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[CaroleM]

The car park at our nearest shopping area has a beech tree which I have watched grown from a whip into a lovely tree.  Not very tall but lovely all the same.

Parked to one side of it I noticed a nest.  It was within reach at a stretch and I was concerned the local darlings would discover it and destroy it, just for something to do.  No one was sat on it and I had no idea if it contained eggs.  A few days later, I managed to park in the same space.  Watching me was Mrs Pigeon.  DH was in Iceland, so Mrs P and I had a chat.  I did tell her that she had built her nest in a very vunerable position and next year maybe she'd think about making it further up.

The next 2 times I saw the nest, neither Mr nor Mrs Pigeon were anywhere on nor near the nest and all I heard was a horrible silence.  We sat in the car for about 45 minutes, waiting to see if they appeared.  Neither did.  Two days later we did the same thing, still nothing.  We had to come to the conclusion that the nest has been abandoned.  We both feel very sad.

[Wrensong]

Brighteyes - 2 years in a row blackbirds have built a nest in the large, mature euonymus growing up a high wooden fence beside our patio doors.  When we saw the blackbird flying to & fro with nesting material, we stopped using the patio doors so she wouldn't be disturbed.  But each year the nest making activity has come to an abrupt halt & last year when we examined the shrub at the end of the year, inside was a beautiful, perfectly formed nest.  We were sad to think they had been put off actually using it after so much effort had gone into its construction.  The shrub is only a few feet away from the bird bath & adjacent to a beautifully scented clematis, so I wondered whether the female had chosen the site for its proximity to the spa!

[CaroleM]

Not a spa in sight for our pigeons, but the sushi bar, aka the pet shop, is close by for takeaway meals.

It's o disappointing when a nest either doesn't get used or nothing hatches.

MIL has 2 ponds. Behind the small one a female mallard duck made her nest. Mr Mallard kept her fed and comfortable, when she needed comfort breaks he sat on the eggs. They made a lovely view from the window. One day, she left her nest and Mr Mallard was seeing of maurading seagulls. The badger was obviously feeling confident and raided the nest.  When Mrs Mallard returned she found her eggs gone or smashed. MIL said the poor bird let out one almighty scream and after a few moments she flew away.  Animals do mourn.

We have lost several hens to a blasted badger, Clementine was the last. She had been dragged out of her home, a secure home we thought.  Heavyweight, pop hole reinforced, lid reinforced and padlocked.  Still it found her.  We heard Clementine give a scream that neither of us will ever forget. DH opened the front door to find badger still attacking her. He kicked and it went away. I was not allowed to see her, he thought it would be too traumatic.  The first attack was by a young badger, which was just as well, I trapped it in the run as it was trying to make a second lunge and scruffed the b....y thing.  DH opened the nest box lid and I let go, it did a 180° and scarpered. In the morning I took Georgina to be put to sleep. I'd sat up all night with her, hoping. The other two, thankfully, were alright.

Now any hunting creature has to get through a metal door, bricks and mortar, a security light and me.  We moved our girls into what originally was the potting shed, already in with when we bought here. It even has double glazing

[Wrensong]

Oh gosh Brighteyes, those are sad stories.  Your hens live in double-glazed luxury now though!  I would love to keep chickens but like the freedom of being able to go away without worrying about animals.  In-laws have an enormous garden & grow every type of fruit & veg you could imagine & MIL was looking into keeping hens a few years back, bees too, but nothing came of it - like us they didn't want to be too tied I think.

[CaroleM]

We have happy tales too. We have lots of slow worms in our  various comply bins. They seem very happy and are multiplying well. The slugs are not do happy.

We've had foxes playing with the apple trees, being hopeful. Mr Fox senior spent ages trying to 'hatch' our potatoes. He'd spend hours keeping an eye on the next generation from his favourite spot, laying out in the sun.

Before the hens we had badgers using our garden as a safe place to bring their young. One youngster got too interested in his surroundings and missed Mum and the rest moving off. At last it looked up, saw Mum disappearing into the distance. It ran as fast as it's little legs could go, almost yelling "Mum, wait for me".  We could do nothing but smile. As long as they stay out of the hen house we are delighted to make them welcome.

I'm slowly getting a new big pond sorted out ready for whichever wildlife who wishes to visit.

