Hobbies and Crafts

Did anyone watch the gardening programme last night. Pam Ayres was on it, she likes to attract wildlife to her garden. She took a plastic bottle (like a squash bottle) and cut the narrow top off. She then took stems like cow parsley and others that were dried out and hollow and packed them into the bottle cutting them of across the top to one length. This she laid on the ground, she said it would provide shelter for all sorts of insects which would eventually attract birds to the garden.

Morning...just a quickie:)

Loads of W/pigeons in our garden lately with one odd one out in the middle, the Stock Dove:))
3 robins earlier having a punch up, started early !!
2 blackbirds
2 chaffinch
loads of sparrows
and still the occasional call from the parrot :)

Must make one of Shaun fat feeders.

jude :-D

Came home to empty feeders after two days away, greedy lot they are.

Shaun please keep the snow there thanks.

Ann
I'll take your advice and leave it a bit longer then.
We have a tree in the garden and used to hang feeders from there but it meant OH had to do it as I can't reach!!!
I can reach the new one and was hoping to encourage my little robin to venture closer to the house so I didn't have to go down the garden in winter to feed it with mealworms.
We'll see what happens as the weather gets colder.

My french lavender is flowering again and right beside it are daffodils in bud.
One of my grips about Chelsea is that you see flowers planted side by side that aren't usually out at the same time.:-S
How wrong can you be !!!
Take care
Von

Would anybody like some snow, I don't mind sharing and can soon blow some your way.
Night Night to you all.
Shaun

Jane....Well trained chickens:)

AnnCardiff.....Strawberries, blimey:)

Linda....don't believe you...lol

This morning l heard a sort of shreiking, looked alround, was about to go in and get the bino's when a green parrot flew out of the big fir tree...presumably one of those wild parrakeets....never seen them here before. Or someone has lost a green parrot:((

Its flipping cold here, whats it like where you lot are??

jude :-D

Good evening everyone
Saw some red kites when driving to Windsor again today.
Visited my brother and he said he had picked raspberries this week !!! Unbelievable.

Linda xxx <3 <3 <3

very much so!!!!

What????? Ann...are they edible ?

I picked strawberries in my garden this afternoon!!!!

Next door has some chickens in one of those triangle shaped enclosers .I looked out my bedroom window this morning to see a Magpie being quite agressive at the netting /wiring.All the Chickens were just stood there (inside) telling it to B***** off lol.The Birds have been very active and noisy today.Think it might be the cold weather kicking in.

Von how long has the feeding station been in its present position? I wouldn't move it for a while as the birds take a long time to accept and get used to things when new.

Most of our feeders are hanging in the apple tree but we do have a small feeding station holding two feeders in another position plus a second bird table down the garden away from the house.

I don't have a feeder station.But spread all the goodies around the garden.I have a couple of Peanut wire ball things ,Coconut Shells,and the wire cages with Fat cakes.They are hung from the branches of the trees.
Lots of Robins around today :-D :-D

Linda
I had one of those for my birthday. Sadly not a bird in sight.
However there were little long tailed tits on the bushes this morning so I'm thinking of moving said feeder.
I still don't regret having it though.
Take care
Von

Saw red kites along the M4 today travelling to Marlborough, they were being mobbed by crows, poor things. A few days ago we saw one almost land on the road infront of us near Windsor. Very spectacular.

I have decided I will ask for a bird feeder station with hanging feeders and water bowl for Christmas and put it infront of my patio doors so I can see the birds easier.

The sunflower seeds disappear faster than I can fill it, mainly to the goldfinch.

I'll try to get back and add soon

Linda xxxx <3 <3 <3

I have to be honest Ann ,I do love the squirrels .But they are just so greedy .It's amazing to see the way they can contort themselves just to get to the nuts.Hanging by their toenails at times lolol.OH doesn't like them as they dig too many holes in the lawn :-S :-S

I do envy you the red kites. We bought an anti squirrel seed feeder to keep the pigeons and doves off and it works, perhaps that is what you need for the peanuts. Unless you are happy feeding the squirrels.

Will have a peek at that Ann.
I have neglected the thread just recently :-S :-S.Naughty me :-|
Lots of activity now in the garden with the small birds.But the peanut feeder seems to have been taken over by the Squirrels :-S :-S .
One lonely Pheasant seems to find it's way to our garden.It just potters around and then disappears.
Lot's of Red Kites around again ,and very low!.Must get that camera out again.

Have a look at Prickly Holly's thread entitled Twitcher and watch the video of the Eagle Owl.

Shaun...your lovely moth photo's are on the blog:)

The last time we saw Goldfinches was about 11-12 yrs ago at the Pulbourough RSPB, feeding on the feeders right by the gate into the garden bit of the building/coffee/shop...all those people passing back and forth and the G/F just carried on....dear little birds.

Saw a Siskin flying about on way to Dorset:)

jude