Author Topic: our feathered friends,  (Read 481 times)

Alfred

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our feathered friends,
« on: Feb 12, 2020, 08:30:37 AM »
even at this time of year we have regular visits from starlings and pigeons, our son who lives a short distance away gets regular visits from a robin and blackbirds, although we encourage  them with nut balls, and coconut halves,

there is a park not far away from where I live , and there is plenty of birds about , how ever iv never seen an owl,  my wife loves them,
a few years ago in southend high street,.

 there was a man who walked the length of the high road with two owls on his shoulders and they were tame enough to let children stroke them they were absolutely beautiful to see and touch, as he bred them,.


Q; what visitors do you get, and what do you tempt them into your garden,

klondike

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #1 on: Feb 12, 2020, 09:11:32 AM »
We had all sorts when we lived in a village. Now it is mostly pigeon and starlings. We see some blue and great tits and occasionally others but we don't encourage them as there are far too many cats. Magpies can be seen but rarely if ever in the garden. Our most unusual visitor was a pheasant but that was a one off.
So long and thanks for all the fish

Sheila

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #2 on: Feb 12, 2020, 09:13:33 AM »
I love owls too.  We happened to pop into the Visitor Centre at our local woods one day last year and there was a man sitting there with a few owls.  A little tawny owl was looking at me and I asked permission to stroke her.  She was delighted and made sure that I knew to scratch her neck.

My poor husband was bored because I didn't want to leave and then, to add insult to injury, I asked him for some money to put in the box.

Another time one of my daughters gave me a voucher for a birds of prey experience at Stockley Farm and I had a lovely time.  There was a beautiful barn owl as well as other bigger ones and we were given gloves so that the birds could fly to us.  I have a lovely photo of my grandson very gently holding a little bundle of fluff (a baby barn owl).

crabbyob

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #3 on: Feb 12, 2020, 09:23:02 AM »
we had a kestrel killing a pigeon in our garden, now this is quite unusual as a pigeon is quite big for a kestrel...
then last year here in Goa, i was dining outdoors and a very large white owl came silently down the road just level with the street lights, i saw it several evenings, but non this year...so far
“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but as we are already here we may as well dance”

biglouis

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #4 on: Feb 12, 2020, 11:16:50 AM »
Apart from the usual greedy pidgeons I have magpies, starlings, sparrows and the occasional robin. On the four legged side (apart from numerous cats) I have urban foxes and squirrals and the occasional hedgehog.
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Michael Rolls

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #5 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:02:56 PM »
Apart from the crows, which are still around in abundance, I see very few birds at teh moment, despite having feeders out for them all year round. In the last week I have seen just one sparrow and one blue tit, whereas in spring and summer it is by no means unusual to see a mixed dozen, also including great tits, at the feeders at any one time.
Had a female kestrel perch on the fence for a while about a fortnight ago. See a buzzard - and very occasionally two - several times a week, although he has never been closer to the garden (I look out over farmland) than about 50 yards or so (although on the way down to the cemetery I have often been within 10 feet of one perched on a fence post.
A greater spotted woodpecker visits occasionally,  in summertime we sometimes see two males and a female. Oyster catchers visit the adjoining field, normally in quite large numbers, but this year just gone, never saw more than a handful at any one time.
The resident robin is seen most days and of course we have pigeons.
Driving near Glamis recently I saw a merlin for the very first time
Mike
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The older I get, the better I was!

zoony

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #6 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:18:03 PM »
Apart from the crows, which are still around in abundance, I see very few birds at teh moment, despite having feeders out for them all year round. In the last week I have seen just one sparrow and one blue tit, whereas in spring and summer it is by no means unusual to see a mixed dozen, also including great tits, at the feeders at any one time.
Had a female kestrel perch on the fence for a while about a fortnight ago. See a buzzard - and very occasionally two - several times a week, although he has never been closer to the garden (I look out over farmland) than about 50 yards or so (although on the way down to the cemetery I have often been within 10 feet of one perched on a fence post.
A greater spotted woodpecker visits occasionally,  in summertime we sometimes see two males and a female. Oyster catchers visit the adjoining field, normally in quite large numbers, but this year just gone, never saw more than a handful at any one time.
The resident robin is seen most days and of course we have pigeons.
Driving near Glamis recently I saw a merlin for the very first time
Mike


  As far as I can tell, all is good..The twin squirrels seem to be surviving well but neither is as attentive to me as their mum was..Robins, dunnocks and the sparrow gang make good use of the free food and the blackbirds are noisily healthy..I love my bird table being so close to the window especially when there's a new crop of sparrows with the cocky babies still begging to be fed by fed-up parents..
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

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klondike

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #7 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:27:36 PM »
I saw a merlin for the very first time
Mike
When we lived in the sticks one used to sometimes hide in a bush near the bird table then shoot out and grab a goldfinch or tit. Nothing like that here in the town.
So long and thanks for all the fish

Michael Rolls

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #8 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:29:16 PM »
Forgot to mention the blackbirds
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

crabbyob

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #9 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:31:12 PM »
no sign of mistle thrush Mike
or the Mavis as we used to call it
“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but as we are already here we may as well dance”

granny moss

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #10 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:53:15 PM »
 last year I saw a White blackbird ! Is it possible ? gmx

zoony

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #11 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:55:21 PM »
Yes Nonna..There are albino blackbirds though they're rare and don't normally survive for long...
"Listen to the wind, it cleans the mind."

"Never use money to measure wealth, son"

                                           cowboy wisdom.

crabbyob

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Re: our feathered friends,
« Reply #12 on: Feb 12, 2020, 12:56:16 PM »
yes i have seen several...
“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but as we are already here we may as well dance”