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[CLKD]

Everything needs to survive but I understnad how you feel, we have wood pigeons and doves of some kind ... as well as those birds I want to feed  -  a week ago we had a bull finch pecking off clematis buds and seed heads and they can strip a fruit tree in a couple of hours so no blossom that year .....   but he was a beautifully coloured bird 

[residualheat]

Fed up with feeding all the pigeons and starlings in the neighbourhood.  I’ve been trying to encourage birds like robins, blackbirds (my favourite) and the smaller birds but as soon as I put anything out, which is twice a day, the hoovers come down and everything is gone in 60 seconds.  I’ve been putting out porridge oats or muesli in lard with nuts and sultanas and dried mealworms.  And the bloomin’ magpies – thieves.  They take the food and hide it.  Thinking about not bothering any more. 

Sleepless

Hi Sleepless, something I've seen used is what looks like an upside down hanging basket that only the little birds can get into. I don't know if that's what it is, or if they are specially made, but they do work. I'd guess you might have to peg it down so the bigger birds don't just toss it to one side, the great brutes

[Meggie]

I had one of the hangy down feeders and guess what, it was hilarious watching the squirrels and yes, they hung on with their tales and got the seeds.  I also attached fat balls (not being rude here) to the rotary clothes line and one morning I got up to find the squirrels had gnawed through each of the lines and they were hanging down like limp spaghetti ...... the fat balls had gone.  They're incredible creatures.

Love to watch the birds though.

Meggie

[CLKD]

Hubby and I took advantage of the Sunday sunshine to clean out the top pond of water, mud, dead frogs and plants, gave it a thorough washing and topped it up.  Once the weather warms up a bit I will switch on the circulatory pump and get it mixed.

[Meggie]

It's a sign Spring is on the way when we feel like doing things outside.  We feel much more alive when it's bright and fresh don't we?

Meggie

[Taz2]

No!!!

Taz the Winter Lover x 

[CLKD]

Of course we do - birds are singing, frogs are moving about at the bottom of the pond, nights are pulling out 

[Meggie]

............ and all being well, the Wren that keeps nipping in our log pile will have a nest and Wrenlets (as hubby calls them).  How cute.

Meggie

[Taz2]

Not quite yet though Meggie.....with a bit of luck mine will too and by then I will have got used to lighter evenings and all that spring stuff!

My robins are being most uncharitable to the wagtails - the chaffinches hate them too - poor wagtails.

Taz x

[CLKD]

Here the wag-tails were boss in the very cold weather, seeing off the robins when ever they landed close to the meal worms.  I spotted wren doing her rounds over the weekend too!

[Meggie]

We have 2 sun terraces around the outside of our house and a Thrush has been on the edge of one of them, showing interest in the sunflower seeds which have fallen out of the feeders.  She's  beautiful.

Yesterday too, a Blue Tit was found outside the French Windows on its back, legs in the air, you know what I mean.  Hubby picked him up and his little heart was beating so fast, he turned him so he was sitting in his hand and we stroked him for 2 or 3 minutes, he stretched his legs, wriggled around a bit, looked back and forth at us (as if to say "Who the hell are they") and then ....... he flew off.  It's not often we get the chance to touch the little fellas is it?

Meggie

[CLKD]

Glad the bird was able to recover.  I have silouhettes on our windows but they still manage to bang into the glass 

[Sleepless in London]

Thanks for the suggestion Residualheat, I'll have a scout round.  I know everything wants to survive and I won't give up feeding them, I just wish things were more evenly distributed.  It's a jungle out there. 

Sleepless

[Meggie]

Must be going dyslexic - took me ages to find this part of the Forum ....... ought to put it down to having one or two drinks last night and being a little "foggy" this morning.

Hubbys bought a Chicken Shack for 4/5 chickens - Henrietta 1,2,3,4 & 5 !!

Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook ...............got to practice !!

Oh Dear - anyone got one of those wrap-around coats they take you away in?

Meggie

[CLKD]

Nope but we have 4 chickens: Mabel, Cinders [a bluebell], a black rock and a speckeldey.