Feeding the birds

[dune]

Anyone else put bird feeders up or has a bird table?

 

This morning i've had 3 goldfinches (had to look in a book to find out what they were ha ha), a robin, loads of sparrows and blackbirds.

 

When we had the snow i looked out the kitchen window and there was bloody heron stood next to the pond. I set my dog on it and being the stupid animal that he is he didn't even see it till it took flight.

[sotonjoe]

rule 1

[hamster]

You should see the wildlife in the garden where I work, it's lovely to watch so many different species sharing the limited food available following that cold spell. During the snow, we had a lear patch about a yard square and birds (like Robis) were taking turns with al th eothers to have a forage.

 

Naturs is such a beautiful thing and all too often we are in too much of a rush to notice hte beauty benetah our very own noses.

 

Good post dune, good post.

[dune]

I love watching the blackbirds, they spend more time protecting their territory than actually feeding. The wood pigeons are plain thick trying to gey into the bird table down the roof. Eventually they work out that they can get in at the side, but the next time they return they forget. Poddle-ies (as i call starlings) make me laugh the way they walk - ugly looking things too. Robins are cool as they are small but hard as **** and very brave. The goldficnhes are the only birds that i've seen on the plastic Niger seed (thistle seed) feeder and not seen them on the nuts or the wild bird seed. I'm a bit worried that these seeds are gonna set in the ground though! I've not seen any thrushes though, come to think of it not seen any thrushes for years.

[Thedelldays]

isnt this some sort of dance move..?

[hamster]

We've had blue tits and great tits apparently.

 

Must confess to not knowing most of them, but they are fascinating creratures.

 

My fave too is the Robin, he reninds me so much of myself, the Alan Ball of the bird World.

 

*Cue the childish comments about tits.

[stardustonmyfeet]

what's wrong with herons?

[dune]

what's wrong with herons?

 

They eat fish.

[TopGun]

what's wrong with herons?

 

Dune probably has goldfish in his pond.

 

Herons are great when they make an appearance in urban areas like mine, always two. But they are looking for fish.

 

I agree with Dune (which is rare) that it is lovely to see different types of birds doing what they can. I have put some feeders out in my garden too.

 

I chuck all the bacon/meat fat into one can with a bit of string all the way through, heat it up and bung bits and bobs in like veggie leftovers, and pull it out congealed and hang it in the garden..... the birds love it!

[Dog]

Shoot the heron and bury it in garden.

 

Scum

[Weston Saint]

We have Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Starlings, Long Tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Carrion Crows (enjoying the snails), Magpies, Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a Tawny Owl in the tree at night to name but a few.

[Dog]

Just jackdaws, sparrows, bantams and the odd sparrowhawk.

 

I saw a robin yesterday eating a worm standing on the wheelbarrow.

[St Landrew]

My garden is in a terrible state, at present, although I think the wildlife prefer it that it way. This year, I'm going to have to spend some time getting it back into order, so that I can appreciate the goings on of nature.

[hamster]

They eat fish.

 

does that make me a Heron?

Edited 6 February, 2010 by hamster

[hamster]

Dune probably has goldfish in his pond.

 

Herons are great when they make an appearance in urban areas like mine, always two. But they are looking for fish.

 

I agree with Dune (which is rare) that it is lovely to see different types of birds doing what they can. I have put some feeders out in my garden too.

 

I chuck all the bacon/meat fat into one can with a bit of string all the way through, heat it up and bung bits and bobs in like veggie leftovers, and pull it out congealed and hang it in the garden..... the birds love it!

 

Thanks mate, you just made me hungry, that should be on the Recipe thread imho, sounds loverly

[TopGun]

We have Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Starlings, Long Tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Carrion Crows (enjoying the snails), Magpies, Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a Tawny Owl in the tree at night to name but a few.

 

That lot plus other animals might be loud at night. I'd hope that you wouldn't oppose a wind turbine on that basis, should it come your way!

[hamster]

Just jackdaws, sparrows, bantams and the odd sparrowhawk.

 

I saw a robin yesterday eating a worm standing on the wheelbarrow.

 

What the ****!! a worm stood on a wheelbarrow!!! I've heard it all now.

[TopGun]

Thanks mate, you just made me hungry, that should be on the Recipe thread imho, sounds loverly

 

£3.80 at at Zorbas in Bedford Place!

[hamster]

£3.80 at at Zorbas in Bedford Place!

 

Do they speak English in Zorba's? They'd better do, they'd ****ing better do if they expect me to eat that foreign ****.

[TopGun]

Do they speak English in Zorba's? They'd better do, they'd ****ing better do if they expect me to eat that foreign ****.

