Hobbies and Crafts

It’s a while since anyone posted on here isn’t it? Perhaps you’re all like me, enjoying a few birds but not seeing anything new.

There don’t seem to be many butterflies about though my garden does seem to be bee friendly. Lots of bees from the tiniest little solitary bees to big fat bumbles. We have a bee box on the fence and some of the little holes have been blocked up at the end. I think it’s the mason bee that does that.

We’ve also noticed lots of dragonflies (or maybe they are damselflies). I’ve seen them around plants in the garden and I keep finding dead ones in the conservatory.

We have a small male blackbird that practically lives in our garden. He has his black feathers and orange beak so is not a juvenile but I don't think he is very old. He spends most of the time in and around the garden, often dozing under a bush, or he makes himself a dent in the soil and spreads his wings and lies in the un. He is in and out of the water features all day and is not scared of us at all. Very strange. He can fly but not too strongly, I am pretty sure he is not injured. I think last week a couple of times he was picked on by a larger blackbird (probably over territory) it was a real fight in the air. since then he seems nervous even of sparrows but also seems happy enough to just stay around the garden and in the \apple tree.

Oh and another thing for the first time in many (probablyover 10) years, we had a small grey squirrel in the garden this morning. not sure whether to be pleased or sorry about that.

That could work out expensive Bob. No doubt it was taken to feed the babies. The do have large beaks. Last week I put our two pork chop bones, quite big with some fat left on them. I watched a magpie pick one up and drop it on the lawn, a couple of hours later both bones had disappeared, obviously lifted by a Magpie or crow.

I have just installed one of they 6ft high bird feeder pole things, and last night filled the feeders with seed and in the tray two fat balls.
this morning the fat balls have gone, so put out two more......I have just seen a crow appear and lo and behold it took one of the fat balls in its beak, and flew off.... wouldn't have thought it could do that!!

Lovely Gwyn I envy you seeing them.

After gardening, yesterday, I took the short walk to see the swans.
The mother was sitting on the nest, while her mate sat in the water close by.
2 little cygnets were sunning themselves in the late afternoon lovely weather and another little head would occasionally poke out over the mother's back, with it's body still under her wing.
After a bit of preening and shuffling, it was time for their exercise.
Mum got up and stretched her wings, then one at a time the now 4 cygnets carefully clamoured over their reed nest and into the water next to Dad.
Mum gathered feathers and other dry nesting materials over the 5 unhatched eggs, then joined the others in the water for an evening gentle swim.
I left them gliding majestically over the water.

We're so lucky to have something so lovely to see and so close to home in these strange times.
They certainly lift one's mood.

Awe Gwyn I hope the cygnets survive. Lovely to see them. Is Dsd around as well? We have those little blue butterflies in the garden, very pretty.

A glorious warm and sunny day yesterday with bright blue sky, when I went for my walk.
There were several small blue butterflies about on the flowers in people's gardens.

I walked to see how the swans were doing on their nest. I've heard there are 9 eggs. I don't know if that's right, but I certainly saw at least 7, a few weeks ago.
Yesterday, some had hatched. A lady nearby, who was sitting watching them said there were 4. I saw 3 little heads, snuggled under Mum's wing, while she was spread out over the nest.
They are so close, just about 2 feet from the footpath, but obviously like it there, as they come back year after year. Someone, possibly from the local Countryside Project puts some light fencing between the nest and the footpath and the swans seem OK with all the people who walk so close.

In a day or two, I'll walk that way again, to see if there are any more cygnets.

I haven't noticed any butterflies yet. maybe I just need to keep my eyes peeled.

Possibly heard (but did not see0 a parakeet, a few gardens away in a tree (well covered in leaves).
Went to the local park again a couple of days ago, no sign of the parakeets, but did see a small (young) thrush, on the ground. Used to see some regularly just up thee road from me, but since some trees have been choppeddown the thrush have disappeared - must have found another habitat.

Ann - sounds like I should get a bird bath 9or two) in the back garden - they will have to be homemade though.

I am copying a post I put on the thread on chat re wild life in the garden.

We have birds squabbling over whose turn it is for a bath, yesterday a blackbird was in the bird bath for ages with a sparrow trying to join him. The sparrow gave up, further up the garden a blue tit was also having a bath in a different bird bath and up on the patio a bit later a magpie had a bath and shower from the water feature.
this week we have seen two orange tip butterflies a small tortoiseshell and a couple of cabbage whites. there are not as many birds feeding at the moment just Great tits and collard doves

Thanks Pat great video, they love that bird bath don’t they? So many different birds too.

Tess if it gets crowded best to stay away from the park.

Yes, the parakeets are very noisy. In fact I had heard one when I was walking at the (Churchyard) side of the pool, but couldn't see it anywhere.

Was a few minutes later when I had walked half way round the pool, that I saw one coming from the other direction. Don't know if it was the same bird or not.

Haven't been to the park since then, I think that it is getting rather crowded.

When I did Tai Chi there, we used to see various groups of joggers and walkers (going at different paces) as well as individual walkers, joggers and runners.

Park was very wel lused. The end of group activities probably means that there are far more individuals, walking, jogging and running around the park. Which, by the way, can be used as a sort of short- cut,
A wonderful place in the inner city.

Lovely video Pat. That's a real stress buster :-)

Thought you might like this to watch.


https://youtu.be/V9MuOqTI83U

The sunflower hearts are really bringing in the birds. I thought I saw a blackcap on them yesterday but I wasn’t sure. He was back today and I am now sure it is a male blackcap which is another bird we haven’t seen here before.

My cousin used to live on the border of SE London and Kent and when we visited her there was always a big flock of parakeets near her home. It was quite a sight as they were all coming in to roost but Ann is right - they were so noisy.

Lovely Tess, they can be noisy though can’t they?

Vera lovely that you have so many birds returned to your garden especially the Greenfinch as there are not many of them around now. We had three or four blackbirds in the garden this morning. Two females and one male and couldn’t quite see if the other was male or female as it scooted over the fence into next door. Also had a robin back, the usual two goldfinches and a cheeky Magpie having a bath and emptying the water feature.

Went for a walk in my local park last friday.

saw a parakeet, (bright green). Used to see them sometimes when I did (out door) tai chi in the park, but stopped that two or three years ago. Godd to see that some things stay the same.

I have seen the greenfinch today so OH was right. First one we have seen around here. I just hope I don’t run out of sunflower hearts before I am able to go out to restock as it’s those that have attracted the goldfinches and now the greenfinch.

I was sitting in the conservatory yesterday afternoon and watching a thrush picking mealworms from a dish, a robin at the mealworms in a ground feeder, a couple of bluetits on the peanuts and a couple of goldfinches on the sunflower hearts. It was such a lovely scene.

Today OH thought he saw a greenfinch on the sunflower hearts. If he was right that will be the first one we have seen since moving to this house 6 years ago.

I've been watching a couple of Magpies building a nest in the neighbours conifer, they've been busy for weeks now. I always thought they took over other birds nest, so was surprised to see them coming and going with bits of twigs and the like in their beaks. Yesterday I had the back door open and heard a funny noise, when I looked out there were two Magpies right up by my back door, I didn't think they'd come so close. They soon went back down the garden when they saw me though.

I hope you manage to see the swans again Gwyn, like you said it'll be a welcome distraction from all that's going on at the moment. It'd be nice if all 9 eggs hatched successfully.

You've all seen some lovely birds around. I notice the Blackbirds were still eating the berries on our plants, but thankfully have left a few for us to look at. The bird table is always full of Robins and blue tits and when the starlings arrive, boy do you know it, they squabble like children and make such a noise.