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[CLKD]

We have a strange mark in the snow in our garden, wonder whether it's a fox tail ..... but no footprints  also our old cherry tree has collapsed under the weight of a large montana and a climbing rose, more work next week when the sun comes out to sort the climbers from the old wood 

[dando]

Hi everyone

Can someone advise me please?  I had chicken breast for christmas lunch and there is some fat and skin left in the tin I cooked it in. Can I mix this fat with bird seed and put it out for the birds?  I looked at one of the posts above and it seems the birds will eat the chicken carcass.  This is just the fat but am sure the birds would welcome it in this weather.  Is it okay for me to feed them this?

Also, a friend who;s feeding the birds says that the squirrel in her garden appears to be unscrewing the top of the bird feeder and tipping all the nuts out onto the floor where, of course, he can get them better.  Same squirrel is also nicking the fat balls out of the trees.  Any advice on what  kind of anti squirrel device to use?  She bought the feeder which was supposed to be anti squirrel but the blighter has found a way round it.

Thanks

[CLKD]

It is difficult keeping squirrels out - it's going to be a grey one then?

As for chicken carcases, so long as there aren't too many cats or dogs in the garden let the jackdaws, magpies etc. have it, I've a duck carcasse to go out tomorrow.  I will probably hang it so that cat can't reach ...... or he will eat it all, he's not ours but a visitor.  Starlings too will pick over the carcasse.  Our birds were drinking melting snow the other day ........

[dando]

Thanks CLKD

I don't have the carcass but I've chopped up the skin so will put that out together with some seed and fat for the birds.  The neighbours have cats but in this weather, they tend to stay indoors.  We do have magpies and crows though but hopefully the little birds will get some of the food.  Yes, the blasted squirrel is grey.  The little blighter.

[Larney]

Was just coming home and nearly ran over a snipe or woodcock type of bird. Very surprising!

[Blue]

CLKD the mark in the snow could be a wing? We get them where a bird of prey/crow has tried to catch summit but missed. Would explain why no footprints.

I always put out fat from sausages/burgers etc, mix with any stale loaf etc. I keep my marg containers and just fill it up.

Had 5 or 6 pheasants in the calf shed next to house, pecking at straw bale. They all took off when i came round the side of the house, one stupid nit flew into roof, landed in piglet pen, up and hit roof twice more before she landed on a rafter She was lucky the pigs had been sleeping on the other side of the shed or she would have been Xmas lunch.

[CLKD]

I haven't heard anything called a 'nit' for years  ..... could be a bird of prey I suppose, no other marks in the snow.  Thawing fast this morning, our very large icicle crashed off the guttering this morning ......... everywhere is dripping.  No need to de-ice birds' water this morning, meat is pulled off the duck carcasse which is hanging for the starlings .........

[Pennyfarthing]

Topped all my feeders up today and the garden is alive with birds.  I have one of those lean-mean grilling gadgets and I collect the fat which runs out of sausages, bacon etc and the birds love that.  I just dollop it into an old container.

I bought a massive new peanut feeder recently and, as with anything new I put out, it takes "my" birds a good week before they dare to try it! 

[viv]

I love my little birds, but I have to admit to a guilty secret. I am rather fond of my grey squirrel too.
He comes and nicks the nuts and then takes them off to bury them under a tree. He pats the leaves back into place and bounds off. Ten mins later a cheeky blackbird comes along and eats the nuts. 

Viv
x

[Blue]

We had a red squirrel that came to visit, I put out nuts in an old cut down milk bottle, plastic.

He/she used to bang on the window if feeder was empty.

Sadly havn't seen the little fellow for a couple of years.

Greys all around us, suppose its a matter time before they come here.

Has anyone seen the DVD about greys learning to go through all sorts of anti squirrel thingys to get to food.
It was superb, can't remember name tho

[Trey]

Hi all,  We have a baby raccoon under our feeders.  He has no fear.  He is tiny and it is so unusually cold we are not running him off.  Also, I'm sick of Goldfinches - they are overwhelming and driving my bluebirds, nuthatches and cardinals off.  We have not yet put up our very expensive Droll Yankee 100% squirrel proof pole.  So far the squirrels have figured everything out but this looks interesting.  It's on the Droll Yankee website.  Our solution thus far is to dump yesterdays bits and pieces of seed over the fence (wrought iron fence so doesn't keep anything out really) and the squirrels seem to know they can eat there without the dogs chasing them.

[CLKD]

I remember the grey squirrel programme about how they soon adapted to all the different feeders; over wires, along fences etc. etc......... the only thing I won't encourage are squirrles and rats <waves to Trey> apparently there is a raccoon free in our area somewhere 

[Trey]

CLKD, we just couldn't help ourselves as this little guy is so darn cute and we saw an adult raccoon dead at the side of the road and fear it might be his mom.  I'm even leaving the feeders out at night (I had taken them in when a large raccoon was making such a racket that he woke us a 3am).  If the truth be known, I think we like animals more than the majority of people.  Except for the d*** goldfinches that are fine in limited numbers, but I get dizzy looking out my window - it's like a swarm of bees.

[Taz2]

I think you can get that DVD through Amazon Blue. This is quite nice to watch http://wn.com/Grey_Squirrel  You need to scroll down to number 8 to find one of a grey negotiating an obstacle course.

Taz x

[Larney]

Not long after the squirrel on tv, my dad put vaseline on the pole of the bird feeders. He managed to get a video of the squirrel leaping then slowly sliding down the pole- it was hilarious!! I'm thinking of doing the same thing here...