Hobbies and Crafts

Our garden is surrounded by big hedges and various trees.We also have the fields out the front .Our big Yew hedge Is home i think for many of my little visitors :-I it is a very deep hedge.Going from about 8 feet deep near the house to 20 odd feet at the bottom of the garden.We had the tree surgeons in last year to lower the height and they were shocked at the depth !!!!!.They said it is a very old hedge.

I too see a little Wren .But it never comes right up by the house.They are so tiny aren't they and easy to miss.

The Rat Box bait was all gone again this morning .They are having a right old feast.
I haven't spotted any today so I'm keeping fingers crossed :-D

My sparrows normally are back feeding after and hour or so, they are quite brave.

I don't live in the country, its just that I am in a cul-de sac at the end of a small estate, I have a view of Clwydian hills, NE East Wales from my kitchen window and garden. Lovely in the summer but cold this time of year as it is very open and gets all the wind.

Jane be careful of the r-ts. I had an infestation last year, a family of five by the feeder. I called the council pest control. It took all summer to clear them, turns out they were nesting in nearby drains.

Joan

Ugh Joan glad you got rid of them. Hope yours have gone for good too Jane. Shame that feeding the birds attracts undesirables isn't it?

Joan what a lovely view you have in summer. Maybe winter too if there is snow on the tops. Obviously welsh sparrows are a hardy, brave breed!!! :-D

Joan,we had pest control a few years ago for Ra** but they were down the bottom of the garden.It was when both our neighbours had Chickens and they seemed to have a run between them and us.It did take several weeks .
I think we will give a little longer with baiting .But if that doesn't work we will definitely get the professionals in again.
The lady at the garden centre where I have been buying the bait said she has never sold so much of the stuff .It seems to be a bad season for the little blighters :-S :-S

A lone Duck has just flown over the house Quacking like crazy :-D

What a wonderful view you must have :-D.We too have a nice view over all the fields at the front .BUT it will all disappear with the building of thousands of new houses ,schools etc :-( :-(...I am hoping it will take a very long time before they start opposite us.Although in the top field they are already building a Primary School :-S :-S

If I can work out how to put a photo on my avatar I will later. I took a photo after the last snow we had.
Joan

Oh that is lovely Joan :-D

Sorry Jane I didn't see your post before. Hope your baiting clears the problem.

I think they are building where ever they can. We had the same scenario as you 8-10ysr ago. We formed a committee to fight them and went to public enquiry, but lost :-( At the moment there is no sign of any movement, I am hoping it stays that way for many years. My front door and kitchen is only about 10ft from the hedge!

My avatar doesn't do the view justice.

Joan

What a beautiful view Joan.

I didn't bother with the bird watch as hardly had any birds at all over the weekend.

Hello Joan, you are welcome here.

Hope your cough has cleared now Ann and that your daughter is feeling stronger too.

I have made some of the fat birdcake and will put this in the window feeder tomorrow and wait and see who turns up for the treat.

Well..... looked out and there were 2 goldfinches on the feeder.

Thanks Kandj, yes cough is better now thanks, still feel a bit 'weak' but getting on with things. Daughter seems to be coping. she has now got 2 rescue cats 2 years old Luna a tabby female and Lucas, they thing is Luna's brother, a black 'moggie'.

Ann that is good to hear your Daughter seems to be coping ,and that she has her 2 new additions to the family :-DI love cats(well any animals really).The last pets we had have been 2 dogs .Before them I had a cat called Solo.She was the most un cuddly (that sounds wrong) cat ,but I think you will know what I mean.She seemed to prefer her own company rather than sitting on a lap or having a fuss .

There were just a few bits of bait left this morning so it is topped up again once more.
OH did spot a ra* making it's way across our drive by the garage door,but it was going through into next door.So maybe that is where they are coming from.They have a couple of Chickens and may keep the food in the outhouse behind their garage.
They are a very odd couple so I am reluctant to mention rats.They might think I am accusing them .So when we get back from Suffolk on Friday if we still have signs I will let them know.

We are hoping too Joan that it will be some time before building starts across from us.The view is so lovely now.That was one of the reasons we moved to this house in 1991.
I will say bye bye now for a few days.Suffolk here we come :-D

Have a good break Jane hope the westher is ok

Well I have not seen that before. We had three blackbirds in the garden (no I have seen that.) One of them was eating the fat balls, not seen that here before.

Also had a large wood pigeon hoovering up some bread I threw on the lawn. A female black cap and Great Tits , the former eating from a coconut and the fat balls, the latter eating seeds. OH said when he was out there clearing up a bit he had a robin following him around and he also saw a wren.

Interesting day for you then Ann. It has been snowing hard here in Yorkshire and no birds around today, so I think they are hibernating. More snow forecast for tomorrow.
I think I will join them!!

Hope Jane and her OH are having better weather and enjoying their break away.

Makes a change for us Kandj to have any birds at all. Quite exciting. Yes hope it isn't snowing where Jane is. :-)

And I bet you feel all virtuous now Maryanna. As our children have necer lived in this house I can't claim any of the junk hoarded is theirs. It is all ours!! :-D

Back from Suffolk now.We had a lovely little break ,even though it was bitterly cold.Some great sunshine yesterday so we went to the coast ,but by the afternoon just as we were planning to go to Minsmere it all changed and the snow came down.So we had to give it a miss.There is always next year :-D

Maryanna.I had a load of stuff in my parents loft.It was there for years .But one day not long after I was married and we had bought our first house they came to visit with all my things lolThey said I could fill my own loft now :-D

I got home to an empty window feeder.My son has filled it in the mornings but not been here to refill in the afternoons.I expect the birds have been a bit miffed :-)

Ooh Kandj I hope you don't get too much snow.I was quite surprised to see our garden with quite a covering when we got back this afternoon.It must be frozen now as it doesn't seem to be melting at all .

Pleased you have had some more birds Ann. I have had the usual ones, but they choose their times when to feed. They hibernate when the snow showers come.

We haven't got any snow today hope it isn't too bad for you Kandi. It is bitterly cold though.

Spring is on the way, I have lots of snowdrops showing white buds but not in bloom yet.

Joan

I bought some new feeders yesterday, needless to say no tree to hang them from so I put them high up in the Forsythia, or what is left if it after the efforts of Himself last year.

By mid day there were about six Sparrows hanging from the fat balls one, they don't seem so keen on the others, I have mixed seed, peanuts and sun flower seeds as well.

We had a sudden hail storm yesterday around 4pm followed by a quick and heavy snow fall, it then got very cold and froze overnight, it has just about all gone now.

I haven't really been looking much, himself decided "we" needed to sort out the big double built in wardrobe in the smallest spare room, pretty much untouched since youngest child moved out of that room and into his eldest brother's when he was about eleven.

I can't believe how much stuff you can get in one cupboard !!!!

Toys, books, some of my " best " clothes, unworn since the turn of the century. ( that makes them sound really old !!!!). Holiday stuff, long replaced, catalogues and brochures from air shows and Navy days, Mostly gone to the tip or charity shop.

Now, how long have I got to fill it up again ?????

Might get a chance to do some bird watching tomorrow.

M. :-)

Are the posts all muddled up for anyone else ?

Mine go from Ann on the 29th around 10.30pm, then Ann on the 30th just after 5pm, then Jane at 5.38, then Joan at 21.32 then me and I am sure I didn't post at 1.31 this morning, especially as Ann replied to me ay 5ish last night !!!

M . :-0