 

And I want some c**t who speaks English in the taxi after I'm sick!

[Weston Saint]

That lot plus other animals might be loud at night. I'd hope that you wouldn't oppose a wind turbine on that basis, should it come your way!

No room for a wind turbine. Too many bloody birds

[hamster]

And I want some c**t who speaks English in the taxi after I'm sick!

 

Really ****es me off when I want to order a Chinky and the bird on the phone repeats my order back to me. If you spoke proper Ingrish you wouldn't have to bump my phone bill up and waste my precious time.

 

And don;t start me on those bloody Romans.....

[hamster]

And I want some c**t who speaks English in the taxi after I'm sick!

 

You can sleep safe in the knowledge that if said taxi driver speaks english to the standard required, he will by default be a c*** also.

 

They have little signs stating the fact to help the hard of thinking nowadays anyway so fret ye not.

[OttawaSaint]

I put out sunflower seeds for the finches (American Goldfinch and Purple Finch). We have woods out back so I get a few woodpeckers (Downy, Pileated), Northern Flickers, Blue Jays, Nuthatch, Cardinals, Chickadees, Sparrows. My favourite of all of the ones that I see is the pair of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds that came by daily to drink a sugar solution I made for them and put in a special feeder. They came by every day all summer, amazing little birds, I got a real kick out of them coming back day after day...

[saint boggy]

Really ****es me off when I want to order a Chinky and the bird on the phone repeats my order back to me. If you spoke proper Ingrish you wouldn't have to bump my phone bill up and waste my precious time.

 

And don;t start me on those bloody Romans.....

YEH!, what have the Romans ever done for us,eh?????

[TopGun]

I put out sunflower seeds for the finches (American Goldfinch and Purple Finch). We have woods out back so I get a few woodpeckers (Downy, Pileated), Northern Flickers, Blue Jays, Nuthatch, Cardinals, Chickadees, Sparrows. My favourite of all of the ones that I see is the pair of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds that came by daily to drink a sugar solution I made for them and put in a special feeder. They came by every day all summer, amazing little birds, I got a real kick out of them coming back day after day...

 

I saw a BBC prog where this guy in the US somewhere makes sugar drinks for some species of bird that migrates from Mexico to New York. He is on some half way point but the birds all know it. And they arrive en masse like starlings to his pumping station each time. Amazing.

[OttawaSaint]

I saw a BBC prog where this guy in the US somewhere makes sugar drinks for some species of bird that migrates from Mexico to New York. He is on some half way point but the birds all know it. And they arrive en masse like starlings to his pumping station each time. Amazing.

 

Wow, that sounds crazy, I just mix a little sugar and water, heat to dissolve it etc. I only do this because the hummingbirds don't like the store bought hummingbird food (picky eh?).

[TopGun]

Wow, that sounds crazy, I just mix a little sugar and water, heat to dissolve it etc. I only do this because the hummingbirds don't like the store bought hummingbird food (picky eh?).

 

My cats are too damn picky about their litter too! The cat flap is two metres away!

[badgerx16]

I go down the garden every morning to feed my chickens

 

Apart from that, there is a nesting pair of collared doves in our laurel tree; various small species of bird through the year, ( blackbirds, thrushes, blue-tits, coal-tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, robins, etc ); owls in the field at the back, and in the spring and summer months pipistrels and horseshoe bats. We even, once, had a pair of lovebirds, presumably escaped from an aviary, perched on the telephone wire.

[TopGun]

I go down the garden every morning to feed my chickens

 

Apart from that, there is a nesting pair of collared doves in our laurel tree; various small species of bird through the year, ( blackbirds, thrushes, blue-tits, coal-tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, robins, etc ); owls in the field at the back, and in the spring and summer months pipistrels and horseshoe bats. We even, once, had a pair of lovebirds, presumably escaped from an aviary, perched on the telephone wire.

 

 

How many chickens?

[Huntingdon]

My next door neighbour has a bird table, our cat loves it

 

He's left 2 mangled Sparrows in the kitchen recently

[badgerx16]

How many chickens?

4, loads of genuinely free-range eggs, freshly laid

[TopGun]

4, loads of genuinely free-range eggs, freshly laid

 

What do you do when you go on holiday?

[badgerx16]

What do you do when you go on holiday?

Daughter is 27, elder son is 20 - they sort their own holidays out, and are reasonably trustworthy.

[Dog]

Do you have a big co(k ?

[ericofarabia]

How many chickens?

