Hobbies and Crafts

Vera that sounds a really interesting place and how wonderful to see the kite so low.
I bet you were glad to get back in the warm after lunch though.


Interesting that many of you have blackbirds as frequent visitors. We seldom see them in the garden. I wonder if it's because we get so many bossy starlings most days.
This morning there was frantic feeding at the feeder hanging in the tree, then the starlings would swoop down to the bird bath for a quick drink, Several decided to plunge in. There were 6 in there together at one time spraying so much of the water around that I thought I'd have to refill it, but they left enough for a few smaller birds to have a later drink.
A bullfinch and a chaffinch visited, which I was particularly pleased about, as we seldom see any of the finch family.

I'm glad we seem to be back on the bird's map for winter feeding.

The blackbirds do seem to like the water and we often see them in the bird bath. Ours don't seem to dance to bring up the worms, they just uncover them by throwing all the earth out of the beds and pots on to the paths :-| And, just like husbands, they never tidy up after themselves ;-)

Yesterday we went on a coach trip to Waddesdon Manor. We've been there before, both in summer and in winter to see the decorations in the house and gardens. When we went in winter before, there was a lunch arranged for us. This time there wasn't and they didn't seem geared up to cater for the number of visitors there. The main dining room wouldn't let in anyone who hadn't booked, the large cafe had enormous queues outside that were taking up to an hour to even get in the cafe and everything else was outside. OH and I ended up eating in an unheated wigwam with a blanket over our knees. It was freezing! Apart from that, it was a lovely day out, made more special by seeing a red kite fairly close up. I've seen them flying higher in the sky before but this was not much higher then the roof of the coach and looked so big.

There is also an aviary at Waddesdon and some of the birds had such lovely names. I particularly liked the moustached laughing thrush and the white-bellied go-away bird :-D

EDIT: Love your robin picture Ann

Lol did you see below we had a blackbird bathing yesterday, I swear he was in the water for 15 minutes.

Oh a real cutie Ann :-D..We had a Robin having a bath in the thawed out bird bath yesterday.It was just after I had thawed it so it may have been quite warm LOL

Look who came to see us this morning.

Yes Gwyn, we have a clump of ivy on a trellis and the birds love going into it looking for bugs, especially wrens.

We had a hard frost this morning, not all cleared even now, followed by a lovely sunny day, a really nice winters day. The birds were very active this morning, collard doves, blackbirds, ble tits, great tits, sparrows all feeding like mad. And the blackbird had a really long full immersion bath in our water feature, he looked as though he was really enjoying it, and the sparrows were queuing waiting for a drink.

Jane, I may have seen a solution to your blackbird stamping his feet. In town, in the square, there are raised bedds which, at the moment have grass growing like miniature lawns (probably weeds actually. There were two seagulls on one of these and they were both stamping there feet, stopping, listening, then stamping again. We stopped and watched, it went on for ages. we think they were doing it to get worms etc to come to the surface.

That's right Ann.

The ivy has encroached from our neighbours, but I know the wrens and some other birds enjoy searching through it, so I will leave it in that area at the end of the garden.

Pristine sites are not always best for our wildlife!

A squirrel has visited a couple of times lately, - just one on it's own so far, but there are often a couple at a time. They are so funny when they play helter skelter after one another up and down the silver birch tree.

I love to see the little wrens Gwyn they are so quick and inquisitive.

Just jostling starlings on the feeder so far today. They have a bit of a breakfast bonanza then just feed occasionally during the day. Later there's another feeding frenzy towards dusk.

Yesterday I noticed a wren bobbing about midst an ivy-covered fence. It has visited before, but not seen for some time, so I was pleased that it was back.

that is interesting Jem, you live and learn, I don't think i have seen one with a black beak. Yes our feeders were a bit busier today with lots of blue and great tits mainly.

Good Afternoon Everyone :-)

Well, I've never had such a noisy back garden before! :-D
The birds must be happy, having never before had such an abundance of ready food to eat through the winter! :-D :-D

Nothing new to report .... just the "usual suspects" :-D
The House Sparrows, starlings, jackdaws, pair of Great Tits, pair of Blackbirds, the collared dove and the robin.

Although I may have seen a black blackbird- type bird on top of the hedge, but it's beak was black not yellow. It flew off before I had a good look.
Any ideas? :-)


edited ... just googled .... it could have been a first year male blackbird apparently :-)

LOL Gwyn.They do look funny don't they...They would be good at the old fashioned way of pressing grapes :-D..I know when our dancing Blackbird is on the window feeder as the sounds vibrates on the window.It is the only bird that does this performance.

