.
birds can digest fermented dairy foods such as cheese.

Fresh coconut is OK in a shell. rinse out coconut milk first. never give dessicated coconut.

meat in small quantities so that it is eaten before it dries out or goes off. Cut fresh meat into narrow short strips to represent worms, or chop finely to make it easier for birds to manipulate and eat. Chopped, fresh unsalted bacon can be given. Tinned meaty dog or cat food will be useful to some birds.

Rice: Cooked rice, brown or white without salt is beneficial and readily accepted. Uncooked rice may be eaten by pigeons and doves and pheasants but is less likely to attract other species.

Never put out salted food or add salt to bird baths to preventfreezing.

Breakfast cereals are good for birds. Offer crushed and dry in small quantities with water available. Porridge oats straight from the packet are fine, never give cooked porridge it is too glutinouse.

Safe foods in the breeding season.
any wild bird seed mixes but make sure there are no peanuts bigger than granule size.
Sunflower seeds
Sunflower hearts
mild grated cheese
sultanas, raisins, currants (soaked overnight)
Pinhead oatmeal
Apples, pears, plums, grapes and other soft fruit
Mealworms and waxworms.

Ann
Glos

Hi All
An amazing sight here yesterday afternoon when I walked to school collecting a child for her dinner.

There was a red Kite, seen them before as close as Iver Heath Buckinghamshire and Twyford in Berkshire, but this was a first for local to my home. A magnificent sight.

Tomorrow I will be filling all feeders and putting out extra fat balls as I shall not be around for the next 10 days. Hope it doesn't get too bad as they won't remeber to put feed out for the birds..................... surprised they can feed themselves !!!!

Linda :o)

A lot more birds back here today, filled a suet feeder up yesterday and the starlings emptied it this morning. Goldfinches, chaffinches and green finches eating the seed like mad. Blackbirds eating some crushed suet balls I put on the ground yesterday. Wood pigeon eating next doors seeds and fat balls. No sign of the doves lately.

Ann
Glos

Morning....we're still filling feeders everyday and have flurries of birds. The jackdaws were in abundence yesterdat, chaffinches are always about, the w/pigeons come and go as do the blackbirds, but they are getting bossier, one was having ago at a chaffinch earlier who was'nt at all bothered, just flew up and came back down behind him....lol

Hopefuly the bit of rain we've had will bring up some wormies:o)

jude :o)

Great to hear that Dormouse is home:o)

Saw a siskin yesterday on daughters feeders in Hampshire, not seen one before, very pretty and quite tiny.

Ann
Glos

See the farming weather for the next week does not look to good more snow on the away by the looks of things, Guess the birds know whats going on as we have had a lot here feeding this morning. So thats all feeders filled up fat balls out and here come the starlings for a good feed.
Peter Rabbit was back again this morning cant see any others in the field so he must be a loner just as long as its only him I dont mind.
Hope that you all had a good week end.

More birds around again now. Wood pigeons, Blackbirds, Sparrows(could be hedge sparrows or Dunnocks) , Great Tits, Bluetits and Coaltits, Chaffinches, Mr Robin(of Course), have been hearing woodpeckers but not seen any.

They are feeding on Wild bird mix, oats, peanuts and some brown bread.

Linda :o)

Oh yes l have some pictures:o) one or 2 are ok but the same as you the batteries were almost dead, so l was panicking and some did'nt really come out well. l was abit worried that his mum may have said we should'nt have let him on the tractor, but she and his daddy were quite excited for him. l think his other nanny would have said no!!

Madoc would definately have chased the bunny...lol. He had some nerve did'nt he, or must have been hungry...lol

Thanks Jude,
Well this morning took the biscuit, sat drink me coffee and this baby bunny can through the fence chase the hen birds away and started eating bird seed, then he tried to clumb up onto my rockgarden front legs pulling him up and back legs just dangling it was so funny and Meg did not chase him she was sat on the back door step,
And as per usual batteries were low in camera why is it when I need the camera batteries are always low.
Jude sounds like you had a great time did you take any pics, bet the wee fella was over the moon, my boys used to drive tractors for a living, and as small boys they loved watching them in the fields.
I still put out the nuts but I break them up very tiny with the rolling pin.

