| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| bridie |
Posted - 11 Jan 2010 : 09:51:48 AM
Im so relieved to see my little wrens are back on the fence today as ive not seen them for a couple of days they are attacking the fat balls along with the tits.
Yesterday while cooking lunch I made a giant fat cake stuffed with dried fruit, seeds and nuts.....all the bigger birds love it.
Ive also noticed my garden pond is thawing slightly today so have to watch my little dog Pippin as she has been walkng across it over the weekend.....naughty girl enjoys giving us a heart attack  .
Hope all your little birds are doing OK.
Mandy  |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Bebely |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 12:25:14 PM
I have a new visitor I couldn't identify. I looked through all my books but it didn't seem to be there. Eventually I found it - a moorhen! I was looking in the wrong place as it was under waterbirds and my garden backs on to farmland. I have got a pond but it doesn't seem interested in that!
It's been back every day for a few days now. |
| LYNDILOU |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 10:05:10 AM
My dogs dont chase the pheasents who mix with the chickens , like yours Nerusa they are very tame , trouble is they were hand reared for shooting by the local game keeper and they have little or no fear of humans great sport Hey?shooting animals who will not fly away
they are safe all the time they stay on my land, I wont allow the shoot anywhere near us! |
| alethea |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 09:57:12 AM
Lovely pics Steve!
We always feed the birds here, including ducks,swans, phesants, deer etc etc Its so lovely to see them all eating well, especially in the cold weather
Alethea
Aristotle Arabians |
| vjc |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 12:29:08 AM
fabulous pics of the greater spotted woodpecker!!! Birds are just so beautiful and deserve all our help through the winter if they are to survive and breed in the spring. |
| misterei |
Posted - 17 Jan 2010 : 9:57:58 PM
We have had two new visitors in this cold spell to our bird feeders, the goldfinches and this little lady, who turns up at the same times every day, in all about 8 trips a day.
It must be quite tough for them all out in the wild for them to come as far as our garden.
 |
| Quarabian |
Posted - 17 Jan 2010 : 2:47:15 PM
Oh lucky you. I keep trying to attract pheasants, but the dogs scare them. |
| Nerusa |
Posted - 14 Jan 2010 : 9:42:45 PM
I don't suppose pheasants count, but I feed some strays from the local shoot and love to give them a safe haven! They are joined by robins, chaffinches, a selection of the tit family, wrens, reed buntings, and a great-spotted woodpecker. In recent weeks, several bold rabbits have claimed a place at the ground-feeding station, and I love to have them so trustful to feed almost at my feet. |
| sab2 |
Posted - 14 Jan 2010 : 5:29:20 PM
Birdie made my fat cakes today and they love them my other half did coment that i never make him a cake told him he can buy his own birds can,t. |
| Quarabian |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 11:01:39 PM
Hurray!! I was rewarded with a nuthatch today.
That's blue tits, great tits, coal tits, chaffinches( my favourite) robins, blackbirds, woodpecker, bullfinches, dunnocks and field sparrows.
Oh and the buzzards and kites have two dead sheep in the field. I know it is sad that sheep have to die despite all the care they recieve, but we are supposed to take the dead ones for incineration. a) we can't get out and b) the buzzards have to eat too. Sorry if this is a bit gross. I hate finding dead sheep. |
| jaj |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 11:54:57 AM
Lynda, I am spending all afternoon sorting and entering invoices for darling hubbie's company and would rather be pottering with my ponies! At least I can sit in front of the log burner and listen to Radio 4 whilst doing it and periodically make more tea and watch the birds munching their food !
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| Eeyore |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 11:32:15 AM
The rabbits like to snuggle down in my horses field shelter, there is straw in there and of course the horses left over hay! There are so many birdies coming into the garden for food at the moment, it costs me a fortune to feed them.
My brother rescued a tawny owl that was injured on the road the other night, they must be so weak and hungry |
| LYNDILOU |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 09:59:44 AM
Jen you jammy so and so |
| jaj |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 09:20:23 AM
I feed my birds as soon as I've packed the children off to school, lots of trays of RSPB seed, fat balls, fresh water etc. Then spend ages gazing at them all coming to feed bless them!
