Hobbies and Crafts

Hi Christina, nice to see a new 'face' on this thread. I think you might still be able to send it if you try again. But I had a bit of a problem with it and thought it had not gone. Then I got an e mail saying thanks you from RSPB. I think they are a victim of their own success and crashed under overload.

The form is still there if you go into RSPB birdwatch 2017.

Or they say "If you'd prefer to send us your results through the post, you can download a printable Big Garden Birdwatch survey form instead. It's available in Welsh, too."

Did the site work for everyone?

After the first hour, I got "sorry an error has occured please try again" Same thing again. I then started again and sat for another hour, but still received the error comment, plus an email link to report the problem.

So my birds haven't been included. Not sure their absence will affect any results though.

4 sparrows; 4 pidgeons; 2 blackbirds; 2 blue tits; 1 robin; 1 great tit and 1 carrion crow.

It's getting busy again now Ann.There will be more battles with the Robins and Chaffiniches :-S They can't half go for each other !!!
I don't think I can sit for another hour to keep watch,so my first count will have to do.
I have noticed a Moorhen in the garden a few times the last few days.Just the one.It must come through from next door as they have a small 'lake' ,BIG POND.It is a natural water feature .Not man made.

yep you did better than us.

We did well then Ann :-D :-D

we had 3 blackbirds, 4 sparrows. 2 great tits, 2blue tits, 3 goldfinches and 2 blackcaps. And an hour later OH saw 2 long tailed tits. (too late to count those.

The only time I have seen Black Squirrels was in Canada.I didn't even know there were Black ones.
What a miserable day to do the Bird Watch. I just did my count this morning with the birds coming to the window feeder. I had 3 Robins, 2 Blackbirds,3 Gt Tits,2 House Sparrows,3 Blue Tits,and I saw 5 Goldfinch in the tree. :-D :-D. It has all gone a bit quiet now ,but will be busy again a little later.So I might do another count then :-D

Pretty Vera, bet it looks lovely and cheers you up.

I can't remember ever seeing a black squirrel.

In our old house we had a very large garden, fairly wildlife friendly, with a very big pond. We were surrounded by farmland and had lots of woodland nearby. The garden was always full of birds and I really miss them, particularly the jays and the green woodpeckers as they are so colourful.

Not in our garden but overhanging it was a very old, large walnut tree and the grey squirrels used to bury the walnuts in our garden. It would only take them seconds to pat them down into our hard clay soil but we used to get fed up with pulling up walnut seedlings everywhere.

It was a shock to the system when we moved here as the garden is very small and was just a scraggy bit of grass with a large dark brown shed and a dark brown fence and no sign of any wildlife. 3 years on we are now getting a few birds and butterflies, some frogs, plenty of insects and occasional dragonflies in the warmer months :-D

EDIT Just changed the avatar to show witchhazel just coming into bloom in a corner of the garden. We have a copper coloured one as well but that is always a couple of weeks behind.

I have pm'd you Ann.

LG How far are you from the pond in the village (as the crow flies) Maybe you get beasties migrating from there. All the time we lived there, the only black squirrels we saw were in Letchworth. :-D but we always had a lot of birds in the garden there including bull finches which we never see here.

My garden has always been wildlife friendly . We moved here 32 years ago and it was all neat and tidy, regimented borders etc. I soon ripped most of it out and planted up with things that nature loves.and son builta very large pond.It has paid off as we get all kinds of beasties from crested newts to hedgehogs and bllack squirels

Morning LG. I always used to do it at our old house but when we moved here 3 years ago I stopped. First we were completely digging up and rehashing the little garden at this house, then it took forever to entice any birds in. Now we get a few, mostly sparrows, but they are now turning their noses up at a new feeder I bought.

I don't feel like standing at the window for an hour to count half a dozen sparrows.

I might change my mind on Sunday if I have time and it's a bit warmer :-)

The birds round here had almost cleaned me out of food as it has been so cold. I put ot some grated cheese that was just past it's date and the starlings have woofed that down :-D

I usually do it LG and our food is always stocked up but not sure if I am going to have time this weekend. Possibly like you Sunday. :-)

Good Morning all, who is taking part in the big garden birdwatch this weekend ? I have stocked up with all the tasty titbits they love and some extras besides. I am observing ours on Sunday as it is when I shall have the most time to spare.

That is good info for cleaning the birdbath. We usually hose it out with a hard jet of water and give it a good scrub with a brush.I would never have thought of being able to use bleach.

The fog is dreadful here today and it hasn't lifted at all all day.I'm surprised the birds have found their way to the window feeder lol. Battle of the Robins is still going on. We seem to have so many,that it is difficult to tell how many there actually are.Lots of dive bombing each other :-S

I was surprised that bleach could be used too.

Sooo we are having the kitchen flooring done tomorrow. So today the fridge and microwave have to be moved, the fridge emptied first of course, and then it needs cleaning before moving into the dining room where it now blocks the door. And everything then put back in the fridge. (We did a shop yesterday so it is pretty full.) Then the floor under the fridge is disgusting so that needs washing next. And all the kick boards on the units have to come out, looking at them goodness knows how they will ever go back in. That includes the one with the electric fan heater attached, so that has to be unplugged, the plug being behind the drawers so they have to come out to get at the plug. He'd better arrive to fit the stuff tomorrow or I am not going to be best pleased. :-( :-(

Thanks for that Ann. I've been a bit wary of using things like bleach but it looks as though it would be OK well diluted and rinsed afterwards. In theory I can lift the bath off the pedestal to clean, which would make it easier, but it is very heavy and I am frightened of dropping it. With my luck it would land on my foot.

No interest in the new feeder yet :-S. I'll leave it for a few more days as there is plenty of other food out for them to tuck into.

RSPB
You should clean your birdbath regularly and change the water. A layer of algae, dead leaves or bird droppings will soon build up, so give the bath a thorough clean every week or so. Scrub the sides and bottom to remove algae and other dirt.
You can use dilute household disinfectants, but make sure that you rinse the bath out thoroughly to remove any traces of chemicals.
There are two non-toxic products on the market, Enviroclens and Crystal, which can be used to clean bird baths.

Also from a few sources
To clean a bird bath...
1. Dump out any old, stagnant water. ...
2. Use a disposable rag or the scrub brush to remove any large deposits of spilled seed, feces, debris or other contaminants. ...
3. Use a solution of one part chlorine bleach to nine parts water to scrub the bath thoroughly