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[Taz2]

They sound lovely Trey - it's funny how close we can get to wild creatures - almost making them "ours" but at the same time knowing that we help them in their natural lives. The trail sounds a good idea!

Taz x

[Trey]

Hi Taz,  Don and I are in a rough patch right now health wise and I find I miss my rabbits (I've had three pet rabbits) so now I'm surfing looking for a senior rescue mini-rex.  I've got so much on my plate right now, but holding and stroking a rabbit is so calming.  One will probably just show up.  I'd prefer a baby to litter train, but I might not out live it so can't do that.  I love birds, even the darn sparrows, because two baby sparrows don't know they are supposed to be afraid of me and just sit there one foot away when I fill the feeder. 

[Taz2]

Hi Trey - sorry to hear that you are both having a rough time. Animals, whether wild or tame, can help us in many ways. A mini-Rex sounds lovely. Did you read my post - must be about a year ago though - where I found a rabbit while out on one of my walks? Maybe I will try and find it again (the post not the rabbit). I had to carry it home up my sweater - I was a lovely dwarf something-or-other and I took it to our local Rabbit Rescue. http://www.lecoeurrabbitrescue.co.uk/  I see that their site has not been updated for a few months though so I hope they are still going. Nobody ever claimed the rabbit so it was successfully rehomed.

As for the wild birds - I spend an absolute fortune on mine but they reward me with hours of pleasure. At the moment the goldfinches have brought me their second lot of young to admire - the noise they make though is enough to bring all the cats slinking to the garden - they just know there is a tasty tender morsel if they are crafty enough to escape me and my hosepipe! The blue, great and coal tits are flitting to and from the feeders and, of course, the chaffinches too. The starlings have just discovered that the remains of last night lasagne are on the birdtable - there are around twenty there at the moment - again very noisy! The magpie has had a verbal disagreement with the Jay - he is only young bless him and still trying to work out just what he can and can't eat. Young magpie is not too keen on him muscling in on his territory though. The robin watches mockingly and the sparrows are chattering in the apple tree - squabbling and chattering - but all will fall quiet should the sparrowhawk appear. Such an air of menace in the garden when she is around. Still I suppose my garden is like a MacDonalds fastfood fly-in point. 

Then there are the hedgehogs. There are four that visit the garden each night between 11 and 1 in the morning. They are different sizes and temperaments. They are greedy and so noisy when they eat. I just love the way they sort of bumble around the garden - one of them is very quick to run off though. They have surprisingly long legs and it looks just like a lady picking up her skirts and running off. It's like their prickles have a hydraulic lift system.

I hope that you have a good day today Trey and that your little sparrows keep you company.

Taz x

[CLKD]

Oh Trey hope you're not slipping off the mortal coil soon as rabbits can live 6-7 years.  My friend breeds Rex-type.  Pretty colours these days!
 

My robin and his friend a young blackbird were waiting by the French doors at 7.40 a.m. for their meal worms.  We spend a lot of money on bird feed but won't be bothering with pea-nuts this year as they don't seem to want them.  All those squirrel busting feeders I bought will hang empty  ........... the gold finches to go my neighbour's garden which is more open 20 yards down the road and eats their niger seed, they don't go on our niger hangers!

[Meggie]

Hi Taz

Lovely to hear about the animals.  Our chickens keep us occupied.  When we let them run around the garden (about 4 hours a day), they follow us around.  If we are at the table (outside) eating, they stand by the chairs waiting for scraps.  If we are sitting around talking they snuggle down under the table, as a pet cat or dog would do - it's really funny.  Last week I wandered into the house to go to the loo, turned to go through the doorway and there were 4 chickens, in a line, following behind - OUT, OUT, OUT.  If I could toilet train it wouldn't be so bad !!

Otherwise, passing through our garden we have Black Red Starts, Red Squirrels, Deer, Wild Boar, Jays, Siskins, Wag-tails, all varieties of Tits, Oriels (sp) (can hear their call but they don't show themselves) and Woodpeckers.

Meggie

[Eddie]

I got really fed up last season, the amount of grass that had sprouted from the bird feeders spill, i can't face that again, so i will get the suet pellets with all the beasties in them. Got my new pond all up and running now. Bought some sterlets, they are amazing. Eddie. x

[Meggie]

I'm sweating cobs having just come in from the garden.

OH and I have dug up a whole 40ft row of potatoes, 12 Onions, picked 20 Coer de Boef Tomatoes, Picked 3 Green Peppers, 1 Melon and 6 Apples.

This lot is only the tip of the iceberg and we figured better to do it this morning than attempt later when it reaches 33 + degrees and we can go in the pool to cool off.  Not a bad idea.

Meggie

[Taz2]

That sounds amazing Meggie - I can't imagine having enough energy to do all of that. 


CLKD - your post sounds a little morbid - do you mean that when you get to a certain age you shouldn't take on a pet in case you pop your clogs before they snuff it? As for the peanuts I have found that the ones I bought from the garden centres were not touched but now I am buying ones from Jacobi Jayne the bluetits cant get enough of them. Obviously it is not wise to offer them in the summer months anyway just in case there is a thick bird who tries to feed them to their babies. It is the same with the niger seed. I always bought mine from JJ but because of the higher cost decided to go with the garden centre brand instead. They weren't touched for a week. When I actually looked at them they were very dry and dusty so I replaced them with the more expensive stuff and now I have upwards of twenty goldfinches. Sunflower hearts are another thing they absolutely adore but make sure you get ones that are whole hearts and not gritty bits of hearts - they wont eat those.