It is a busy day on the feeder.Hardly a minute or 2 without a visitor. Mainly the Chaffinch,Gt Tit and Robin,,,,plus the tap dancer.

I haven't seen the Woodpecker today, but I'm sure it is still around.

I am surprised at the different Seagulls here. Not in the garden .The ones that fly over head that probably feed on the fields,are one kind and then at Tesco there are always hordes that fly above the car park and they look completely different and screech like nothing on earth !!!!.Sounds like people are being murdered :-S

I thought of you Jane,or more specifically your blackbird, when I was on a bus yesterday.

We passed a large grass area near a housing estate.
A group of seagulls were browsing and foraging and one young bird ( darker plumage, where full adult feathers are not yet grown ) was having a great time stamping his feet in the hope of raising worms.He was really going at it.
I often see them around here. It's really funny to watch a whole playing field of 'dancers'.

I don't know the answer to that Vera. Let us know.

We have a robin and a blackbird and the goldfinches and one or two blue and great tits. But not as many as I would expect this time of year

Just the usual pigeons, collared doves and sparrows in the garden but there do seem to be quite a few blackbirds around at the moment. I watched a pair standing in the birdbath this morning, the water must have been freezing. Do blackbirds mate for life or just for a season? There is one obvious pair coming in to the garden but it seems a bit early for them to be getting ready for nest building. I'll have to do a bit of googling.

Woody Woodpecker is around most days at the moment Ann. It 's nice to see him :-D
We had a huge Male Pheasant land in the garden this morning.It was only here a few minutes before taking off again making a right old racket !..I am thinking it had been in next doors garden and was maybe scared by their dog (a big German Shepherd called Kaiser ) or the miniature dog called Hugo :-D

Not too many little birds today as the weather has been atrocious .The cat has had a face like a wet weekend and didn't manage to get out until 4pm when the rain stopped.
It started spitting again a little while ago and he came in ,did a wee in his litter tray and then went out again :-S...He probably didn't fancy digging in wet mud lol

Last spring, we had a green woodpecker regularly feeding here. It commanded a feeding block and other birds seemed to be content to wait their turn.The frequency of the visits suggested that there were young not far away.
I hope they return next year.
We have had a different woodpecker feeding on our grass, but not for many months now. I was amazed how long it spent pecking away between 8 and 9 a.m. one morning.
Seen very few birds, let alone in the garden, since 'Angus' hit this area.

Good to see you on here Jem pleased your feeding station is still popular. Jane that really is a 'one up' having a woodpecker on the lawn. We had a blackbird, a collard dove and a magpie scouting around our lawn, several blue and great tits and two goldfinches on the feeders plus a little robin on our patio right up outside oue window, all this in heavy rain.

Honestly Jemima ,this Blackbird is so funny when he does his dance on the edge of the feeder.I can hear it when he is in dance mode.It is the only bird that does this strange thing.
The Green Woodpecker spent a good 20 minutes on the lawn this morning having a good peck.I reckon all the rain in the night had made it easier to get all the insects/worms etc. Also a very cute Jenny Wren in the window box amongst the pansies.I could see the Pansies moving and couldn't quite work out what was going on .I then spotted the little tail :-D

Lots of love to Kandj <3 <3

Good Afternoon Everyone :-)

Thank You All for your warm welcome. :-)

I don't know very much at all about birds, but I do like them (and all animals) and am willing to learn lol :-D :-D
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/42830973


Jane you made me laugh... I am just imagining stroppy blackbirds doing Raindance now :-D :-D :-D
Mr Blackbird is still stroppily throwing the leaves about .... so it would be a great shame to spoil his fun and clear them up! ;-)


This last few days, I think we now have 3 or perhaps 4 Great Tits, but the sparrows were flying about them and I wasn't sure if my counting was wrong :-D :-D
Also the little robin has been about.


The collared dove is there at the moment. He's been down for a feed and has even been sitting on top of the privet hedge with the sparrows sitting around him.


The sparrows are brave little birds. They have been coming and sitting on the windowsill and even clinging on to the pvc frame of the window. I don't know whether they are trying to look in or they can see their reflection. :-D :-D

Thinking about you and your hubby, Kandj, and sending lots of (((((hugs))))) <3