Hobbies and Crafts

A belated Happy Easter to everyone <3

Lesley x

And to you Lesley, good to see you. do hope all is well with you. <3

Hi Lesley :-D
No sign of the Owl again Ann.Well not that I have seen anyway.I'm sure it will be back as that dead tree 'stump' is a perfect place to just sit.The Wood Pidgeons use it all the time too :-D
What a lovely day it is.Sun all the way,but I think the clouds are gathering a bit now so reckon we have had the best now although but it still keeps popping out :-D

Well would you believe it !!!???

Looks like we have a couple of Easter Chicks !!!!

Eldest Son and daughter in law made the announcement on Easter Day, which was her 30th birthday, baby due 1st October.

Daughter then says, " well, in that case, you had better hear my news ". Baby is due 2 nd November.

Two for the price of one. Very exciting, makes it an even bigger year. Big birthday, big anniversary and two new grand children.

Big sister / cousin will have two little people to boss about as well as Grandad. She wants them to be called Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, let's hope they are both girls then ...........

Not much else happening bird wise except for the Gulls and a pied Wagtail. Oh and I can hear a Blackbird getting in a state.

M. :-)

Congratulations Maryanna, hope all goes well for both of them.

Exciting and busy time ahead then Maryanna :-D.Congratulations <3

Just been watching a stand off on the window feeder.One very nasty Chaffinch trying to dislodge a little Blue Tit that was trying to stand its ground.I had to go and flap my arms near the window to get them both to fly off(to save little Blue Tit)

Still only the one Moorhen :-(

Wondering how our great tits are managing without us. :-(

They are probably stamping their little feet Ann asking where "Mum" is lol
There is a Gt Tit here and when the window feeder is empty it stands on there and bangs it's beak on the rubber strip.It makes quite a racket .In fact it behaves a bit like a woodpecker hammering away !!!
It has been a bit quiet today.But I think the dreadful wind has probably kept some of the birds away.They were getting blown all over the place :-S

We seem to be living in a bird free zone again - apart from starlings of course. They think I am running a hotel just for them. The other birds are probably keeping out of their way. I expect they feel like I did when our party of four arrived at our small hotel in Holland and found we were sharing it with a youth football team and their hangers-on! Starlings and young footballers both seem to make a lot of noise and kerfuffle :-D :-D

LOL Vera :-D :-D
We had 2 Starlings on the lawn last night.They weren't at all bothered about me standing very close.They were just too busy pulling worms or insects out of the grass.
I haven't seen my Moorhen today :-S

We have just seen 2 Swifts/Swallows fly over the garden !!!!!...Also OH saw some type of Hawk fly really low across the garden ,just a few foot off the ground.It came down at the side of the Patio and then flew through the Trellis Arch.

I hope your hawk isn't after any early young birds Jane.

We drove to Maldon this afternoon and walked by the river, then stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cuppa only to be surrounded by.............starlings. On the notice board showing birds you might see by the river starlings were top of the list with a note "They might steal your chips" .

We did see black headed gulls, terns, a couple of godwit, various ducks and a pair of swans building a very big, scruffy nest :-D :-D

Jane, I thought I saw some in Somerset yesterday morning. I looked in my diary for last year and I had noted that I first saw them on the 13 th April.

Back in Surrey now so will be looking skyward today.

There were a pair of Gooldfinches flitting about earlier. Himself came in and told me he had seen some Canaries in the garden !!! He isn't a great one for bird or plant identification !!!

I can't say how,any birds must be nesting in that Holly tree, every bird and his wife seem to be in there, all nose dived every so often by one of the enormous wood pigeons, who still seem to be adding to their nest. Mind you, most of it seems to end up on the little paved area that is under the Holly., I think the twigs they are bringing in are so big they can't squeeze them through the prickles so they end up dropping them.

The Magpies seem to be spending a lot of time in the Blackthorn that is next to the Holly, chattering and flapping. Horrible things.

Party is in under three weeks, still have eleven people who haven't answered, I sent most of the invites by email, they almost all replied straight away.

Seven were sent by post, only two have replied. Odd isn't it.

M.

Maryanna ,what a good idea to keep a diary :-DI have not thought of doing that (especially for birds).OH does a daily dairying has dome for years.
He is now writing his memoirs :-D
I have seen that 'HAWK' today.I think it must be a Sparrow Hawk.It all goes deathly silent when it is around :-S.All birds must dash into their shelters.Must be a bit like the war everything diving for cover.

How rude of people not to reply to your invitations.Even if they can't or don't want to come to your celebrations they could at least have the good manners to answer.I sometimes think manners have gone out the window :-S

We have an extremely noisy bird at dawn..It goes PEEP PEEP PEEP non stop for ages.I don't know what it is.Thinking maybe Greenfinch.I must google the sound.

Sounds as if that could be a great tit Jane.

Sparrow hawks are quite evil looking and they do swoop in low. Hope it doesn't catch any of your little birds.

Maryanna, how rude of people not to reply. Are these younger or older people?

That it is Ann :-D :-D.Just googled it..Noisy little devil

We had a SparrowHawk last year. I opened the kitchen windowblinds and it was sitting on the garden wall looking at me........ frightening, even through a glass window. It stayed there for almost 20 mins but I missed it flying off. It cleared all the other birds for quite a few days. Thank goodness it has never returned.

Kandj, yes one year a sparrowhawk so spooked the little birds we didn't see them for two months.

The SparrowHawk looks amazing close up but very evil with beady eyes and claw tallons
How is the holiday going Ann? Hope your daughter is managing to relax with you both.

I am very organized this morning and have filled the window and ground feeders and the two bird baths........ we are just waiting to see who feels, like visiting us today. It will probably be the same old blackbirds, hedge sparrows and of course the starlings.
It is nice to hear about everyone elses wild life though.... please share them with us.