Hobbies and Crafts

My BIL and SIL have just bought a me new bird bath.

How lucky am I.

:-D :-D :-D

Saw my first swifts of the year today. The weather must be a bit disappointing for them.

Morning everyone from a very soggy Berkshire
Still filling sunflower seeds daily. They have finally decided to peck at the fat balls and they are disappearing too. The poor things must think winter has returned.
The garden is taking a hammering and I can't really get out there to sort things out either. The tomatoes are soon going to be too big for my dinning room, but it's too cold at night to put them out even in the unheated greenhouse.
Have we had summer already?

Linda xxx <3 <3 <3

Morning:))

Well this weather is horrendous, l'm really fed up with it....grrrr
Same as you Linda, not beenout for ages, although saying that Vic mowed back lawn yesterday....very quick he was too...lol

Vic saw swifts on the 9th April and l saw them yesterday flying over the Monnow Bridge on the A40, loads of them....lovely sight is'nt it:)

We've had a pr of longtailed tits most days for about 2 weeks now, a a pr of greenfinches for simular time, neither have been regular for a couple of years so thats brilliant.
My Crow visits most days, he fascinating to watch drinking from the bath.

Lesley....you is a lucky girl:) l made one some years ago, with mosaics, but it died a death last yr:(

Starlings are more regular but only a few, definate decline and also the House Sparrows...probably about 6 instead a couple of dz:((

Atleast one pr of Dunnocks and a Wren flits about.
Black birds in abundance....3 - 4 prs and all the other usual tits.

Fat balls are atlast going and they have started using the coconut feeder too....mostly the longtailed tits.

PICTURES ON MY BIRD BLOG NOW:)

Jane ....hows the Squirrel??

Take care
jude x

Well I was pretty ruthless when those pigeons built their nest in my lovely jasmine...am afraid I hacked the jasmine back and got rid of the twiggy nest. Since then the pigeon and her hundred relatives have flown elsewhere. BUT now I see that a blackbird has started building her nest in said jasmine and I hope she will be safe from a passing moggy!

I had to stop feeding the birds as got a mice infestation so am not quite sure why birds are visiting my little patio this year! Yesterday a yellow bird (think it was a yellow wagtail) was on my back wall puffing and wagging and generally making an eejit of himself while he bored looking female friend looked the other way!

Endlessly fascinating :-D

Jude the Squirrel is still here :-D.Everyone thinks it was born with no Ears.Remember that awful fire we had burning for a couple of months giving off the most noxious stink.It makes me wonder if that has caused deformities in new born wildlife,

BC ,you wicked woman you ,turfing out those poor pigeons ;-).I'm sure they set up home somewhere far away lol.

I just hope all this dreadful wind and rain doesn't wash out little nests.I don't want to find poor little drownded babies on my lawn :-( :-(.I know there are a lot of nests in my Yew hedge.The wind had blown the fat filled coconut off the branch and it is rolling around at the edge of the patio.I am afraid there is no way I'm going out in this to put it back up.

Today I can hear the swifts moving about in the eaves, so hopefully there will be some youngsters around in a few weeks.

I've just been watching a family of thrushes 'learning the ropes' from mum as to what to eat in my garden :-D then she flew off and left them to it for a while, lovely to watch them discover the water ( in a large flower pot saucer) and try it out :-D

Rose you are lucky to see thrushes as we don't get them in our garden, bet they are entertaining to watch too.

BC Just going back a few posts, I think the wagtail that has yellow on it is actually a grey wagtail. (I know, it doesn't make sense.).

Saw a couple of Bluejays this morning eating and drinking in the garden,then they had a bath and flew off,thrushes are coming in now but as of yet the Swallows and Swifts have not arrived.

The sunflower seeds still disappear as fast as we can fill the feeders.

Today we have had baby greenfinch being fed by the adults. The blackbirds are very active too. Robins too

In Devon we saw martins nesting over the last weekend

Linda xxx <3 <3 <3

Hello Everybody.
The Cuckoo as arrived, I bet he's had a shock to, going on the weather we are having.
Also there's been a lot of activity in my front porch, the Swallows got here to discover that the nest they have been using for several years as been taken over by a Wren. They have done nothing but fight, the racket they make you would not be-leave. I was quite shocked to see such a little bird like a Wren to be so aggressive anyway I think he's won the battle because the Swallows are starting to build the other side of the house. I have sent Jude a photo for her blogg of the Wrens nest which was built on top of the Swallows nest.
Hope you are all okay.
Shaun

Shaun...the photo's are on the blog now HONEST:))

Jane...is the Squirrel still with you. You have a good point there re the fire, could well be. l must send the photo to the animal/bird recording thingie l use.

We've had Green finches and 2 young being fed on the lawn, so pleased to see them as they have'nt been around for a yr or 2.
A Thrush does call in sometimes, but we do hear one singing on top of the telephone poles!!
Bullfinch visited twice last week.
Long tailed tits a few weeks ago, 4 of them.
Black birds...loads of em. One female visits the patio every evening now, so we must add treats there for her:)
A couple of Starlings...how sad cause we used to have about 10 or more.
Sparrows (House)...about 6...where as we used to get 20 plus:((
2 Reed Buntings still pop in and out.
Blue tits, Coal and Great tits most days feeding on the cocoanut fat feeder.
Couple of Dunnocks and a Wren sometimes.
2 - 3 Squirrels do their daily aerobatics hanging on the nut feeder:))

Off now.
Take care:)

jude xx

Hi Jude .Yes the Earless Wonder is still here ,and has a mate (with ears) lol.Between the two of them they are scoffing all the fat from the coconut.They come in the early morning and then around 4/5 o'clock.Poor little birdies have to wait their turn.Loads of different little birds feeding .It seems a very busy time :-D :-D.
I had my Sister staying with me for a few days and she was so amazed to see the Earless one.I had sent her a piccie but she was really pleased to see it (in real life) lol

Aww bless it:))
l want one...:)

jude x

Just watched a huge butterfly out on the patio, it didn't settle so no photo but it was lovely.and ate my breakfast out there while being serenaded non stop by the resident blackbird.

Ann I haven't seen a Butterfly yet.Plenty of Bees though.That must have been lovely.No eating breakfast outside here today .It's been blooming chilly and we have had to put the heating back on.!!.....Now I'm too warm so have turned it right down again lol.
This weather we are all having is just not good enough....it's nearly June for heavens sake!!!!

Ann,
I have sent you a couple of photos for your blogg.
Could you send a little sunshine over here please.
Shaun

Shaun...:)

The photo is on the blog now of Young Tree Creepers:))
Beautiful photo,thank you:)

We've had a few White butterflies, nothing else.l keep watering my butterfly station with sugared water. Its placed on the fence near the Budlea tree...fingers crossed something nice feeds:)

Jane...your comment about the weather did sound funny...its as if you were blaming the government...lol...its not good enough though, l quite agree!

jude x

Shaun thanks for photos, I will try and add them tomorrow when I am more likely to be able to upload them. No good now as it is raining here at the moment so the signal is rubbish.