Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Busy Birdy Restaurant  (Read 3633 times)

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Busy Birdy Restaurant
« on: January 13, 2017, 09:29:38 pm »
Bird feeder outside kitchen window has been very busy recently,  Normally Great and Blue tits, robins, blackbirds, and wren(s?), Coal tits now visiting, never seen them before, female Chaffinch today, and a spotted woodpecker over the last few days.
Trouble is i spend far too much time watching  :).
« Last Edit: January 14, 2017, 01:40:24 am by penninehillbilly »

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Busy Restaurant
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2017, 01:20:31 am »
It's a bit like having a fish tank - mesmerising.  We have a peanut feeder and a fat block outside the living room window, and a seed feeder outside the bedroom window.  It's an excuse to stay a bit longer in bed, or to have an after lunch sit-down.


Coal tits are so tiny and delicate - I love them.  We don't see wrens on the feeders although they are around.  As well as the three tits, robin, chaffinches, house and tree sparrows, collared doves, blackbird, greenfinches, jackdaws, and the occasional sparrow hawk sitting on the top hoping dinner will come to her, there are dunnocks and yellow hammers on the ground underneath the feeders, mopping up the crumbs, sometimes a cock pheasant and partridges.  We usually have woodpeckers, especially when the chicks fledge and the parents come to show them the feeders, but we haven't seen any for a few weeks now.  Any day now we should get siskins - some years there are loads, other years hardly any.


We put out food for the wild birds all the year round, which is what the professionals recommend.  It does cost a lot though, especially when a family of jackdaws decides to demolish an entire fat block in one big squabble.


Keep watching out your window penninehillbilly - it's good for the soul  :thumbsup:
« Last Edit: January 14, 2017, 01:22:26 am by Fleecewife »
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Busy birdy Restaurant
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2017, 01:39:56 am »
The wren tends to be on the ground below the feeder, and i love the coal tits as well,  thought it was a mis-marked Great tit at first glance (stripe down the back of its head).
Going down to the sheep I'm almost mugged by a female pheasant,  she runs out from under a hedge, i can't resist throwing her a bit of mixed flake, then the male suddenly appears.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2017, 01:54:04 am »
One slightly weird thing we see is when a blue tit jumps off a feeder onto the window frame and starts drumming.  We thought at first it was looking for spiders and so on, but it just drums away with its beak on the echoiest bit of the frame.  We think it's some kind of display perhaps.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Cheviot

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Scottish Borders, north of Moffat
    • Hawkshaw Sheep yarn
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2017, 09:09:54 am »
Fleecewife, we have one that does that, jumps off the feeder and taps on the window.
Cheviot, Shetland and Hebridean sheep.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2017, 12:48:01 pm »
Fleecewife, we have one that does that, jumps off the feeder and taps on the window.


Do you think it is a display?  They also apparently do it on nest boxes but I've not seen that.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Cheviot

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Scottish Borders, north of Moffat
    • Hawkshaw Sheep yarn
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2017, 09:03:58 am »
I'm not sure, this one taps on the glass whilst looking in at us, maybe it can see it's reflection?
Cheviot, Shetland and Hebridean sheep.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2017, 12:16:06 pm »
Yes it could be that.   Wagtails go berserk at their reflection and attack the wing mirrors of our car.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2017, 01:17:27 pm »
Because of the bird flu I haven't been feeding the wild birds but I miss them :-(
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2017, 02:44:29 pm »
We used to feed them near the hen hut, but we put a feeder up in front of the kitchen,  about as far from the poultry as we could get, now we can monitor who is about, whether they look lively or listless etc.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2017, 04:12:11 pm »
Our wild bird feeders are all in the front garden which doesn't have access we use in winter to the rest of the smallholding.  We use the back door only for work, front door for garden, going out, visitors, and of course topping up the feeders.  Different footwear and clothing for smallholding only.  Good idea to monitor wild bird health from the comfort of your own windows  ;D .   Here they're shovelling down the feed, and seem to have all survived the blizzards and 5 inches of lying snow.  All gone this morning  :hohoho:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Busy Birdy Restaurant
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2017, 09:55:14 pm »
Our feeder is at the 'front' of the house, unused this time of year. The door, yard and access to animals Is opposite side.

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS