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[CLKD]

Oh how lovely, did it 'pip' as it flew down the river?

[CLKD]

Got bit on  my arm yesterday think it was a lady-bird  the area itches like fury at times

[Trey]

I have to share what I've learned about our crazy bluebirds.  They are spending so much time at our nesting boxes.  Honestly, you'd think it was May.  Googled and found that the theories for this behavior are: they think it is spring because of the cool weather, they are house hunting for next year, they are practicing.  A guy in Minnesota (cold) said he's had five in an empty house during some extremely cold winter nights.  I absolutely love my bluebirds, especially the one that OH had to push back into the nest box so mom could feed her other three bird fledglings. 

[CLKD]

Maybe they are getting used to being together ready for the colder weather?  Our wrens apparently although solitary throughout the year, will all chose the same nesting box in order to keep warm.

[Taz2]

http://www.bto.org/news-events/press-releases/god_rest_chilly_gentle_wren

Taz x

[CLKD]

Thanks!

[ricky]

Just got home and there is a feeding frenzy going on with the bird feeder.

Loads of Tits and a sparrow having a good old go, they have not bothered for a few months.

  I wonder if this is a sign of something? They also have not touched all the berries in the garden yet.

[Taz2]

It's a sign that the natural food is beginning to get more scarce. The berries are eaten by some birds but Tits are insect and seed eaters rather than fruit and the Sparrows don't eat the berries in my garden preferring seed or the grated cheese I put out for the Robins. Do you know what type of berries they are?

Taz x

[CLKD]

RObin is hungry. I know 'cos he's on the window sill tweeting at me, bobbing and turning his head side to side  - off to find some meal worms 

[Gobe]

There is a bird that seems to have taken up residence somewhere outside my bedroom window.  I hear this bird singing into the wee small hours.  Quite a sweet song.  Any ideas what type of bird this could be?  I have ruled out the magpies and sparrows since I know their songs.  Could it be the robin since the songs have only started up since it came back?

[Taz2]

Robins sing at night Bex. It's not always their daytime song - sometimes it is a soft warbling. Beautiful.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/watchingbirds/behaviour/nocturnalsong.aspx

Taz x

[CLKD]

My Robin has kept me company all afternoon, I've been weeding nyger seedlings out of the flower beds  they are real thugs!  I have given him meal worms and chased off the starlings who came to investigate, as a reward he's been singing sweetly.  Himself is up a ladder severely pruning an ash tree with the help of our neighbour, I'm keeping out of the way and have told said neighbour that he'll need to do the Hospital trip should Himself fall  - don't have time and certainly can't miss Strictly 

It's 17 degrees today! 

[Gobe]

That's the song I hear Taz!  We also have a street light just outside our bedroom window.  Mystery solved. Thank you.

[Meggie]

Well, our chooks are really pushing their luck.

They are now almost 2 years old and are letting us down big-time .......... only 1 or at best 2 eggs a day from 6 chickens is not enough.  Or am I being too hard on them, is this the norm - does anyone know?

We know the black hens have stopped laying and they are losing their feathers - it looks like they've been involved in a pillow-fight when we let them out in the morning.

1 Grey bird just isn't bothered  -  she sits in the nest, makes out she's laid, looks back and there's nothing there - time wasters eh CLKD?

Looks like they are heading for the pot !  Anyone got any good Recipes for well looked after chickens?

Meggie

[CLKD]

Wind  .  Our first 3 were hybrids so layed for 4 years without a break, except when moulting and only then they did a partial moult.  The final one of those girls did a full moult all through that cold, snowy weather  so I kept her in deep straw litter and fed her indoors - then she upped and died in March  aged about 5.

The current 3 are pure bred: Black Rock, Speckedly and a Bluebell so when the latter went into moult, the others stopped laying too ...... hormones