Hobbies and Crafts

Patience Kandj. I don't think the lights will put them off. We have lights in our apple tree where the feeders are and the doves and blue tits still feed.

Kandj if you were nearer I would tell some of our Robins to come and visit you :-D
I m wondering how safe all the little birds will be right now.This weather is dreadful.
The wind was blowing so hard some of the birds didn't quite make it to the feeder .They just got whipped away :-S.Hopefully they will be safe now sheltering in the thick hedges.
I think after hearing of thousands without power now we will make sure we have all the lamps and candles close at hand tonight.
I hope everyone stays safe tonight and suffers no damage.

I wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and hope you all have a lovely Xmas Day.I'm just about done now for tonight .Table set ,pressents under the tree .OH has just had a whole bottle of Mulled Wine that he made thinking I would like it and also our 2 .But we all hate it so he has finished the lot !!!!!.I'm sticking to my white wine :-D
I haven't seen too many birds on the feeder today.They are probably recovering from last nights storm !!!
Night Night x

Merry Christmas to you all.

Sorry I've not been on here for a few days but we had a VERY unexpected birth in the family :-0 :-0 :-0

kandj I hope you have birds using your new window feeder.

Ann what are you supposed to put in those feeders with the tiny tiny holes? I've never been sure.

Yuck mulled wine........stick to what you know Jane and enjoy ;-)

Lesley x

Jane, I can't share the mulled wine with your hubby but have had a couple of large glasses of Brut Cava (a present from next door), which would be rude to refuse!!!!!

Still no takers for our offerings of the berry pellets, we will live in hope!!

We have had a few visitors today who have marveled at our bird window feeder.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas, peace, joy and very many blessings.

Kandj ….I'm still up LOL…goodness knows how :-D
Just had a thought .Now I know you are worried about mice ,but what if you put a little trail of those pellets towards the feeder.It might encourage the birds .

Lesley I'm not sure how to respond the the unexpected Birth .I don't want to say anything wrong !! ( if you know what I mean ) .

I think Father Christmas must be on his way now so I must get to bed :-D

Jane, the only Robin we can see is on the traditional Christmas cards. We are going away until the weekend and so perhaps the birds will come to visit while our backs are turned. Not happy about leaving a trail on the ground, I would hate mice to come!!

Lesley, I hope all is well with your new addition. Hoping that everyone has enjoyed today and I send good wishes for the rest of the holiday to you all..including our feathered friends.

Kandj.Have a lovely weekend away.Hopefully you might see some little birds visiting the feeder when you get back.I think we get so many as ours is right next to the trees where they all seem to spend a lot of time.
The big Male Pheasant was pottering around here yesterday ,so at least I know he didn't get shot :-D.I haven't seen the Female one though for a few days now :-(
Just clearing up all the mess in the house from Christmas now.Got my Sister and her Hubby coming up from Tewkesbury tomorrow for the day so I'd like it looking a bit cleaner than it does at the moment lol

Kandj in answer to your question. In the feeders with the small holes you put either nyger seed or thistle seed for the goldfinches.

One huge (I think a female Blackbird) has found the window feeder.It can barely fit on lol.My daughter said she had seen it several times today before I spotted it.It ate so many pellets in the couple of minutes it was there.I can see if it keeps visiting I will be topping the feeder up even more :-S

Hello All

kandj I hope you had a good weekend away and you return home to an empty window feeder. :-D

Have your birds returned to normal feeding yet Ann?

Jane our unexpected birth was just that, we have another beautiful granddaughter and thankfully mum and babe are both well, what happened to us on Dec 23rd was like reading a story in the tabloids the sort you aren't sure whether to believe or not.
:-0 :-S :-| :-( :-D

Lesley x

Back home safe and sound from a wonderful family Christmas where hubby and I were treated like VIP's and spoiled rotten (as usual).

Very disappointed that the window feeder has been totally ignored, no idea why??
We have lots of blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, pigeons, magpie, collard doves and gulls who all are happy to be fed and watered in the front and back garden but the tiny sparrow, siskins, robin have disappeared and the window feeder not attracting them at all. It has been in place since 19th December so we are quite disappointed now, but remaining optimistic and patient too.

Jane, your blackbird trying to feed from your window feeder sounds funny!

Lovely news about your new baby granddaughter Lesley, many Congratulations.

Ann, I hope that your birds are continuing to come back to your garden slowly now

We watched the Countryfile programme on BBC TV last night and found the breeding of Red Kite really interesting. They look beautiful birds but I'm not sure I would want them to come and visit our garden and eat our birds!

