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Mary Chambers
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« Reply #240 on: 15:12:24, 12-06-2008 » |
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My son tells me that in his Norfolk garden there is a wren's nest in the shed, swallows in the woodshed, and moorhens nesting by the pond, all with babies. Wish I was there!
I know there are nests here as well - we definitely have baby great tits, dunnocks, collared doves and magpies - but I can't see the nests.
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A
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« Reply #241 on: 23:21:05, 12-06-2008 » |
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The robins are happily feeding from the feeder hitched onto the window, so - very near, that's nice. Long tailed tits in the garden yesterday.. a flock as usual.
I went visiting the other day and we had a coffee in the garden, I felt a bit rude being distracted by a beautiful wren that was very busy fluttering along the hedge. They are , I think, my favourite bird, their shape is so well balanced somehow!!
A
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Well, there you are.
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MabelJane
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« Reply #242 on: 23:53:15, 12-06-2008 » |
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I went visiting the other day and we had a coffee in the garden, I felt a bit rude being distracted by a beautiful wren that was very busy fluttering along the hedge. They are , I think, my favourite bird, their shape is so well balanced somehow!!
A
A. my class all know now that the wren has a little sticking up tail - it features, as do other birds, in a Lear limerick we've been learning this week: There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, "It is just as I feared! - Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!"  They immediately recognised the wren in Lear's illustration. |
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Merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #243 on: 09:34:57, 13-06-2008 » |
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Just seen a goldfinch out of my backwindow in N16.
Sparrows prolific in Devon. Never see them here now.
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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A
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« Reply #244 on: 14:29:17, 13-06-2008 » |
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DB, I was very lucky with goldfinches in South Manchester, so interested to hear they are around here darn sarf. they love sunflower hearts if you want to encourage them.
There are more sparrows around here apparently now. They seem to be coming back I think,but there was a horribly bare patch a few years ago.
A
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brassbandmaestro
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« Reply #245 on: 14:33:23, 13-06-2008 » |
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With my parents be moving house, they have asked if we would like to have their bird table, as they wont have room in their new place. Ofcourse, we said yes. be quite good to see what birds be coming into our garden, at their own risk with our cat. Although he has'nt caught any lately. Thank goodness!!
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Andy D
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« Reply #246 on: 15:08:06, 13-06-2008 » |
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but there was a horribly bare patch a few years ago.
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Janthefan
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« Reply #247 on: 20:06:57, 13-06-2008 » |
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We've been aware of a Buzzard hunting non-stop all day in the hedgerows around us. Flying very low and looking for all the world like a barn owl in flight.
Must be feeding a large hungry brood somewhwere !
x Jan x
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Live simply that all may simply live
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Andy D
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« Reply #248 on: 18:57:26, 15-06-2008 » |
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If you listened to the tribute to Humph on Radio 4 today, you'd have heard that he was a bit of a bird enthusiast. They played the following excerpt:
You know when you think of witticism only 24 hours too late? I was being interviewed by a guy in Scotland called Jack something-or-other, and he started the interview, because one of my hobbies listed in my thing is bird watching, so he said "So I hear that you're a bit of an ornthin… orthinologist…". And halfway down the M6 the next day, I thought I should have said "not so much an orthinologist, more of a word botcher."
(on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Dec 6th 2000)
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Janthefan
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« Reply #249 on: 21:34:28, 24-06-2008 » |
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Today I finished up the 15kg sack of sunflower hearts that I was grumbling about re:the price rise ( £19 to £33 in one jump!)and I've just looked back to see that it was 4th June when I started it.
It has only lasted 20 days.....OMG !!!!!!
x Jan x
ps I've a gorgeous pondfull of damselflies at the moment ....at least they dont require feeding.
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Live simply that all may simply live
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MabelJane
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« Reply #250 on: 21:46:48, 24-06-2008 » |
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Today I finished up the 15kg sack of sunflower hearts that I was grumbling about re:the price rise ( £19 to £33 in one jump!)
Still cheaper than Waitrose! One of my sons eats them by the packetful. Presumably there must have been a poor harvest hence the huge price rise - or a sudden increase in demand? Blame Bill Oddie! Did anyone else see the awful sight of Spring Watch's male swallow methodically dropping all the tiny just-hatched chicks out of the nest? He can't have been the daddy and was doing what male lions do when they join a pride. Very sad. That poor female swallow. I haven't seen many of this season's programmes but they do have some remarkable footage at times. |
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Merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.
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David_Underdown
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« Reply #251 on: 15:49:02, 26-06-2008 » |
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Increased demadn due to the interest in bio-fuels I think I read somewhere.
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David
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Janthefan
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« Reply #252 on: 21:21:39, 26-06-2008 » |
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You're right David....biofuels to blame.
My swallows are having a great breeding season so far....there are 5 nests scattered between the barn, woodshed & garage, all with young just flying over the past couple of days.
x Jan x
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Live simply that all may simply live
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perfect wagnerite
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« Reply #253 on: 21:42:38, 26-06-2008 » |
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We have greenfinch, blue tit and great tit fledglings in the garden at the moment ...
... but unfortunately, after a blissfully squirrel-free spring, the little grey barstewards are back in force, and I managed to chase off one this morning that was trying to get at a (remarkably oblivious) young blue tit on one of our trees. I know it's the circle of life and all that, but I can't see the squirrels as anything other than destructive interlopers. Unfortunately the other members of the household seem to regard the little buglers as "cute", so my rantings and mutterings about the squirrel menace fall on deaf ears.
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At every one of these [classical] concerts in England you will find rows of weary people who are there, not because they really like classical music, but because they think they ought to like it. (Shaw, Don Juan in Hell)
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