Hobbies and Crafts

Oh crikey KenSe.I don't need one here either.Touch wood I haven't had one of those in the garden for a very long time even though I see the odd one fly over.
We have had carnage in the garden a few years ago which was awful :-S

It came back again today.

magnificent looking birds but by their nature very cruel. :-(

Gives me the creeps just looking at your avatar KenSE.

It is indeed a magnificent looking bird Ann, but close too with it's beady piercing eyes, large sharp hooked beak and long talons I still get the goosebumps!

Collard doves, one starling and sparrows, that is all I have seen here today. :-D

Just a great many Starlings and a Blackbird here last few days...... boring!!!!

Well, I got a bit of help in the garden today, and I don't mean Himself.

The Robin was very much in evidence, I haven't seen him for months.

There were just three Magpies arguing in the trees and about four or five of the Jackdaws on next doors roof.

Hardly any Sparrows at the moment, I don't know if all the regular visits fron the Sparrowhawk took their toll.

There were though, a good few Starlings on the aerial of the house down the road, not sure if they are coming or going at the moment.

Even the Wood Pigeons and Dopey Doves seem to have left home.

I haven't even seen a Blackbird for ages.

Not a lot to report then really !!!!!!!

M. :-)

Apparently blackbirds have increased this year. Maryanna we lost our sparrows after visits from a sparrowhawk 2 years back. They came back after 2 months

OH saw a wren in the garden today. AllI have seen are collard doves, sparrows and starlings.

Apart from a couple of collared doves we've hardly seen a bird around here for days, but before going out yesterday I put out a new home made fat cake. It was quite large but when we returned three hours later it was completely gone - not a crumb to be seen. I suspect starlings.

I've just put another one out so I'll see how long that one lasts.

I am delighted to say that Henry the frog is still around. I haven't seen him but he hopped across the grass in front of OH yesterday??

EDIT. I didn't put 2 question marks at the end of my post. I put an emoticon from my iPad keyboard. Obviously it only likes the Genes emoticons!

Something I haven't really thought about are the ordinary pigeons we get round here. I am so used to seeing them I tend to forget them.

Thirty years ago or more an old chap up the road used to keep a pigeon loft and race them. He must have died at least twenty five years ago, by then he had stopped racing but the pigeons still seemed to stay usually to be seen sitting on his roof or on the roof if the house two doors down to us, no idea why as this was round the corner and across the road and about twenty houses away from his. They must have liked it for some reason or another.

They were always the usual grey blue colour but I have noticed in recent years that more and more were getting more white on them. This year a lot of them are pure white like Doves.

I haven't a clue as to whether White Doves are really pigeons or not but just now when I was out in the garden a big flock of about forty flew over, lots of them were white and they looked absolutely lovely with the sun shining on them.

Having said that the sun has now disappeared and it looks like rain. So much for the weeding. No sign of the Robin either today, just those pesky. Magpies shouting at me from the tree.

M.
:-)

Today I have seen........................................ the grand total of 2 collard doves

I spotted a Sparrow Hawk land in one of the big trees down the garden today :-|

My mind hasn't been on the birds for the last few days as a close friend of my Son took his own life in a horrific way on thursday night. :-(...It has just been a very sad and
upsetting time .

Only a couple of starlings around today but they have finished off a new fat cake.

That's so very sad Jane. May the young person rest in peace now and may your son find the strength to cope with the loss of his friend.

Jane how sad, having had a young family member of my daughters husband commit suicide a couple of years back I know how it is so much more upsetting than a normal (if there is such a thing) death. I am so sorry to hear this and hope your son will be able to come to terms with it eventually. <3

Thanks Vera.

Forgot to say we have spotted a R*T on the patio :-S :-S

Oh Jane, how awful for your son and his friend's family.

M. <3

I hope your r..t doesn't have any cousins round here. They make me squirm. We used to see them where we lived before in the country but they didn't come close to the house, probably because we had two cats. I haven't seen any here. I know they must be around but they're out of sight and that's the way I like it.

Nothing but starlings here today and they are getting through the food as fast as I put it out. At this rate they are going to bankrupt me! :-D

Thinking of your son and the family of the person who died <3

Thank you everyone.It is just so sad and unbelievable that this has happened to such a young person. :-( :-( and in such a dreadful way.It was a train .

I saw something quite amusing this afternoon in town.Someone taking their Ferret for a walk on a lead :-D Although I did think it was a strange place to take a Ferret !!
I haven't looked for Ra**y again,but I expect it is still around :-S

The Robin has helped me all day in the garden today he has also sung to me from the fence.

After I came in, which wasn't until nearly 5 pm., I wondered why it was getting dark, I felt something tickling my leg, when I shook my jeans leg a bee fell out. It was very dopey, luckily, otherwise it might have stung me.

I have also given the conservatory a good dust after I found a Red Admiral caught in a cobweb, the only one I have seen in this garden this year. It sat on the Mahonia for a while so I took lots of photos and then it flew off next door.

Talking of Butterflies, the Nasturtiums are smothered in Cabbage White caterpillars, hopefully they will stay there and keep off my cabbages. I have already lost two lots to them.

M. :-)

I too have seen red admirals in the last couple of days. Also a speckled wood today.

I haven't quite got the hang of the camera on my phone and after trying to get a photo of a red admiral, I found I had in fact taken a dozen of it, all more or less the same.