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[honeybun]

It looks as if it's coat has been oiled.

It's real and just beautiful.


Honeyb
x

[CLKD]

Palomino is the colouring: however, with PhotoShop anything can be achieved. 

[Hurdity]

Flycatchers are back in our orchard! Lovely to see them again - they breed there.

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

We have them visit here very rarely …….. the 1st damsel flies are back, flying united, hopefully there will be eggs laid now that the weather is warmer …….. birds are singing.  Frogs are croaking or sitting around the edges of the ponds …

[Meggie]

We fence off our garden on 3 sides (can't afford the last bit yet) and arrived back from 1 week in England to find that the deer have eaten the apples from our miniature tree, stripped the strawberry plants as far as they can reach into the raised bed, had a good go at the fern on top of the carrots and nibbled round the lettuces - little critters.

Meggie

[CLKD]

They'll be already flavoured then Meggie, an over-night marrianated should do the trick nicely - into the over, 350 degrees - what time will supper be 

[Hurdity]

Greater spotted woodpecker has visited the bird feeders several times today and nuthatches reguarly now too including their babies!

Oh - and an enormous magpie clinging to the feeders too - I wondered why the fat balls were disappearing so quickly!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Saw the 1st dragonfly yesterday!

Magpies; 7 jackdaws ……….. drizzle …….

[Joyce]

House martins have built their nest above our front door. First time in about 8 years. Old nest was removed when we had new cladding done. They've been attempting it every year since & have finally succeeded. Have no objections, apart from daily mess on front doorstep.

[Taz2]

Wonderful news CG - how refreshing to have someone who will put up with the mess!

Taz x

[honeybun]

Years ago we had a house martin nest. We had a painter booked and I asked him to come back and finish one side when the chicks were gone. The mess was awful but worth it to see the chicks little heads popping out of the nest.

We let them build on three sides of the house but never above the front door 

Don't get them building on this house though.


Honeyb
x

[Hurdity]

We used to have them nesting against the side of the cottage cubagirl but not for a few years - not sure why?

Re the fatballs - I looked up on the web how to deter the big birds and stop them gobbling up the fat balls so quickly ( jackdaws and magpies) and someone had clipped two wire hanging baskets together (to make a sphere) and suspended the feeder in the middle. All the little birds can get through and feed in peace and the big birds stay away from the feeders....

Well I've done this (yesterday) and it's fantastic most of the time - although a very resourceful magpie alights on the hanging basket and hilariously pokes its head through the mesh and jabs at the fat balls anyway! They're not going down so fast now though -  and I think the jackdaws might have given up - but of course the big birds can find plenty to eat on the ground from all the dropped bits of fat, seeds and peanuts.

This is the first year we've left the feeders out after winter so it's been exciting to watch them all - I have never been 3 metres away from a woodpecker ( seen through the window)!!!

Hurdity  x

[honeybun]

We have a problem with the bigger birds too. They are hooligans and so noisy in the mornings. I will try that feeder idea as I have a couple of old hanging baskets in the garage.
The big birds normally go from the garden when they have finished feeding chicks.

Can't come soon enough 


Honeyb
x

[Taz2]

I've always fed the birds all year round. I think that if you only feed in the winter then you miss the best part when all the youngsters are brought to feed too. It helps the adult birds as they have a fast food source while foraging for food for the nestlings.

I like all of them - big and little - my starlings are wonderful at the minute. I counted over twenty young ones today. The magpies haven't done quite so well this year for some reason. We have two pairs visit every year and they each raise two to three young. This year they have only managed one each. The jackdaws are very noisy and greedy and the crows dwarf the sparrows on the bird table 

Taz x

[CLKD]

I had 11 jackdaws here last week at one time