Hobbies and Crafts

Today I saw 3 tiny little moorhen chicks on the river with their Mum and Dad. They're the first ones I've seen this year. They didn't half have to paddle hard to keep up with their parents going upstream. They are tinier than day old ducklings, but they already have their little red patch on their beaks.

Buster was funny today. While I was down the garden I saw the ducks coming along so Buster being an old soppy I said to him you go down there and tell them to wait for me. I went into the shed to get the duck food out and when I came back Buster was sat with a neat row of half a dozen ducks on the bank. I didn't want to push my luck and try for the camera in case one or other party decided this wasn't fun any more and when you've seen one picture of Buster with the ducks you've pretty much seen 'em all really.

l now have a new mouse.....heaven:o))

l would be in 7th heaven with a garden like that and to have the animals feeling safe enough to venture in would be a treble bonus:o))

We visited Sandwell Farm yesterday with grandson, it was the best session we have had there in a while. G son thoroughly enjoyed it and the park up the road:o)
We even saw a House Martins nest tucked in a corner by some beams with all the youngsters heads peeking over the edge waiting for mum. With all the noise and movement l was really surprised to see it.
This time grandson atlast managed to stroke the farm cat:o))
The calves still had their umbilical cords showing too, so very young indeed. Sadly the old Shire horse had gone, he had cancer and various other problems, thought he did'nt look good last time:o((((

jude

I like my separate mouse too, though I have started to get used to the mousepad a bit more. Can't play bejewelled on facebook with the mousepad though.

For the last hour or so we've been quietly watching a roe deer hind in our garden. Was irritated to have been woken up in need of a stroll along the corridor, but that made it worthwhile and even OH wasn't annoyed by me waking him up so early when he's got a week off. We've got immature windfall apples on the ground and apparently they like those and she finds the willow tree tasty too, though of course she didn't munch the stems that have started to brush the ground so she hasn't saved me the task of giving it the occasional haircut.

That's the first time we've seen one in our garden though neighbours either side have said they've had them. But either side have a gentle slope up onto the grass from the river whereas we have a built up bank which we think has stopped them in the past, but now both sides have a small fence at the end, one side to stop their young dog going in and walking along the river and getting lost. The other side has put a couple of metal pegs in the ground and two lengths of rope between to stop the swans coming onto the garden - he's not keen on nature generally, he says it makes a mess of his grass, but can't say we've noticed and as you know we regularly have a number of ducks coming up. The only thing that's affected our grass is the voles and they stay under the spread of the trees so it doesn't notice too much so we don't mind sharing. After all the wildlife was here first and that's what makes it attractive for us to live here.

Thanks Ann, will be looking at these asap:o))

jude (can't sleep...grrr)

Jude, buy a separate mouse. You can get a wireless mouse that has a separate 'bit' that plugs into the usb. I can't get on with using the mouse pad.

Yes you could say that, l don't like not having a seperate mouse, my old ones does'nt fit, l need a usb fingy. Everything is so sensative, things happen without me doing anything....grrr...lol

More photo's on blog.....l actually knew where these were cause l had only taken them on Sunday...

Amazing (to us), we watched 3 lorries release nearly 9,000 racing pigeons.

Jane l will put 2 of yours on tomorrow, l think one is of a cat??

You having fun getting to grips with your new laptop Jude?

My this year's duckies have already sussed that Buster is OK. He started coming down the garden steps towards them so there was a sudden bustle of waddling btms, then they realised he'd sat down so they turned round and came towards me again in the hope of a treat. And the new mummy duck still has all 9 of her babies. It was a nice day today too. All's right with the world.