My lovely friend text to say don't try and get up to the horses as roads awful again, she will feed and turn out. Ah joy! Another cup of tea and on with some work . |
| Pasha |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 09:02:44 AM
To be honest I think the Owls and Foxes around here will be fine as the poor little Rabbits are out in force trying to find food and they're so easy to spot in the snow - hoping they work out to go up to the haybarn and feast there! Feel so sorry for them! |
| gabriele ault |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 08:25:37 AM
obviously we are feeding all the little birds but what can be done to help owls - we have loads here and I just do not know what to do to help them |
| Rozy Rider |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 11:39:54 PM
First job after feeding and puttin the horses out..feeding the chucks and the birds in my next job..which includes some stray pheasants and a bunch of partridge..Now I'm down another cat, Sylvester checked out end of November and nows pushing up the daisies under the big tree in the garden..so down to three cats now and they are the three lazy ones and seen to be in front of the fire all day long, so I've feed the little birds on the patio.. I use this bad weather to empty the freezers of all the old food, brown loaves and cake, blackberries, rasberries and slows all taking up room..the birds love them all..nothing goes to waste here, as the chickens clear all the bits up...and then the birds clear all there corn up...
Sam (Arab fell over in the snow today and cut his back leg..quite nasty).
Sue |
| justine |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 11:25:53 PM
We are feeding our birds to bursting! The blackbirds wait each morning for more, they are soooo fat! others, bluetits etc are more shy but get plenty.
Ruddy squirels pinch fat balls! they are cute tho!
Pheasants eat horse feed spill.
Bizzare! Got puppies- maggies and crows first are eating our shavings-dog-dooo pile! OK, it makes sense but ewwwww!
Funniest thing, not bird related but, my mares hate foxes. In the snow foxes are clear. I watched my mare stalk a fox, she was ready to kill it! Lucky Mr Fox had a fence to escape. Funny, mares dont care about our dogs but foxes!!!!!! Nature is wonderful!
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| Quarabian |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 11:02:48 PM
Don't worry Gerri, for every bird that is lost to cats another 10 must die of cold and starvation. Don't blame yourself. At least yours died happy. Sorry if this sounds hard, I am a real softie and have rescued many little feathered friends from the clutches of the cats. Some you win, some you lose.
Lynda |
| LYNDILOU |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 5:34:15 PM
Gerri , dont get cross with yourself and the cats they are just following their natural instinct however , see if you can put the birds food out of reach of the cats ,high bird tables, nuts on brackets or maybe hanging from a branch on a tree, but at least you are trying to help the birds , good on you  |
| Gerri |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 5:06:00 PM
I bet you lot are going to think I am always crying..... but I did what you said and put more bread out for the birds and later when I went out to feed the horses, I went into the tack room and there was a body of a tiny little robin and also next to it another tiny bird, I was absolutely choked, poor little thing must have been so hungry and I signed its death warrant I screamed at the cats for being soo naughty, they have plenty of food, I felt physically sick, they were just so tiny, poor little things |
| Pasha |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 08:52:20 AM
Just a word of warning - I hung a fat ball off of our bird table which already had a fat cake on and my cat jumped up and grabbed the bird that was trying to eat it
Luckily for the bird, my devil cat brought it in in tact and mum rescued it! He even had a little meal of cat food before setting off again 
Moral of the story - make sure they are high enough that cats can't leap up and grab them!
We had a little fox on our frozen pond the other day, so he (and any other little starving meat eaters) are now enjoying felix finest |
| LYNDILOU |
Posted - 11 Jan 2010 : 10:12:49 PM
be patiant Gerri they need to find the food , make sure its safe , they often dont all flock down straight away , once they have found you as a source they will keep coming back , often traveling miles to get to you, give them time and you will be richly rewarded, |
| Gerri |
Posted - 11 Jan 2010 : 9:23:27 PM
I put bread out when the snow came as I saw lots of birds and wanted them to have some food but they did not touch it |
| Quarabian |
Posted - 11 Jan 2010 : 7:56:36 PM
I am so pleaseed to hear your bird feed stories. Don't forget if you run out of seed there is always something in the house or stable. Bread crumbs (you can slice it up thinly and also empty the toaster tray) or any muesli or seeds you have in the cupboard or coarse mix from the stables. Don't forget to turn over a bit of the muck heap for the robins and blackbirds to get worms. Some one mentioned this on another thread.
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| themewoman |
Posted - 11 Jan 2010 : 2:49:09 PM
sorry if i'm being slow but how do the birds know to eat it? it doesn't look like their normal food does it? |
