Hobbies and Crafts

Jude I wish the Squirrel was a Red ,but no it is just a Grey.I think the sun made it look slightly reddish in the pic.

I love Jeans Deer.

I feel guilty !!!! I have run out of fatcakes and coconuts.I will have to stock up tomorrow.But the birds just seem so greedy at the moment .One fatcake will last just less than 2 days!!!!.Maybe they need to forage for themselves a bit now.

Our pigeons and doves have worked out how to access the sunflower seed and theya re so big and greedy (well hungry probably) that the poor greenfinches are losing out. We hae to do something about that tomorrow. Actually I noticed today that the chaffinches have moved in on the Goldfinch food.

Hi Everyone
I had an interesting scenario in the garden after throwing out some bread today.
First came the magpies,took a piece of bread each and returned to the fence to eat it.
Then down came the pidgeons as predicted but closely followed by about eight jackdaws and several black headed gulls.
The gulls didn't land but circled around for several minutes.
The garden was full of large birds.
I was so pleased that I was safe and sound in the house!!!
Take care
Von

Von,funny you should mention Jackdaws and Black Headed Gulls.I saw 4 big Jackdaws in a tree down the garden and lots of Black Headed Gulls in the field opposite us.This is the first time I have seen either of those birds in a long while.
The small birds have not been on the feeders today.Maybe the good weather has something to do with it.The only visitor I saw was the Squirrel.

Jane
We haven't seen any small birds today either despite the beautiful weather.
They usually come out and feed when it's sunny.
Maybe they're all busy nestbuilding
Certainly the Magpies have almost finished building theirs.
Take care
Von

It was a beautiful day again yesterday. Out walking with the dog in the afternoon I saw a yellowhammer in the farmland between Yatesbury and Avebury. I only saw the one though I did look out for more. Other than that there were a lot of rooks on the fields.

I had to laugh today.I saw a Rook or Crow(not sure which) on the grass verge picking up lots of leaf .It's beak was so full it could hardly see where it was going lol.
Still very few small birds in the garden on the feeders.A couple of Long T Ts and a little bird like a blue tit but it was nearly all yellow.I haven't noticed one here before.Also 1 lonely looking Moorhen,that be from next door.

Yesterday I was down the lane and right in the middle of the field just standing there was a Red Kite.It was so close to me .Camera? No lol.It was there for quite a while too.

Morning everyone .What a lovely day even if it is still a little fresh.I was just hanging out the washing when I heard the cry of a Buzzard.I looked up and there were 3 just above the garden.It is normally the Kites so it made a nice change to see the Buzzards.I love the sound of their call.

Morning all
Just back from ten days away in Antigua
What different birds they have out there
The breakfast table was fun. They fly in and out to get crumbs and especially water or juice, like nectar to them I guess.

We saw Yellow finches, doves, pelicans, petrels(need to check these out) and frigate birds, oh and a type of sea eagle, we think.

The pelicans were in our cove and fished all day, really lovely to see.

Need to check our own birds out now we are back and see who hung around whilst we weren't feeding daily

Linda :o) XxX

What a lovely day here too,almost clear blue sky and washing on the line:o)

Jane...we love their call too, would love to see a Red Kite to, from here that is, seen hundreds at Gigrins Farm:o)

Linda....did you take any photo's?? you lucky lady, bet that was a well deserved rest and how exciting:o)

jude

Hi Jude
I only just caught a pelican on the edge of one photo but I will try to crop it and send it to you for the blog
Might be later this week when I download them and OH is at work in the evenings.

Linda :o) XxX

Jude
I've sent you a couple of photos for the blog.
They are of our trip to Welford Park to see the snowdrops.
Von

Thanks Von....just going to look:o)

Nothing much happening here, although l do hear a bird singing, but don't know what it is!!

jude

Ps...thanks Linda that would be great:o) x

Hello Von

Sorry l forgot to look at the photo's. l have now and they are on the bird blog:o)
l can see what you mean, it was a carpet of snowdrops:o)

Thank you

jude

A week or so ago I glimpsed what I at first thought was another greenfinch at the feeders and then noticed it had different markings. It took me a bit to identify it because as soon as it saw me take a second look it disappeared and I couldn't remember the markings accurately. I reckoned it might be a siskin and I was right as we are now getting more of them and more regularly now. Shame they weren't here at Garden Birdwatch time. From my book it says they are usually a winter visitor in Feb and March, so as soon as we've noticed them it seems they may go again. It also specifically mentions alder cones as one of their likes. Since we have an alder tree maybe we'll see them again in future years. It also says they like to go for peanuts in red coloured feeders but we don't have any that colour and we see them on the seed feeder rather than the peanuts.

Hello DizzieLizzie.....its funny you should be telling us this, we often get a bird rather like the female chaffinch, but l've often thought it a greenfinch, still not sure though. Siskins are rarer though!
This morning Vic walked the dog as usual along the banks of the Wye and spotted 4 ducks with dark brown heads, l tink they are Goosanders but not sure. Have sent a report to the SEWBReC for recording:o) Hopefully get a reply tomorrow.
Exciting is'nt it:o))
jude

Very interested to read DizzieLizzie's post as I have just been watching what I thought might be a greenfinch but which I now believe might be a siskin. Although fleetingly visiting the seed feeder it was much more interested in the red peanut feeder. I have three peanut feeders and this is the first time I have seen any bird feeding from this red one. We do not have an Alder tree but there are two nearby in neighbours gardens.

I will make sure I have my camera or phone with me next time I go out so that I might get a photo should this bird visit again (though I think there might have been two) .

Kathleen F

Jude, Mrs Siskin looks quite like a Mrs Chaffinch - the markings are quite similar in the more subdued colours of the females. But it was when I saw the male siskin that I knew we had another variety to tick orff. Their colours are really bright. His green is bright limey/yellowy and he has a black cap. I had to look it up in the birdy booook to be sure, but I had seen a picture of a lot of them on someone else's bird table on another website (a gardening one) so now you two are also thinking you've seen them too perhaps their population is on an upturn for some reason.

I read about the red feeder thing in a Chris Packham book encouraging back garden nature preserves.

I wonder if your duck will turn out to be goosander Jude.

I had a couple of siskins on my peanuts yesterday here in NorthHampshire. Normally they appear during the week just after the RSPB Birdwatch at the end of February but this year they seem to have come later.

The tits, nuthatches and woodpeckers have all been busy today - normally a foreboding of cold weather on its way. Perhaps they were peeking through the curtains last night while I was watching the weather forecast on the telly?

I've also got a dunnock that has fallen in love with my car! It spends all day admiring itself in the door mirrors. I tried putting carrier bags over them but then it just stood on the windscreen wipers and pecked at the windscreen. Poor misguided thing.

Sounds like a goosander jude. Did it have a long(ish) red hooked bill?