Hobbies and Crafts

Well, OH and I have just spent ages just watching our little birds! A Great Tit and a Dunnet (sp?) have joined the increasing gang! The Robin (is it him, or a substitute?!!) has been lured by the meal worms and is back in the garden. Yesterday evening we saw the Woodpecker. He/she appeared to be eying up the wooden stem holding up the bird table! but thought better of it!!! Blue tits are still reigning supreme! there's got to be about six of them! parents and young I guess!!

We have had visits from a few bluetits, a great tit and a coaltit. I put fat balls out yesterday and that seems to be luring them.

Jane it was possibly a young sparrow, good that your OH got it out though.

Gill hopefully the birds will find you. We have a feeder that has a cage over it so that squirrels can't get at what is in the feeder, don't know if it works as it is many years since we saw a squirrel here.

Good news, we've had our first bird on the bird table today, a little Robin. Sandra is thrilled, she is so excited and can't wait to see other birds joining in the feast. I bought a fat ball but I'm going to wait until there are more birds before putting it out as I don't want to encourage the squirrel back, if they're anything like pigeons they'll eat everything and the poor little birds won't get a look in. I don't think it'll be long and then when the fat ball goes out it'll encourage even more birds. I was surprised to see the Robin, I thought it would of took a bit longer, but pleased it's happened so early as Sandra has been keeping an eye out for the first bird. I think it might be the little fluffy one we saw earlier in the year when we were doing our front garden, but then again they all look the same, so it might not be lol. Either way Sandra's happy and that's the main thing.

I'm going to try and get Sandra a book on birds so she can identify the ones that come into our garden. Plus I'm not that familiar with all the different birds so I can learn at the same time.

When we had our apple tree there used to be a woodpecker around, but now it's been taken down we don't see him anymore.

I know bluetits and great tits Ann, but have never heard of a coaltit. I'll have to Google it. Just Googled it and we have all three in our garden, so we'll keep an eye out for them on the bird table now.

Nice to see you posting Gill, and I love the new pic!!. I think a bird book for Sandra would be a lovely gift for her. We've got one or two and both OH and I often refer to them when we get different birds.
Beautiful day here, and the birds various are chirping away in the bush behind our bungalow - makes you feel glad to be alive!!

The squirrel came back and ate all the bird seed off the bird table, much to Sandra's disappointment so I've decided to try and find a squirrel proof bird feeder then I can put the nuts on the bird table for the squirrel and Sandra can watch all the wildlife. She didn't mind the squirrel at first but also wants to see the birds. She was pleased to see the little Robin this morning. I'm sure I'll find something so she can see both the squirrel and birds.

I had a look online with Sandra for birds Liz and she loved looking at them all and is hoping to see more in the garden soon.

There will be plenty of Squirrel proof feeders around Gill . They are such crafty creatures though and will do anything to get to the food.A Bird book would be just great for Sandra. I often dig mine out to have a look through and it is so helpful in finding out which birds you have visiting . I still get a bit mixed up with ther Great and Coal Tits. I realised too after looking in my book that we have Dunnocks. I thought they were just Sparrows.
Just lately we have a couple of Magpies hopping and squawking around the lawn.I would rather not have them if I am totally honest.

Our local farmer sets lure traps for Magpies which is very effective! :-( I don't awfully approve of them, but, on the other hand, they do decimate the little birds especially the eggs and young, so sadly needs must!
Been a beautiful day here, OH dug and bagged (four sacks!) our potato crop and low and behold the Robin appeared!! (or his double!) Made our day!

Thats a good crop of potatoes !. We didnt do any this year. I remember some years ago seeing a trap where the chap at the Stables down the lane had put a dead rabbit in this cage and there was a Magpie trapped in there.

Kandj has the funeral for her Sister on Wednesday. It is such a sad time once again for her.As if she hasn't had enough loss in the last year or 2. Life has certainly not been kind for her and her family :-( My thoughts will be with her on Wednesday <3 <3

Sending thoughts to Kandj for Wednesday. Yes a sad year for her. <3

Keeping Kandj in my thoughts and sending her love as she faces another funeral of a loved one <3 <3

Oh dear, not that I have had contact with Kandj, but I do feel sorry for her. I can only imagine how distressed she must be feeling and will be thinking of her.
Yes, those potatoes will see us on for a while, carrots, which were awful in the summer have now perked up, also Leeks!!
This morning we are soaking meal worms for the Robin!! and the blue tits are well in evidence! We have so many Pheasants particularly in the field opposite, and this morning we saw a Fox scurrying along the hedge in the field at the back of us!

Thinking of Kandj, she has had a bad time of it lately. <3

That was a lot of potatoes Liz. Nice to see the little Robin around again.

I don't like seeing the Magpies attacking the nests and tossing the eggs out of the blackbirds nests. The noise is quite disturbing when it happens, the poor blackbirds try their best to shoo the Magpies away but the Magpies always win. So sad to hear and watch, knowing there is nothing you can do to help.

A few blackbirds around this morning but just the usual sparrows and pigeons the rest of the time. The pigeons are stripping our crab apple tree bare. A lot of the time they seem to just pull the crab apples off the tree and drop them on the ground. The annoying thing is they don't go near the one in next door's garden.

I went to set up our ground feeder this morning. I was going to get it out of storage in the garage, make sure it was clean and then put it in the garden with some juicy soaked mealworms. Unfortunately, all I can find is the mesh cage that sits on the base to keep the bigger birds out. I can't find the base where you put the food anywhere. OH swears blind he put it with the cage in the garage but it's not there now. I'll have another hunt for it tomorrow but it wouldn't surprise me at all to find it's not there. I suspect OH put it down in the garage somewhere, got distracted and forgot about it and it has got taken to the tip with a load of rubbish.

I hope you find the ground feeder Vera. It sounds like you have a right to do with your OH sometimes, don't worry I have an OH like that to, but we still love them don't we? Let's hope he didn't take it down the tip and you find it soon.

I find the pigeons are a bit of a nuisance sometimes, if I put food out for the birds they take over and eat the lot, the little ones don't stand a chance. Strange that they haven't taken any fruit from your neighbours gardens though, just yours. Do you make crab apple jelly with your apples, that's something I've never had, but believe it's lovely?

Thinking of Kandj today, my thoughts are with her <3 <3

Kandj <3 <3 <3

It will have been a very sad day again for Kandj and her family. She has been n my thoughts <3 <3

We had 4 Blackbirds all trying to have a bath this morning :-D. It was so funny watching them as they all wanted to be in the middle of the birdbath where the water was deeper.

Think you must have our blackbirds Jane

Ann I have never seen so many Blackbirds all together like that .As usual I was too late to get a pic :-S. There were a few squabbles going on as to who good get the best place :-D
The Magpies are getting to be a bit of a pain :-|
I know you aren't far from Westonburt Aboritum . Have you been lately ?. There was something on TV this morning and it looks so beautiful now with all the Autumn Colours.

Jane I put on the garden thread that we went to Westonburt today. Photos on the photo blog.

I saw the photos on your blog Ann, so pretty and such wonderful colours.

How lovely to see all those blackbirds Jane, I haven't seen as many in our garden this year, having said that one morning in the summer I was up before dawn and was having a cuppa outside as the sun was coming up and I counted 15 blackbirds on our lawn looking for the worms, it was amazing to see and quite funny as one of them was trying to push the others away each time he heard a worm. Shame you were a bit late to get a photo of the blackbirds having a bath it sounds like it was quite a to do with them all trying to get to the middle of the bird bath. :-)