Jane..what were the last photo's you sent me??

jude

Oh no l have just sussed it out:o))))))) lol

jude

Jane.....what you mean...lol.....what you like...lol :o)

l have put Dizzies photo's on blog, but it won't let me add any more (honest), l have closed the blog and signed in again, left it and tried again, alsorts. SO WILL try again later or tomorrow:o(((
SORRY:o(

jude

Have just been sat in the garden and there was lots of birds singing and screeching .Then I spotted 2 sparrow hawks circling above.I saw them dive down into neighbours garden 2 doors down.But suddenly all the birds went quiet .It was a deathly silence lol

Saw one of our woodies on the peanuts again yesterday, so good to know they're still about.

A number of the adolescent ducklings seem to have decided we're a good bet and were on the garden again this morning checking if we'd come to them. They like the immature windfall apples too, so there's always something down there at the moment if we don't respond as required.

And we have a skein of geese started on their daily morning and evening flights from the sand pits to Bowood Lake and back (at least I think that's their plan from the direction they fly each time). Anyone know why they do that at this time of year? Is it practice flights do you reckon before they head off somewhere else for the winter?

I've just been down the garden because there were four young ducks down there just getting brave enough to come out of the river onto the garden and request their supper. OH had just got home so we fed them and he saw another 5 on the river who I think are the 5 ducklings who came by regularly when they were small. As that lot were deciding they'd had enough a Mummy came round the bend with 9 new ducklings - one of them looked black all over and another looked quite dark too, the others had the more usual colouring for their age with a bit of yellow still in them. Hope she manages to keep those and get them mature enough before the cold weather starts. What a little flotilla.

We're learning to live with the voles and one of the cats goes on vole patrol regularly. She doesn't seem to have caught anything that we know of but hopefully she's deterring too many from moving in. They do seem to be keeping to the area under the willow tree and not moving to the open area of the lawn so it's acceptable so far.

You are lucky, and lbet you see them again:o)


MY LAPTOP IS INSTALLED......yeh,its taking me a while to get to grips with it though....grrr

During the last week we have had:.. Lesser spotted woodie:o) the Nuthatch, and a dear baby Blackcap female, it must have flown into the greenhouse, lfound it nearby and picked it up.Left it to rest in a box garage for couple of hrs, lifted it onto my hand and it flew off, it stayed in the garden calling its parents for a while and has now gone, l hope. Could'nt believe it when l realised what it was and the Woodpecker, brilliant:o)


jude

We saw 1 a week or so ago Ann on the same tree.I didn't know you could see 2 together like this.

How lucky to see barn owls Jane, they are lovely aren't they?

Oh My Word!!!!!!! I have seen 2 Barn Owls sat on the top of the dead tree.The light was just going and I just happened to look up from the laptop out the window and there they were.They have just flown off.I doubt I will see that again.

Jude I haven't seen these Ducks since .I wonder if they were just passing through and needed somewhere to rest.
The little birds are not Long Tailed Tits .They look like blue tits,(that size anyway) but don't stay still ling enough for me to get a good look lol.

This morning I went with my daughter to Corby and in the town they had lots of pens with allsorts of little animals.Shetland pony ,a little donkey,some goats and a couple of beautiful little piggies.They were called Kune Kune Pigs.They were a ginger colour with black spots!!.Absolutely gorgeous.

Jane....could be Long Tailed tits, they appear sometimes in groups.

The white ducks l was thinking of before are too big l would think, but they were Shellduck, Eider and Muscovey, or the good old plain white farm duck!!

l wrote loads of info down re the laptop whilst at PC world, guess what???? l lost it.....grrr

jude

It's so frustrating isn't it when you can't get things to happen. I hope you get a nice new pooter - I know I'm happy with mine since I got it.

Having been here nearly 2 years now we have had visits from egrets for a few days very early in the year so presumably on their way to or from somewhere. I think we saw them for about 3 days each time in about Jan/Feb. It was quite a surprise the first time - I'd never seen one before, but it was good to see it again at about the same time this year. I hope they come every year.

We haven't had as much woodpecker activity this year as last although we do see the greater spotted from time to time on the feeder and we've had the green one to our knowledge in the garden twice - we've seen it once each so that's fair...

And the swans having come for a couple of weeks regularly are avoiding us again.