Hiya

Just been watching one of the male blackbirds having a bath, got the camera already and wooosh he was gone!!!
Nothing much else seems to be happening out there, its very quiet.

Yes l rememner Bill Oddie saying that abut the peanuts, but some people crunch them all up into tiny pieces, that would be ok would'nt it??

Were in Birmingham yesterday and fed the ducks with grandson:o) the usual mallards, coote and morhens, plus some canadian geese and one white duck:o).
We also went to a kids farm and saw the sheep, calves,some about 3 months old and 3 of them were 2 weeks old, how cute:o) Grandson thought they were fabulous and loved stroaking them. Whilst we were wondering around the farm yard a tractor came in with a massive bale of hay, grandson was mezmerised, guess what ?? the farmer who was also the manager of the centre asked if he would like a ride on the tractor, so Vic and babe climbed up and off they went, his face was a picture:o) .
Also saw the ducks, chucks, geese, pheasant and peacocks with their peahens! Rabbits, pigs and their babies, 3 miniature ponies and a shire.....oh and the farm cat:o)

Y/Caz ....lovely to have the owls and a fox, l have'nt heard a fox round our way, have sometimes heard an owl.

Bellblair....keep an eye on those b/boxes incase of any photographic chances. Your pics are on the blog now, thanks:o)

see yeh

jude :o)

Hi Folk,
Best wishes to Dormouse. I notice on another thread that she is having Warfarin Therapy to disperse the clot. Lets hope this is successful and that Dormouse is back among the birds very soon.
Been a cold grey day here - not much activity in my garden - a few sparrows, and chaffinches, a robin, and a pair of doves.
I did spot a buzzard, and two geese flying westward.

Topical note - I remember Bill Oddie warning that it is a good idea to withold peanuts in the nesting season - apparently some mothers will try to feed the chicks with them, which often results in choking.

Regards to all
Tec

Hi
Any news on Dormouse.
We have a few courting couples in the garden now the blackbirds are having great fun. also the Peseants wish we could read the minds of the females as when they are having brekkie over structs his lordshipe one wing down doing the light fantango, and the hen birds just fly away.

It has been very noisy here today as the sun has been shining and the birds have been chatting away, 2 Robin boxes now have lodgers and the 4 other boxes all have blue tits in them, not sure where the black birds are looking as the hedge up the lane is not greening up yet. I have not seen but know that the thrush is about as I have got a lot of empty snails shells in my flower bed.
Good night floks take care.

Thanks BC, I'm sure we will, it will be heaven not having any steps to climb. I had thought of a feeder that sticks to the window but they are the tip right over ones so don't know how I would get it filled. Being on the third floor it isn't as if hubby can run out to do it as he does now.

Caz xx

Could try a window bird feeder Caz.

And wishing you the very best, Caz, in your new home. I hope you will be very happy and I am sure the birds will follow you there...maybe you should wait a few weeks before you get the binoculars out, though...just in case....lol...:-) BC XX

I would also like to send my best wishes to Dormouse and hopes she has a rapid recovery.

Well word is getting round BC, your gang has increased from the lonely little dunnock.
Our tree is a hive of activity today, as it was yesterday when I think of it. The fox was making his racket in our garden this morning right in front of kitchen window, at 5am and the owl on the chimney again in unison. We aso have the doves doing their courting on our greenhouse.
I've forgotten who asked but we won't have a view to watch birds, we face the visitors car park and two houses but there are some trees at back of carpark which will be nice when they have leaves on. I don't think I dare look thtrough my binocs though, the houses might think I am looking in their window, don't want to be in trouble in my new home. Reading about your bird mimics reminded me of when we moved here, we had a starling who did the trim phone, it was weird hearing the phone ringing up a tree.

Caz xx