Hobbies and Crafts

What a cracking pic Von. I wouldn't have known the little one was a Siskin. Now I know :-D
I have never seen a Blackbird with a white head, just the odd white feather. That will be an easy one to keep an eye on Vera :-D
The Goldfinch here never seem to feed from my window feeder . I think I must get a hanging feeder again for the Niger Seeds.I love Goldfinch.
It has been a beautiful Spring day today and so warm in the sun . It would be great if it stays like this but I see possible wintery weather again later next week :-S. I hope the forecast is wrong :-D

Vera must admit it was OH who took the photo. We keep the camera set up on a tripod so it's ready. :-D

Jane - we had to look it up as well. I thought at first it was a green finch or something like that but it's quite small and distinctly green with yellow markings and black head. :-D

Vera - blackbird with a white head. How interesting.I hope your husband sees it again.

We have a Nightingale :-D :-D. Last night and tonight it has been singing it's head off in the big Conifers just outside our back door.It is just a shame it is too dark to actually see it. It has been 2 or 3 years since I last heard one here.

How lovely Jane, we get blackbirds singing away well into the evening, but not heard a nightingale.

Can you believe it is April already !!! I hate the way each year seems to go by so fast.

We seem to have so many Robins here today and all very feisty and squabbling .
I didnt hear the Nigthingale last night. I hope it hasn't decided to move off elsewhere .There are some noisy Pheasants about although not in our garden. The Woodpigeons are 'doing the business' ;-) on every fence and tree branch they can find LOL . It is 'Chase me ' time again :-D
I am in touch with Kandj often ,and although she is still finding adjusting to life without her lovely Hubby so difficult ,she is doing ok. Lots of support from her Daughter and family. <3 <3 Kandj

thank you for news of Kandj Jane, I do miss her on here. Think of her often and wonder how she is getting on <3 Kandj

Yes randy pigeons everywhere, who'd be a female pigeon? :-D :-D

Yes, I often think of Kandj as well.

Jane, how lovely to hear the nightingales. I have only ever heard recordings and have never heard one in real life though that is my own fault. For 26 years I lived within a 15 minute car journey of an ancient woodland that was an RSPB reserve with plenty of nightingles. I never managed to get myself there at a time they would be singing. I believe dawn was the best time to hear them and I am not good at getting up early :-(.

Apart from the pigeons billing and cooing on the fence, there have been very few birds around, probably because it seldom seems to stop raining.

Yesterday I saw a rat again and watched it for some while. It was running out from under some epimedium growing by the back fence, coming across the patio and then going back to the same place. It did this several times so I told OH and he went to look behind the epimedium. We think the cheeky thing had gnawed a little gap in the fence and was coming in from the garden over the back. The people there have a shed up close to our fence and OH thinks this rat is nesting under the shed so he is going to have a word with them. He managed to completely ignore my suggestion of getting another cat :-P

Vera, rats will nest under sheds if there is a gap and not a solid base as it is warm. Hope the neighbour can get rid of it.
Aaw the cat didn't work???

we are seeing a few more birds but not many.

I think a little suggestion to the neighbours over the back to pop one of those 'safe' boxes with poison in might be a good idea Vera. Rats do love to nest under sheds as Ann said.. I could always lend you Thomas :-D :-D although he prefers mice and Rabbits LOL .I don't think Rats are quite so tasty.
I keep seeing a Barn Owl in the daytime here.It flies across towards the field opposite and then back again over to some tall trees in my neighbours garden a few doors down. I worry as it is not normal to see an Owl like that during the day. :-S

OH decided to leave approaching our neighbours about the rat till after Easter as we thought they had visitors and didn’t want to embarrass them.. He was going to see them on Wednesday but then we realised we hadn’t seen it for 3 days. We’ve been keeping a good eye out for it but it has been about a week now since we last saw it so I think they may have dealt with it without us having to say anything.

Not a lot of bird life around at the moment apart from the courting pigeons. I did watch a starling coming into the garden, picking up bits of twig and straw, disappearing and then reappearing for another beakful. I guess they must be nest building somewhere nearby and the garden will be full of squabbling starlings in a couple of months.

