Hobbies and Crafts

I made a fairly large fat ball yesterday and put it out today and the whole lot has disappeared, I watched the starlings and a pigeon demolish it!!

Ann
Glos

Glad we have bacon only very rarely then. My sister was here today and got very excited when she saw a bird on the nuts she hadn't seen before. I didn't see it so made her look through my bird books, she identified it as the white backed woodpecker because of the amount of red on it's underside and head. Wish I'd seen it, I've only seen our lesser spotted one and the Jay. It's really made my sisters day lol.

Caz

Picked up a leaflet on bird feeding in the garden centre this morning. It definitely says no salt food.

Hi, Jude to answer your question the phesants stand and wait for me to put the food out then the Coook bird calls his 4 girls in for brekkie. Looks as if we still have a pair of woodpeckers the ones with the black and red markings.
I have always put bacon rind out for the birds if it has fat on it, also rind from cooked gammon.

The field next door is now home to a flock of Fieldfare, and we have 3 different sites for the buzzards.
Coming home late the other night I see 3 barn owls along the main road,
Well I am away to fill the peanut feeders again.
Happy bird watching.

Hi, just to say that I believe salt is bad for birds, as on my list it's a definite no-no. Presumably it'd be best not to put bacon out.
x

l would think we have got mice and did have rats. Rat catcher had to deal with them !!! the cat used to see to the mice!!

Awww BC, sorry l did laugh at your post...lol

Thats what l told Vic, l'll get one don't you worry...lol

jude:o)

We may have fieldmice BC but don't see them!!

Jude, Niger seed should be in a special feeder, I don't think goldfinches will feed on the ground.

Ann
Glos

Ahhhh my Robin is back...well I like to think it is the same one! lol. My patio is small and filled with flower pots. Last year I started bird feeding and put EVERYTHING out! Nuts, fatballs, seeds, the lot... am a little shortsighted so when I saw these cute little grey 'birds' on the ground gobbling up the food which had fallen from the feeders, I thought...awwwwww.....and then I put my glasses on and to my absolute horror, I saw that the lickle birds were, in fact, a large family of mice. It took me weeks of agony (cant stand mice) to see off that family and cost me a fortune! So I had to stop feeding the birds for a while. Now, I go out every evening and clear up the fallen seeds and stuff. So far, fingers crossed, no mickey mouses! But I DO envy you folks in the countryside with your exotic collection of birds...BC XX

We had a Woodpecker on nuts this morning, but l frightened it off by going to near the patio doors.....l did'nt see it til it was too late:o((
7 woodpigeons were all perched on our low wall and a squirrel on the big b/table....he had too cause the woodpecker was on his usual perch!!
a few sparrow and blacbirds flitting around.
So much warmer here, no need to sort the bird bath out. We have some fat balls up now and put some niger seed down, l think we need and feeder for that, but hubby does'nt, l wonder who'll win!! :o)

take care

jude :o) xx

Caz ,
thank you for that i hadn't even thought of cats lol
or the bacon being salty will do as you do
shame to waste it , dont eat bacon myself ....
Hazelx

I'm not sure Hazel, I think it would attract cats, also if the bacon was salty the birds would get thirsty and if water is frozen.......
Saying that I crisp my bacon fat up and cut it into small pieces for them, they can't manage long peices as they try to swallow it whole.

Caz x

Ann, they thought I was attracting them and then they found a way in. It is blocked now so we no longer have them scampering around! If not for the chance of them eating the wires etc I would have left the poor things alone.

Thanks, Amanda. :-))

I suspected as much, but wanted to check anyway.
"See" you later!
x

Why do your family think the fact that the squirrels nested in your loft is because you feed the birds? I assume you were not feeding them in your loft. So isn't the reason really that they were able to get into your loft and how they did?

ann
Glos

I stopped feeding seed to the birds as my family blamed me forattracting squirrels who nested in our loft. The birds still get all the scraps tho' as I don't like waste. Everything goes. I would love to set up a camera to watch who eats what as I think a cat and a fox tuck in too!

Glenys.........I doubt that the birds would eat beetroot and I wouldn't put it in the compost bin either as cooked food doesn't really compost .

Probably best to bin it .

Hello everyone. I don't know if I'm allowed to put this, but I'll try. I've just found this link, re feeding birds in the garden. It's not commercial advertising, so presume it's OK. Take a look at:-

http://www(.)gardenadvice(.)co(.)uk/howto/wildflowers/wildbirdfood/index(.)html

If it turns out that I'm not allowed to put it on here, I'll delete if I'm told.

Also, I've been offered some unopened "cooked beetroot in vinegar". We don't eat beetroot, but thought that either the birds could have it (though I want to check it's OK for them first) or we could compost it .....?

Any advice on this would be welcome, otherwise it'll be binned!
x

x

Morning:o)

Its so much warmer here this morning and windy!!
Hubby was walking dog yesterday and saw 2 unusual birds, birds of prey he thinks.They were darkish in colour and quite large.Not the buzzard, we see them all the time being harrassed by the crows!! These were larger than that. He thought some kind of eagle. They were'nt there this morning :o((

Blackbirds out in force just now, one found a piece of potato from yesterday and was eating away when another came to investigate, he tried shooing him off and turned away from the potato when another one pinched it....lol

We think we had a visit from a fox the other day, as there are skid marks on the lawn, as if something had been frightened. Spose it could have been a cat!

jude :o) x

Really heavy frost here overnight. Actually my husband thought it was snow.
He called me to the window to show TWO greater spotted woodpeckers running up and down a tree in our garden. Only ever seen one in the garden before and then quite rarely.
Must leave and feed the critters or they might all go eleswhere.

Linda :o)

Wow, I love this thread (I was going to say "Crumbs, I love this thread" but thought better of it, lol). Awww, Jude, thank you! :-))

Seriously, it's so informative, but entertaining at the same time. It's great to know so many members on here are looking after wild birds.

Our shyest birds are the collared doves. We have two couples, but they're very bashful. We also have two wood pigeons, who (contrary to what the bird book says) are not greedy at all; in fact, I've seen them perched on top of our trellis, waiting for the smaller birds to eat, then they've flown over to the feeding station.

I caught one of our cats, Chloe, out in the back garden earlier, looking interested. However, as soon as she moved, the bells on her collar made a sound and luckily the bird flew off. Phew!
x