Kandj, it could take weeks rather than days for the birds to find it, probably during a really cold spell. We are getting starlings now and the blue and great tits but the sparrows, although roosting in the pyracantha near the house, are not feeding when we are watching. We do get up fairly late though so maybe they have breakfast while we are still in bed!!!! The collard doves are eating us out of house and home and a very large woodie patrols the lawn for seeds dropped.

Lesley, Wow!! What a Christmas present. do you really mean you didn't know babe was expected? Bless her, congratualtions and welcome little one, a Christmas blessing. :-)

Jane, Rarely do blackbirds seem to go on feeders so that is a bonus, can you take a photo through the glass (without a flash).

Oh my Leslie :-0 :-0….Wow that was some Christmas present .Thank goodness Mum and Baby are all fine.Yes you do hear about this kind of thing happening sometimes.
Is this your Daughter or D I L ?.I bet there was some panic buying going on lol Nappies,baby gro etc etc .

My big female blackbird is feeding like mad.I did notice a Male hanging around close by too but haven't seen him on the feeder.I will try and get a photo .She might just look like a big brown blob though as she fills the whole thing :-D

Ann have you still got your blog thing for photos? I don't seem to have the address any more :-S.

Kandj you must be so disappointed the birds haven't visited your new feeder yet, try sharing your prawn crackers to entice them :-D

It was our youngest size 10/12 daughter that had the baby and the only weight she gained was on her hips making her a size 12/14, when she was taken into delivery I feared for the babe as at most I thought she could only be 4/5 months pregnant, but no she was 37 weeks:-0

Lesley x

Just posting this as a reminder.

Cooked turkey fat is completely unsuitable for birds for several reasons.

It remains soft even when cooled, meaning it could smear onto birds' feathers and ruin their water-proofing and insulating qualities.
Birds need clean, dry feathers to survive the cold and a layer of grease would make this virtually impossible.
The softness of turkey fat once cooked also means it is impractical to make popular ‘bird cake' where you mix fat with bird seeds, as it will not harden enough to hold its shape.
The fat in roasting tins cannot be separated from other leftover elements such as meat juices. This concoction can go rancid very quickly, especially if left in a warm kitchen for a while before being put outside, and form an ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria.
Birds are prone to bacterial infections at this time of year as their defences are low and their energy levels depleted with the cold.
Also, many people add other ingredients to a joint of meat before roasting including rubbing it liberally with salt in order to crisp the skin. High levels of salt are toxic to garden birds.

Kirsi Peck, RSPB Wildlife Adviser, says: "Using fat from roasting tins to feed to garden birds is one big no-no.

"Roasting tin fat will probably be mixed with lots of other juices which will go off very quickly and cause disease on bird tables. It could also damage birds' feathers which are so important for keeping them healthy and warm. And any salt added to meat can have a devastating effect of its own. Christmas time always brings out the suggestion that it's a good idea and people want to do all they can to help wildlife, but in reality, they could be killing them with kindness."

Good leftovers - Cake crumbs, Cheese, rice, spuds
But the RSPB suggests many other leftover Christmas scraps which would be beneficial to garden birds including Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pastry crumbs and biscuit crumbs. Other suitable leftovers include mild grated cheese, cooked or uncooked rice, breakfast cereals, cooked potatoes and fruit.

The charity says that additional feeding at this time of year can be the difference between life and death, particularly for some of the smaller garden birds.

Natural food will be in short supply as trees and bushes are covered in snow and frost and the ground is hard.

All meats fats are bad
The cooking juices from all other meats as well as turkey are equally as unsuitable for feeding to garden birds.

Thanks for that info Ann.I am never actually sure what I can or can't feed the birds.
I don't think I will put any of our Xmas Cake crumbs out for them as there is so much Brandy in it the little birds will be toppling off their branches LOL

I would like to wish everyone now a HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2014 as I am off out to neighbours for a few hours.

Wishing you all a Happy and Peaceful New Year.

Lesley x

Happy new year to all of you

Thanks to Ann for that write up, like Jane. I am also unsure what to feed the birds that will treat them and not harm them at all.
No Chinese food at Christmas or New Year Lesley so can't share the crackers with my feathered friends. I will refresh the berry pellets this morning, see what happens then?

Hope all is well with your daughter and granddaughter Lesley and you all have got over the surprise delivery...... one special Christmas you will all remember I'm sure.

Wishing everyone Good Health and much Happiness in 2014. xx