We don't feed the birds, all 4 of our cats are hunters and we don't operate a feline sushi bar. We do have nests in the ivy, which we do our best to protect and disuade our cats.  Pepper around the ivy has helped to stop the cats getting too close. I am highly allergic to ivy, so DH has to deal with that, despite the limitations his stroke has done.

We have a bug hotel. Found a nest of solitary bees, again though we to be careful because of me. I avoid it and the bees are left to their own devices.

I hope this balances thing up a bit, Wrensong.

[Wrensong]

Oh yes Brighteyes, the fox story is especially lovely!  I wasn't complaining btw - merely sympathising over the loss of your poor chickens.

[CaroleM]

A local dog, not under its owners control, took 3. The bloody thing was a real pest. It used to escape from its garden and has come close to causing major road accidents. I grabbed it off the main road, well, main for here that is, its lovely white teeth missed me by an inch. It growled at children and went for dogs. The first time I met it was in my drawing room. It was right behind out sweet little Suzi, a blue Persian cat.

The next visit to us ended up with me having to take Alice hen to the vet to be put to sleep. A neighbour caught up with it and gave it a good kick in the ribs. It then let go of Alice. Whist I was at the vet, its owner appeared, having realized her dog was AWOL. I went down and being so angry I was ice cold, had polite words. I also got the Police involved, poultry come under the livestock legislation. She got a formal warning.

Our next encounter was when he attacked 2 more hens, killing both. They were happily enjoying their own front garden. It came up our back garden, around our home and into the front garden.

The final encounter was when it chased Peter and Tabitha, 2 small cats . I was in our bedroom, which faces the road. Peter came tearing across our window sill. As I got outside little Tabitha came running for her life. She was so scared she had wet herself. I went for dog which took off.  Its owner wasn't too enchanted to be told that the next time her dog attacked any of our animals, she'd get it back in a black plastic sack.  My fear was that it might attack Stephen.  His stroke meant he cannot defend himself.

Somehow the message that her dog was dangerous, uncontrolled and causing havoc, just didn't sink in. "He's such a sweet dog." OK, to the family that might be true, but anyone else or any other animal was liable to be attacked. Another visit from the Police eventually got the message through. It horrified her to learn that legally I would be within my rights to shoot her dog.  Since I don't possess a shot gun, or any other, that wouldn't happen, but I would be legally allowed to do it.  For once it was good to know the Law was on my side.  Anyway, she sold up and moved. I feel sorry for her next neighbours!

Loosing a hen to a badger I hate, but I can understand that the badger has to eat, especially if there are young in the sett. To loose them to a dangerous, uncontrolled and out of controlled dog is quite another.

Our animals meet a variety of other animals. Cats, friend's dogs, the odd rabbit etc, so are fairly laid back around other animals. Large birds overhead do alarm the hens though.  Our girls are cheeky, forever up to mischief and have a life most hens dream of.  Ours are pure breeds, but once everything gets sorted out in the garden, we might well get a few rescue hens too.

[Wrensong]

Sounds a lovely idea to rehome some rescue hens Brighteyes, I hope you manage it.  We had neighbours a few years ago with a large, dangerous dog.  It got into our garden once or twice & I was instinctively afraid of it, but the owner assured me it was harmless.  However shortly before they moved out, the dog attacked a passer by, so my instinct was correct.  I do like dogs, but when loose they always tend to make a beeline for me & as I'm quite slight, if they're large it can be a bit scary!  About 20 years ago we were followed for a couple of miles while walking along a beach in Greece by a dog that wouldn't stop jumping up at me - I was in a bikini & was afraid its claws would do some damage.  I try not to make eye contact these days as someone told me dogs feel threatened by anyone staring at them & as I have quite large eyes & they always seem to come straight to me rather than OH, I've sometimes wondered whether this is why!  This may be nonsense of course - I've never owned a dog so know very little about their behaviour.

[CLKD]

Why did you put up with it Brighteyes?  I would have had the Dog Warden (not Police) involved the very first time  .

A Farmer is legally allowed to shoot any dog that he 'thinks may be about to or is seen to be worrying Livestock'.  A member of the public is certainly NOT allowed to shoot a dog/animal because it enters their garden or property.  You person who wants to keep guns has to have an up-2-date Firearms Certificate for each weapon which has to be kept under lock and key: both of which R checked annually by a member of the local Police.


