Hobbies and Crafts

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

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.

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.

Have a good break Jane hope the westher is ok

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

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'.

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.

What a beautiful view Joan.

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

Oh that is lovely Joan :-D

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

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

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

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

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

Every time we have a sparrowhawk visit we don't see sparrows for about a month, they just disappear. We do have one in the neighbourhood which may explain our lack of birds. Joan you are lucky being in a country location then.

I think that the reason I have a lot of birds is that my garden is separated from fields by a hawthorn hedge that runs the length of the garden. They dart from the hedge to the feeder, up to the apple tree and back again. They are so quick!

We have a sparrow hawk that visits. I often go to fill the feeder in the morning and he has obviously had his breakfast by the amount of feathers.

Joan

I do love the little wren Maryanna. On one of the quiz shows (may have been pointless) there was a question about which bird featured on the old farthing. It was, of course, the wren. They said either it was then or is now the most common garden bird. OH coughed at the time and drowned it out. We often see a wren in our garden.

This morning all I saw before I went out were tqo squabbling male blackbirds - must be asserting their territory - and a dunnock plus a couple of sparrows.

Fingers crossed Vera, we do get just the one goldfinch on our feeders while the flock goes over the bottom fence to the garden there. I guess we get billy no mates!

Didn't do the bird watch this year but I did keep an eye on the garden yesterday. All we got were a few starlings, two collared doves and one lonely sparrow.

Our old garden used to be full of chaffinches but even OH remarked on the fact that we haven't seen one since we moved here 16 months ago. BUT this morning I am breaking open the champagne! A goldfinch has at last found its way to the niger seeds and was on the feeder for a good ten minutes while I watched. :-D I hope he is going to be back and bring all his friends.

The Wren is very much in evidence again this morning.

I know we have always had them in the garden, not seen them much, except for something very small darting about in the Ivy or undergrowth, hear them a lot though, noisy little things considering their size.

Yesterday and today, there has been at least one, sitting on the stump, on a pot, scuttling along the fence, in the fallen leaves. it seems every time I look out I see one and I got some lovely photos yesterday, in the end.

I put some stale scones out earlier, it didn't take the fat old wood pigeons long to appear and now about eight of them are waddling about on the lawn.

M. :-)