Hobbies and Crafts

Goodness Von, how lovely. If I throw out bread it is ignored for ages, never seen long tailed tits down eating bread before, he must have a good touch!!

We have just been to a garden centre (2 actually and re-stocked with meal worms as the Great tits and starlings are eating us out of house and home with their favourites.

This morning my garden looked a bit like the John Lewis ad minus the badger and fox. (the latter only comes at night.)

OH had thrown out some bread so there were squirrels, magpies, pidgeons, jackdaws, blue tits,coal tits, long tailed tits, robins, goldfinches and a wood pecker.

We also have dunnocks and a wren but they were hiding somewhere :-0

It was lovely to see it so busy but sadly it's all quiet now.

Well we are not seeing many birds around at the moment but we do have a blue (or it might be a Great, so far it has moved too fast to be sure) Tit nesting in our Sparrow box. They have a very roomy 'house' there for just the two of them. :-D

On Sunday in the beautiful warm weather I went round one of the Newmarket studs and saw all the new born foals, several only 24 to 48 hours old. They're all legs and appealing expressions. Aaah :-D

This week the starlings are back en masse. Haven't seen more than the odd one or two all winter but there have been plenty around this week. They are such greedy birds. I put out a new home made fat cake thingy and they are straight on it and it is gone in no time.

I also thought the seeds were going down quite quickly then I found out why. The collared doves have discovered that the perches on the slightly bigger feeder I bought will take their weight, so they are having a good feed. I even saw a fat old wood pigeon trying it but he was just too big. He couldn't balance on the perch and eat at the same time but he did look funny trying to hang on for dear life and twist his head to get at the seeds.

I think my Flutter Butter feeder thing has been a waste of money. No birds have been near it .Not even the Squirrel :-S
The Woodpeckers have been very noisy today.Not that I have seen any .Woodpidgeons pooping everywhere :-S,and a Hedgehog :-S. Good job we have a hose close to hand :-D

What fantastic weather :-D :-D,even warmer tomorrow I believe. Summer clothes have been dug out from hibernation . It could be back to woolly jumpers again though so I will keep winter clothes still handy. It is just so nice to be able to sit and eat outside for now :-D

I think cats just eat the head Vera :-S. All remains of rabbits grought back by Thomas are just half . It all looks very neat too (if you know what I mean) . As for mice he eats everything except for a few innards.
I bought a Peanut Butter jar and feeder thing today .You just screw the jar in and hang it up. I don't know how popular it will be and not sure if I have hung it in the right place.We will see :-)

Why do cats leave half a rabbit? Are they saving leftovers for the next day? One of our old cats used to do that and it was always the back half that was left. I wasn't sorry when we moved to this house and she no longer had access to a handy warren.

There seem to be plenty of sparrows and bluetits around but they are not going on the new seed feeder even though it is just a larger version of the other one. The one bird I have seen on it was a fat old wood pigeon. The way he was getting through the seeds he must have thought all his Christmases had come at once :-D

:-( :-( :-(

I only see the Woodpigeons having a bit of hows your father .A right display too I have to say.They have no shame lol.I think our smaller birds must do it in private :-)
Last night I had to remove half a dead bunny from the patio .Just left over from the cat .As I went to dispose of it in the black bin I almost stood on something,but wasn't sure what it was. I got the torch and went to have a look and it was a big Hedgehog! That must be the culprit that has been pooping all over the patio :-S. I think it must be the one that was around at the end of last year and has now come out of hibernation.

I'm blushing at the thought of it Jem :-D :-D. My birds are much better behaved. Yesterday I watched a collared dove attempting to seduce another but she was having none of it and gave him the cold shoulder. At least I assume it was a male and female but who knows?

In the garden centre yesterday I saw a seed feeder just like the one my birds seem to like but a bit bigger and better quality, so I had to buy it didn't I? I'm just going to put it out and see how they like this one. I've given up on the one they wouldn't go near.

I was just thinking I hadn't seen the LTT today and he appeared. Although I am only seeing one at a time, I am now wondering if there are actually two and they are nesting nearby.

:-D :-D :-D :-D Jem. Did it ruffle his feathers ;-) :-D :-D :-D

:-0 :-0 :-0 :-0 SHOCKING! :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0

What they get up to! ;-) ;-)


OH was standing in the back doorway yesterday, and two sparrows were engaging in their nuptials, not once but three times, on top of the privet hedge ... in full view :-0 :-0 :-0

Poor OH did not know where to look! ;-) :-D :-D :-D :-D

Thanks LG I had an email but couldn't find a list, in fact it was a duplicate of an email I had a few weeks ago I thought. Unless I didn't click on something.

Ann I got an email with results this morning
1 house sparrow
2 starling
3 blackbird
4 blue tit
5 woodpigeon
6 goldfinch
7 robin
8 great tit
9 chaffinch
10 long tailed tit

No shortage of starling here Ann, we still have lots and they are as greedy as ever.

I did hear that Robins came top of the list.I am not surprised seeing how many we have around here. I have seen 4 today.

I hope your lonely LTT has company now Vera.It is unusual to just see the one.Mine are still about.Not in great numbers though.Definitely 2.

I was taliking to a friend last night and she says that everyday she has about 7 Pheasants come to her garden. One in particular taps on the patio door to be fed LOL

Thanks LG, all I could make out was there is a shortage of Starlings. Is there more information in there somewhere, I didn't find it an easy site to navigate. :-S

If you have done the RSPB birdwatch the results are in take a look in your mailbox . I have got to go and buy yet more mealworms as the Robin is non stop backwards and forwards.

From what I can remember the cathedral was lovely, but was free when I went in Jane.

Oh what a shame Vera, blessed pigeons. Maybe your Long Tailed Tit has sent out a 'May Day' and is waiting for rescue.

While I was at the kitchen sink this morning a pair of gold finches were fluttering about the witch hazel which is only a few feet from the window over the sink. Moving carefully so I didn't startle them I went and got my iPad from another room to try and get a picture. One of them seemed almost to be posing for me. Just got the camera pointed at him, about to press the button and a fat old pigeon flew in, landed with a splash in the bird bath and frightened them off. If I had had a shot gun he would have been pigeon pie. :-P

My lone long tailed tit is still around. I think he is waiting for the flock to come back and collect him.