Hobbies and Crafts

Lots of birds in the garden today finches Great tits blue tits

starlings 1 Robin sparrows and a Woodpecker which we

have'nt seen since the summer

great thread love it

Jenxx

Julia, be prepared to be patient with the feeders, the birds take a while to get used to anything strange. didn't know you were in hospital, sorry. I hope you are now on the mend.

Ann
glos

Julia.....Aww good luck with all your feeders etc, it may take abit of time though!! Hope you are feeling better today?

Whirley - how lucky are you to have fed a robin by hand, brilliant:o))
OH and l were only saying earlier what lovely birds Jays are.l have'nt seen that many here in Wales, saw more in Sussex.

Ann - oh yes!! most of em don't have a license anyway!! and the rest, well they are being abit unfair are'nt they, the cormorants can't go to the supermarket for lunch now can they.....lol :o)

jude :o)

Dear All - Spurred on from reading this thread from the onset, and having some advice PM'd to me re the squirrels pinching everything,I decided to start putting food out for the birds again. Went to my local garden centre on Saturday afternoon, for a cup of tea, and to get out in the lovely sunshine, having been in hospital all week.
Had a good look round and bought a nut feeder with very fine mesh, in the shape of a Strawberry, and nuts to put in it. Also bought a seed dispenser and seed,and half a coconut shell filled with compressed fat. The whole lot came to less than £20, but I reckon I will get more than my money back with the sight of the expected flood of our feathered friends. I can't wait to make Glenys's (sp) sorry, recipe for fat balls, and have some lovely ingredients ready for this purpose.
Do you know, this thread has bought out the good nature in us all. No falling out, abuse,calling, offending or anything of that ilk. Not that I am saying there is alot of that on General as a rule. But it has been a lovely thread to read and add to. We can thank the birds for that.
Lets keep it up
Julia in Derbyshire

Nut hatches, lovely, daughter gets those in Hampshire. I like Jays too, haven't seen them round here though.

Jude, should they shoot the fishermen then do you reckon??

It hasn't rained here, you must have sent it the other way.

I have a pair of knut hatches that come to my bird table, we get woodpeckers in the oak tree opposite, one did visit my nut hanger. The Jays (which I love) eat the acorns off my oak tree..

My robin that feeds at my kitchen window now has a girlfriend/boyfriend and they visit together. One robin I had a couple of years back I sometimes fed by hand and he'd fly into the house via the kitchen window if I was late putting his cheese out. Funny character he was...

Afternoon everyone:o)))

Its been raining here but not much, quite abit yesterday evening though!

Is'nt she luicky BC, but then l'mlucky aswell:o))
What a clever Stag, hope he returns to live for many more years yet!!
Neighbour has had a heron but only to pinch his fish, he sat on our fence tooo) but that was about a yr or more ago!
But OH saw 2 heron's this morning whilst out dog walking
We used to see loads of cormorants, but the farmers or someone did a cull a few years ago, so we only see the odd one now:o((( The cull was because they eat the fish(salmon mostly) in the river. Most of the fishermen don't even have a blinky license....if they get caught they get a fine, if the birds get caught they get shot!!! something wrong there me thinks??
We've had the usual,sparrows, blackbirds, w/pigeons,jackdaws, chaffinch, robin and a wren flew in and out as quick as a flash!!

Have'nt put any potato out today, forgot!! will cook one when the roast is in in a mo :o)

c yeh
jude :o)

I am so envious! All I have had today is a really fat pigeon balancing precariously, upside down, on a jasmine branch, whilst pecking at the bird seed feeder as it swung to and fro. lol She did look funny though...BUT would swap her for a heron or even better, a pheasant knocking at my back door:-)) BC XX

Hi,
Well we have got past that storm, and all the birds where in early for thier brekkie today, even the dog could not frighten then Mr Pheseant ws talking away a Meg stood at the back door barking to come in. We have had sunshine and shower so far. Have not seen jenny wren for a few days they must be in hiding.

Yes Jude the deer are still here, 3 weeks ago they had a shot in the woods and oboy you should have seen the stag that came out he was just heaven, he just knew how are to get away from them and stoped and turned and looked at them as if to say you cant get me. The heron has arrived back not sure if we have 1 or 2 close by. with the burn running high at the moment they just stand on the banking looking in. but go up the fields to feed. Wounder if we will get the hares back this year.

Well its starting to cloud over so I had best go and get the washing in before the rain comes back.
Keep safe everyone.

Caz ..... how lovely. We can hear one sometimes during the evenings, but not for ages:o(
Have seen and held some at various shows:o))

Oooo perhaps l will get a chance to hold some birds at the Cotswolds Zoo when l go to be a zoo keeper, now that would be great:o)

Bellblair...its very damp here and worse to come:o(( potatoes in the oven for feed time tomorrow:o)
You are a lucky girl,although we do pretty well here l spose!! Do you stillhave Deer come in the garden??

Ann - we went to Hobby Craft this afternoon,l so very nearly got Vic to buy a nyjer feeder!!

jude :o) x

The weather here has been very wild to say the least for the past couple of days, and looks as if its going to get worse. so I have achored all the feeders down, and OH called me into the lounge to see mr pheseant trying his hardest to jump up the the feeders silly boy his food goes on the ground.

Collecting my son from work the other night around midnight and it was very clear and in a mile and half stretch I saw 2 barn owls one sitting on a fence post and the other flying. such graceful birds.

Hope you all get a bit of good weather soon.

Wonderful Caz, Saw one once from the bedroom window when we lived in Bedfordshire and one once flew across in front of our car in the Lake district. beautiful birds.

Ann
glos

I had a shock this morning, still half asleep I went into the porch to get some toastie bread from freezer. Just opened the door when this WHOOO-OOOO came, it seemed like something coming out of the freezer. Of course it was the owl but it made me jump and I woke up pretty quick.
When I could use the garden we were stood out one night when it came gliding over our heads, silent as a ghost, it always uses our chimney to sit on, a lovely experience.

Caz xx

thanks for that Von. Every year I do the bird watch and every year it is the one day we get few birds in the garden. I reckon they are up in the trees having a laugh!!!!

Strange, no scraps out for a couple of days and the shop bought fat balls have come back into favour!!!

Sadly we'll be away and l know where we are going there are no birds in their garden:o(((((

jude :o)

Hi
I've been following this thread with interest and I've just received an email from the RSPB about the Big Garden Birdwatch on the 24-25 January.
Information can be obtained from
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/about/index.asp.
Von

Found this on the RSPB site, l could'nt copy and paste there was too much, it does say no salt but does'nt mention bacon......BUT it has other ideas, very useful:o))

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whatfood/index.asp

jude :o)

Hello everyone:o)

Awww Bellblair that would be great would'nt it:o)

We had quite a few birds flitting in and out today,more than yesterday! our Woodpigeon with the bad leg is still here, l thought he was a gonna!!

l can remember years ago my Nan putting out bacon fat,perhaps it was unsmoked. l'll try and find out through the rspca site, l was a member but might have expired now.
l meant to bake a couple of potatoes today but forgot, will try abd get them ready for tomorrow, if this weather keeps up they'll need it!

One of our fatballs (bought ones) has disapeared, l actually saw a Starling haveing a rite go at it, then it was gone. The nail and everything has gone. Probably a squirrel....lol

Take care
Jude :o)

Starling love the fat balls, never seen them go som fast. Could not see the birds this morning as it was so foggy. it cleared about lunchtime and so had all the food I had put out. Wish I could put a pic on here to let you see my peasant knocking for his food.