 

I didn't think you were supposed to count your chickens

[badgerx16]

I didn't think you were supposed to count your chickens

It's alright, they had already hatched before I bought them.

[Thedelldays]

Daughter is 27, elder son is 20 - they sort their own holidays out, and are reasonably trustworthy.

magaluf it is

[BadgerBadger]

Was enjoying a beer in the garden last summer when a Sparrowhawk landed in the trees at the bottom of the garden, invited itself into a congregation of sparrows and duly plucked one the little fellas and dispacthed him right there and then - all but 30 feet from me and my beer. Awsome sight.

[Hamilton Saint]

We have a metal birdfeeder that is set on top of an iron pole. There is a conical baffle under the feeder that keeps the grey squirrels from climbing the pole to the feeder. It works perfectly. We stock our feeder with black-oil sunflower seeds.

 

In the winter we normally get house sparrows, house finches, black-capped chickadees, northern juncos, cardinals, downy woodpeckers and red-breasted nuthatches.

 

Our feeder has a brilliant counterweight system. You set it so that when birds over a particular weight land on the perch, a barrier comes down and blocks access to the feed holes. This is important because we have pigeons ('rock doves") in the neighbourhood. Without this safeguard, we would have a flock of about a dozen of them in our garden - and they'd clean out the feeder in a day or two.

[ericofarabia]

I go down the garden every morning to feed my chickens

 

Apart from that, there is a nesting pair of collared doves in our laurel tree; various small species of bird through the year, ( blackbirds, thrushes, blue-tits, coal-tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, robins, etc ); owls in the field at the back, and in the spring and summer months pipistrels and horseshoe bats. We even, once, had a pair of lovebirds, presumably escaped from an aviary, perched on the telephone wire.

 

That reminds me of a few summer's back, viewing a feeding station from a hide at Pennington Park near Leigh. All the usual suspects were there, various finches, tits, robins, wrens, blackbirds, pesky magpies, even a couple of pheasents and some coots strolled in (!) when all of a sudden a ring tailed parakeet joined the magpies :smt119.

 

We told the park ranger and he said it had been making appearances there all year, presumably escaped from being somebodies pet and had joined up with the gang of magpies and followed them all over Bizarre.

[SNSUN]

Being the good son that I am, I bought my mum a bird table for Christmas. My sister and I think she is going a bit weird, she'll sit for hours watching the birds. Each to their own I suppose.

[JustMike]

feed the birds and what do you get? fat birds! ;-)

[hamster]

Here is a true story:

 

One sunny afternoon whilst strolling through London I decided to buy some food to feed the pigeons later that day. I went into a corner shop and purchased a packet of corn.

 

Later that day, whilst walking hand in hand through one of the parks we approached a large pond with ducks and pigeons everywhere, on and around it. I pulled the packet from my inside coat pocket, opened it and proceded to offer a handful to mrs h.

 

"You can't feed them THAT!" she told me firmly. "You idiot, you've gone and bought POPPING Corn" I laughed (lolling had not yet been invented) but she pulled her hand away.

 

In disbelief I continued to pour the corn into my own hand.

 

"You'll kill them, it's POP corn, they'll explode" she shouted hitting me on the arm.

 

Up unitil the point where she gave me one of those 'looks', I thought she was messing about, but she was extrememly serious. It was one of those looks, the ones they give you to let you it is time to back off. I duly backed off.

 

The 'pop' corn went into the nearest bin and we continued our romantic weekend away, never to revisit the subject.

 

Then a few months later whilst out with friends I remembered it all, I wrongly assumed that this was an amusing anecdote that would be enjoyed by all. WRONG.

 

A hefty elbow to the ribs followed our friends laughter, confirming to me that mrs h did indeed not possess the same sense of humour as myself.

 

If ever anyone reading this meets the amazing mrs hamster, with my blessing please ask her about the time she saved the lives of the London's birdlife.

[Jillyanne]

feed the birds and what do you get? fat birds! ;-)

 

[pilsburydoughboy]

If anybody has the pleasure of visiting Kew Gardens make sure you pay special attention to the tree tops.You will be amazed how many parrots and other tropical birds have made it their home after escaping from their cages or avairys.

[31cc]

If anybody has the pleasure of visiting Kew Gardens make sure you pay special attention to the tree tops.You will be amazed how many parrots and other tropical birds have made it their home after escaping from their cages or avairys.

 

My Mrs used to live in Richmond, when I first went to her place she said to look out for green parrots. I thought she was kidding but sure enough they are like sparrows in that part of SW London, the Bill Oddie programme a couple of years ago showed literally hundreds of them nesting in woods around there.