Eddie - My grass is the same - a riot of sunflower seedlings - but I tend to ignore that and watch the brilliant goldfinches instead. I must admit it looks a bit of a mess though. The pond is disappearing under blanket and duck weed but the frogs and newt seem to be ok and the self-seeded fishes! It is just coming up to it's first anniversary - we could have a pond party! 

Taz x

[CLKD]

Not morbid at all - but rabbits live a long while and maybe Trey was suggesting she wouldn't be around long enough to care for one.

I haven't bought from JJ but have had her catalogue.  I'm off to Bird Fair weather permitting so maybe their Company will be there.  Certainly most of the others are.  Interesting point about the nuts, I stopped buying from various sources in Northants because the birds weren't interested.  Nor were squirrels 

I pulled the wheat/barley/oats which was self set from the feeders and fed to our 4 chooks who loved it    I hand pull blanket weed and scoop off duck weed from the ponds or it can cause lack of oxygen ........ our baby fishes [5/6] are growing, the bigger fishies didn't eat them after all!

[Trey]

Hi Taz, what a nice way to start our day-your post.  Today includes a serious MRI for Don for spine issues.

A reminder of our seasonal difference.  Our goldfinches not due here for months.  I bought two Droll Yankees squirrel proof feeders.  One is a total loss and the other is a kick as it is a tube with a plate attached with a spring and the squirrel gets on the tube slides down, hits the plate and it drops him off.  He's given up.  My rabbits live an extraordinary length of time (so I've been told) 11.5 years for one almost ten for one.  So I'll look for a senior to adopt.  I've had Harlequins and broken blacks and they are beauties. I love that you took the time to carry one to safety.  Reading of the other animals, our strangest one is the armadillo - like a prehistoric animal.  Alabama is quite wild with lots and lots of trees, brush and unspoiled land.  Snakes, too - not my favorite.  Well off to the hospital again-so tired of things medical, but shouldn't complain as many have it worse.

CLKD is right.  I am afraid to not outlive my animals.  Our wills have complete instructions for our two Rhodesian Ridgebacks (who are so family oriented) and taking on another is a responsibility as well as a joy.  I'm 71 and Don is 83.5 years.  Our families are long-lived.  My mother still driving at 95.  She, however, is waited on hand and foot and I more prefer being self sufficient-probably too much so.  It is so strange as one ages in years, the mind doesn't seem to change that much, but have to plan realistically.

[CLKD]

Morning Trey    armadillos, now that's something  I would love to see in the Wild, that and an ardvaark  and an ant-eater ......

Hopefully your Hospital visit will be OK and not as bad as you fear.  Will SO have to wait long for the results?  Is it far to travel for you?

Don't do snakes, dreamt about one last night  ......

[Taz2]

Good luck with Don's appointment Trey - I do hope that they find they can help him.

As for the rabbit - I couldn't just leave it as it was obviously a domestic pet. She was beautiful though. I will try to find my original post about it.... may take a while!

I have seen the Droll Yankee anti-squirrel feeders in action - very impressive the way they shoot the squirrel off. I wondered whether they would give up eventually. We have a squirrel who comes to drink from the pond and eats the birds sultanas.

Taz x

[Trey]

Hi again ladies, I added to my last post about age.  Thanks for the good wishes.  Don was the healthiest man until he split and artery in his brain and it was totally misdiagnosed by the major hospital he was airlifted to.  But he has come back a lot, but his back is causing lots of pain now.  One doc suspected something bad (the unspoken big c) so we are ruling that out today.  I am optimistic.  I love this thread.  Isn't it revealing how we all enjoy posting about nature and wild things (except snakes).  Such a nice release from all things medical so I will get back to birds and such.  Aren't we lucky to be surrounded by the beauty of nature and don't I wish we could all be as unconditional loving as most pets.

[CLKD]

What's a 'droll' yankee, OK I know it's a bird feeder but 'droll'  .......

I couldn't visit Oz due to critters and biting beasties  ........ I need to put fresh seed into the feeders soon.  Wild birds are unlikely to feed their young with bits of nut unless it's pecked into edible bits, I've watched the parent tits teaching their young on our feeders for years.  Never have the fledglings been given pieces too large to manage 

And as for that saying 'put a football on the pond to stop it icing over' well that don't work neither 

[Trey]

Hi CLKD, A Droll Yankees is a brand name of bird feeder.  Ridiculously expensive, but well made and lifetime guarantee (I think).  It was interesting on your point of what the little ones get fed.  The adult pair ate tons of nuts and fruit, but as soon as the babes hatched it was strictly worms/insects and now that the little ones are on their own they are at the fruit and nut feeder.  I dump the old feed each morning over the fence to divert the squirrels and I've just been watching two bluejays trying their best to get the squirrel to leave.  He's holding his ground.

Droll Yankees Bird Feeders
In 1969, Peter Kilham developed the metal clad tubular bird feeder, leading to a new and exciting approach in bird feeding durability. As an artist, engineer and inventor, he cared about using quality materials and innovative designs and created many feeders that birds loved and people found easy to use. The functional simplicity of his feeders preserves their place as the standard in the industry.

Droll Yankees Flipper
Yankees Flipper
   
Droll Yankees Tipper
Yankees Tipper
   
Droll Yanees Wipper
Yankees Wipper
   
Droll Yankees Dipper
Darn, could not paste the pictures.