Hopefully Ratty has been dealt with Vera.I hate it when I see one here. The last one I saw a few weeks ago hasn't been around (at least not when I have been looking out) .We too have the courting Pigeons .They have their favourite place on the top of the trellis .Lots of billing and cooing going on and the rest LOL. I have been hearing Woodpeckers again today but haven't seen them.There are Pheasants somewhere close by as I can hear them too.
Thomas is still busy catching and eating bunnies :-(. Baby ones :-(. I know my neighbours will be pleased which is fine,they just don't have to dispose of what Thomas leaves :-S. He just eats the heads and leaves the rest :-S :-S
Horrible wet Sunday here. No chance of getting in the garden.

Oh yuk Jane to Thomas just eating the heads and leaving the rest!!

that is unusual to see the barn owl in the daytime isn't it? I wonder why, maybe he/she is nesting and feeding young so has to work extr hard.

Vera fingers crossed ratty is gone for good.

Kandj <3 <3

Ann it is pretty gross having to pick up after he has eaten the head. But the weird thing is that it is so clean No gore and Thomas is as clean as a whistle !!!! With his white bib I would expect it to be red or at least dark pink,. But he is a clean eater . I just wish he would give up this hunting lark.
I did look up about Barn Owls in the daytime and it can be quite normal.So i won't worry about it now :-D
We have just had a little Moorhen pottering around in the garden :-D

Thanks everybody. You're all very kind to think about me and it's really appreciated.

Not in a good place at all. GP suggested Bereavement Counselling for 10 weeks and I went for first session earlier. Suffice it to say that I have poured a large glass of wine!!

I am trying not to ignore the birds but have taken the window feeder down. Too painful.

Kandj good to hear from you but so sorry that you are struggling. I think that is what counselling is for it somehow makes things worse before they get better so just enjoy the wine. I think, from listening to others in your situation, a day will suddenly come when things don't seem quite so bad ( a light at the end of a very long tunnel maybe), hopefully you will reach that point (although it will be in your own time) and you will find yourself moving forward and maybe feeling that you can feed the birds again. Meanwhile somebody, somewhee is feeding them so don't worry about them.

We will continue to be here if you need us and to send our loving thoughts winging your way. <3 <3 <3

I second what Ann says Kandj :-D <3 <3

Phewy it is hot!. Too hot for me though. The big fans have been dragged out of the garage and are blowing nice cool air around :-D. Thomas is looking like he is dead on the patio. He has struggled a bit today . Having a very thick coat of hair can't be very comfortable in this heat. To think we are 20degs higher than this time last week !!!!!. We dont get a chance to acclimatize do we.
Birds still scoffing well from the window feeder(which needs refilling! )
Last night I was woken at 3.30 with the most dreadful sounds. It was 2 Muntjac either in our front garden or next door .They were either mating of fighting .But the racket they made was so frightening.Much worse than Foxes!. I hope they go elsewhere tonight :-D

I hope the counselling helps Kandj. It is still very early days so just take baby steps and be kind to yourself. Sending a gentle hug <3

I was walking to a friend’s house a couple of days ago when a white headed blackbird popped out of the hedge beside me. I think it must be the one OH saw recently. In this warm weather the blackbirds have been singing their little hearts out. Lovely to hear.

No more sightings of Ratty I’m glad to say. I think the neighbours over the back must have seen him too and dealt with him :-)

Vera the Blackbirds are in full song here right now :-D. They sound lovely. I bet it was the same white headed one you saw. There can't be more than one like that :-D.At least it is easy to spot :-D
Glad the Rat hasn't appeared again. Touch wood I haven't seen the big one here since we had the snow. There are still a lot of Robins in our garden and using the window feeder.The Wood pigeons are making such a mess everywhere. We have to watch where we are walking :-S,and the bird bath is always full of their poo :-S :-S
Thomas has been gone since 5 this morning. I have been out calling as i am now beginning to get worried. But as it is slightly cooler than yesterday he may just be having a good day out hunting and snoozing in the shade. Yesterday it was so hot he went nowhere ,just lay around flopped out .

Hope he comes back soon Jane, worrying when they disappear.. Blackbirds singing away here too and starlings collecting nesting material