Hobbies and Crafts

I can't find sny mention of a white Heron although the Grey Heron, the one we normally see has a lot of white on it. But they are large. A smaller white bird similar to a Heron is an Egret. Is he sure that is not what it was?

Glad you have got your car back anyway.

Nice and bright here today. Bedding and towels blowing dry on the clothes line.

Only the usual starlings, hedge sparrows, pigeons, Mr Blackbird around today.

We have been enjoying the BBC2 Winterwatch programmes, last one tonight 8pm.
from the Scottish Highlands, where we have spent many happy holidays in the past.

Don't forget it is bird watch weekend this weekend. :-D that is if you can find any birds to watch. Jane will be OK.

LOL Ann. I can hear all the birds at the moment but can't actually see many.Where have they gone??.It will be too dark soon so I might have a go at Birdwatch tomorrow,if the rain forecast doesn't put them off .

Well we had a fairly low count this morning between 9 and 10am. Might do another one tomorrow then i will put the result up here.

Today we have been to Gloucester to visit the Quays outlet shopping centre and have lunch in Wetherspoons. I managed to buy a V necked sweater in M&S Outlet for £8.50 instead of £12.50 and another M&S lightweight top for £6. So was pleased with that. Then we had a very pleasant lunch in Wetherspoons of ham. Eggs and chips and a bottle of Shiraz. It was extremely busy in there, being Saturday and a day that Gloucester Rugby are playing at home.

We had a lovely view from the window as we had lunch of the docks in the sunshine with the kaskelot in the shipyard for refurbishing. . Kaskelot is a three-masted barque and one of the largest remaining wooden ships in commission. The Kaskelot was built in 1948 by J. Ring-Andersen for the Royal Greenland Trading Company, to carry supplies to remote coastal settlements in East Greenland. During the 1960s, Kaskelot worked as a support vessel for Danish fisheries in the Faroe Islands. We do like having the tall ships visit the docks.

It was a lovely sunny, blue sky day today but the wind was cuttingly cold so we were pleased to get indoors after walking from the bus stop

did the birdwatch this morning between 0915 and 10.15. Quite surprising.

Sparrows -1
Robin -1
Goldfinch -4
Blackbird -2
Wren -1
Bluetit -4
Great tit -2
Coal tit -1
Long tailed tit -5

A good variety Ann. Don't have any different here this morning.

11 Starlings
4 Hedge Sparrows
4 Pigeons
1 Blackbird
1 Robin

I did a watch yesterday as well but entered todays because, although the rest of the birds were almost the same (pretty consistent here), we had the long tailed tits today. yesterday we had 4 sparrows and one Collard dove, the rest was the same.

A good variety of birds Ann. We have had visitors for the weekend so I haven't done the Birdwatch survey this year, but while we were having breakfast this morning we saw a couple of robins, a wren and a couple of great tits, as well as the usual collared doves and pigeons. There were also a male and female blackbird having a splash in the birdbath. Then it started raining again and everything disappeared :-(

I am miffed....I did a post yesterday but just as I posted it the internet went down :-S
I was saying that I didn't manage to do the bird count .I never seemed to get a whole hour without interruptions :-S.
The feeder was actually very quiet for some reason,but I could hear lots of birdsin the trees and bushes.The Blackbirds have been busy pulling worms on the lawn though :-D.
My OH has gone to Suffolk for a couple of days on his todd .He might go to Minsmere if he has time and weather permits.He has taken my Binoculars so would be nice if he spots some unusual birds :-D(feathered ones of course :-D :-D)

Shame you couldn't do it Jane, never mind, maybe next time.

February already. Any new baby brother for Luke yet Ann?

Bright and sunny and the birds are hungry and so I have just filled the feeder.
The strong wind had blown down a bird feeder that I put up in the back garden and now I have bird seed all over near the garage and a broken bird feeder, hey ho.

I bet the spilled seed will soon be hoovered up Kandj!!

We had a female blackcap on the fat balls today (why didn't she call in on Sunday when i was doing bird watch?

No, no baby yet, I think the due date is about 18th but she is having a Caesarian so it should be before then.

The window feeder was knocked off or taken off the window this morning by the window cleaner.After he had gone I noticed it wasn't on the window.So I went to put it back up and there was a lot of the suet pellets on the ground.I decided to just leave them rather than sweep up...All gone now :-D

So not too long then Ann before baby arrives :-D :-D

Haven't been on this thread for quite a while.
Just don't seem to have seen many birds recently. Have however heard quite a few, shame I can't indentify them by song only.

However, around three weeks ago, around three a.m. looking out into the back garden I saw two adult foxes! They were clearly visible as they lay on the grass in the light of a neighbours security light!

Haven't seen them since, but I'm seldom looking out at my garden at that time of the morning.

I live in an inner city area in Birmingham. Used to see foxes more often in the days when we all had old fashioned bins outside. The foxes would knock them over and raid them.

I know they are considered to be pests but I rather like seeing foxes at night.

I haven't seen a fox in a very long time ,although I know they are around.Some of my neighbours have had them in the gardens,but their gardens back onto a field whereas our garden is shorter and fenced off further back from the field.

we see them if we get up for the loo in the night around 2am theya re often walking down our cul de sac as at the end it is trees and grass and if they keep going they can get over to the golf club.

Foxes regularly come in to my brother's garden. He lives in an urban area on the coast. Last spring when we were visiting we stood and watched a couple of fox cubs playing on his lawn for quite a long while. It was lovely to see. We could just see mum fox behind some shrubs at the end of the garden keeping an eye on her babies.

Birds seem to have gone awol again. All I have seen today is one pigeon. Even the starlings don't seem to be around much lately. :-(

Hello Tess, welcome, it's nice to hear your comments.

Last year I saw a fox in our garden for the very first time. At first I thought it was a sandy coloured dog with a bushy tail. I watched out of the back bedroom window and it got to the end of the garden and jumped up onto the water butt. We have a 5' high brick wall and I wondered how this dog would manage to climb the wall. He couldn't manage it (just as I thought) and turned around and jumped down from the water butt and walked up the side of the garage and then down the drive to the double gates.

As this ?dog, turned around I could clearly see the white chest and pointed nose and beady eyes...... it wasn't a dog at all but it was a fox, and I was fascinated.

Other neighbours have said that they have seen foxes around the village at nightime, but I have never seen one before this (in the morning time) and no other foxes have come into our garden since.