The owner of the property has a legal requirement to make sure that their garden is securely fenced if they are keeping a dog, regardless of temperament.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act (can't remember which year) a 'dog can be deemed out of control in a public place' which means a Police Officer or Dog Warden can, if safe to do so, remove the animal, if necessary, by shooting it.  A Public Place under the DDA and more recently UK Gun Legislation and Drug related Laws, can be your car, your garden, your property ...........

Lots of people rescue battery hens.  Yesterday I saw small jumpers knitted by local ladies to cover up bare chicken bodies until their feathers grow back in ..........

Dogs jump up to be fed. The bitch takes food to her litter and regurgitates it for the pups when she is weaning them, jumping up is not a sign of affection but "Feed Me Now"!  I use my knee forcibly when jumped up, sometimes it works and makes the dog get down.  Eye contact reaction depends on the temperament of the dog ......... a good kick with a welly will work but one doesn't usually wear those with a bikini ...... 

[Wrensong]

I think the sight of me in a bikini would be quite enough to send any creature running in the opposite direction these days CLKD.  With or without wellies!

[CLKD]

Leave off the bikini then   

I can hear tits squawking close by but haven't seen many birds, think they are off moulting 

[Hurdity]

I would love your nuthatches Hurdity - they are exquisite little birds - have only ever seen one here once in the garden that we can remember, and not that many more in a lifetime - mainly in woodland.  Is your woodpecker green or spotted?  These only visit us once or twice a year in the coldest days of Winter & always spotted, never the greens.

Greater Spotted are the ones - they breed round here as we back onto open fields and live on the edge of a small village in rural SW England, and now come to the feeders every year during the breeding season. However we haven't seen or heard the Yaffle at all recently. They used to visit regularly and feed on our patch of semi-wild grassland at the back but now you've got me thinking and wondering whether we haven't had them for a few years - definitely not this year.

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

We have dragons 

[CaroleM]

CLKD, I don't possess a weapon nor would I want to do so.

The Police had had other reports about the dog. Each time the Dog Warden went to the property, said dog was absent apparently staying with owner's daughter near by. Dog Warden went to daughter, dog absent somewhere else.

Because the dog had attacked my hens I was told by a friend who is a DI, that our girls come under the Livestock legislation.  It is because our hens were attacked that I would legally allowed to shoot the dog and on those grounds alone. Unfortunately the dog's owner just could not understand that her sweet little dog was actually dangerous. I'd witnessed 3 very close encounters, dog off lead, uncontrolled and serious road accidents just avoided. One time, I grabbed the dog before it did cause a very serious accident.

Dog did bite a child, thankfully the skin wasn't punctured.  The Police were very aware of the dog as was the dog warden. She'd encountered the dog once.

When it chased 2 of my cats I went outside. Peter came across our bedroom window will as fast as he could. Little Tabitha was terrified and when I managed to pick her up she'd wet herself. I did inform dog that if dog came over, it wouldn't be using its legs to get home. I was so angry and upset that my outburst was spontaneous.

Unfortunately the buck stopped with the owner and she wasn't responsible enough to own a dog. It's rarely the dog, it is always the owner.

[CaroleM]

I'm looking for suggestions.

A while ago the lovely man whose property shares a border of 12 feet at the bottom of our garden was having excavation work done. All well and good you might think. Not so.

He'd decided that he didn't want to pay for the proper removal of the spoil. He told his contractor to break through our boundary, build a ramp and proceed to dump, wait for it, 200 tonnes of rubble and spoil in the bottom of our garden. To do this, they destroyed our mini orchard and the graves of 3 very special cats. We were out all day, so were told about it when we got home. As you can imagine, we were not best pleased.

I drove down to his home and arrived just as he did. When I am really angry I go icily polite, he got it in full freezer mode. Not a rude word came from me. He said he knew nothing about it. His neighbours promptly put a lie to that, they'd challenged him and were shocked by his smirking attitude.

Cut even longer story short, a site meeting was arranged for the next morning. Much to the surprise of householder and contractor, I was waiting for them. What they didn't know was that I had already taken legal advice. One of them was going to pay and I didn't care who. They agreed to sort it out, including reinstating our pond!

We now have a one scoop mini digger hole which I will enlarge, even if I have to sit on the ground and use a trowel.

If you were going to start a wildlife pond from scratch, what plants would you choose?  I'm asking because in a way I'd like to share the creation of this new pond with all of you. It's something positive to come out of meno and I hope that by helping with it's creation, using your ideas, it can, hopefully, give all of us something to focus on when things look very dark.

Bright eyes.