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[CLKD]

Firecrest is our smallest bird.

At 9.30 a.m. the wren was nagging me as I walked onto the patio with my breakfast 

[Hurdity]

Lots of birds up on Dartmoor on easter Sunday! The sky was filled with singing skylarks, meadow pipits and the cracking sound of stonechats. Also saw wheatears too, and of course lots of chiff-chaffs about singing every day now. Haven't seen a swallow yet though....

Hurdity    x

[Taz2]

Good to hear from you Hurdity!! 

Lots here about firecrests and goldcrests. Goldcrests are the smallest although they both weigh the some.. apparently.. http://www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id/goldcrest-firecrest

Taz x

[CLKD]

Anyone noticed how lovely the magnolias are this Spring?  Fortunately there haven't been too many frosts to spoil the blooms nor high winds South of Brum. 

[CLKD]

Also - watching the rooks making their nests in the very TOP of those trees and seeing the herons recently, again in the very TOP - I have decided that I wouldn't make a very good bird ……. and I don't like being shut in so wouldn't be a very good rabbit/stoat/weasle/otter/badger 

I don't like the cold so Arctic hare is out.  If I were a cat I expect I would be in a back alley somewhere rather than on a cushion with cream.  Can't stand the heat so being an animal in Asia wouldn't work either  ……

So that's a hamster then ………. I feel like I'm going round a wheel sometimes 

[dazned]

We have a swallow ,well two actually,making its nest up on the ledge of the covered eating area ! It's almost finished by the look of it.

[Joyce]

Rabbits have been having a go at my azalea. Bought it specifically as it says they don't like the plant. So been searching on how to deter them. Watered down Tabasco is supposed to work. Mind you I nearly expired spraying the area. Inhaling chilli causes asthma attack.  Rabbits have been digging down through slate covered area where plant is too. Sat & watched them the other night, they just looked back.

[Taz2]

Glad you survived the spraying!!

The rabbits round here have had a bad time of it over the last two years with a resurgence of myxomatosis so, although I can see how frustrating it must be CG, I would quite like to see a bunny staring back at me. Horrible disease.

dazned - sounds like you are in for an interesting Spring. Are they swallows or housemartins? We used to have lots of housemartins here but they developed the lane and they lost their mud supply so after a couple of years of landing on the tarmac and looking confused they moved on.

Taz x

[dazned]

I think they are swallows  not sure really. 

[Taz2]

It is quite difficult to tell. The swallow makes a next like a cup and the housemartin's is totally enclosed with only a small hole to get in and out of. This might help http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22527420

Taz x 

[Taz2]

Good news - "my" cuckoo Derek has made it safely across the Sahara and is now in Morocco http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking/derek.

Taz x 

[Janelouise]

What a great topic I would just like to say that I have 6 camera nest boxes up and at the moment I have a great tit and a robin nesting  in different boxes of course lol. The Robin has laid 5 eggs and the great tit has none yet! hopefully soon. I still have the tvs on now and both are safe and roosting. I cried my eyes out a couple days ago as a goldfinch hit our window and died.We tried to save it but theres was nothing we could do it broke my heart
I love all things connected with nature and had the Privilege  of watching 5 blue tits raised successfully  last year.

[purplenanny]

Ooh, I would love a camera for the blue tit box. Are they easy to set up? Presumably they are wireless, but can I use my laptop?
I am not technical at all but the thought of watching those beautiful little birds would be great.
Poor goldfinch, horrible when they do that, our pigeons sometimes hit our windows, it must really hurt but they are bigger so usually survive

[CLKD]

Swallows have very long tails  - I think I saw one this afternoon but we were driving quite fast 
Hedgehog pooh seen regularly.
Tadpoles have wriggled into the water from the spawn
Rabbits are seen as vermin as they do so much damage, as do badgers, moles and rats ……..

Do you view your camera boxes via the TV Janelouise?  I know there are some systems where a corner of the TV can be activated when something clicks in the box as the bird flies in and out ……. but they are quite expensive.  We have a trail camera for outdoor use which we can down-load onto the laptop the next morning.

[Janelouise]

Hi purplenanny and CLKD
We bought cctv cameras on Amazon/ebay they cost from £8 upwards then my husband made the boxes but you can buy them online quite cheap. He fixed the cameras high up in the boxes and then with the wire its attached to the cameras and comes through the windows into the back of the Tvs. We also have a quad splitter which can display 4 cameras on one screen

You can also buy ready made camera boxes for your computers online. Some are as cheap as £35 on amazon.
I'd love a trail camera