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Post by Jasmine on Feb 2, 2009 19:30:17 GMT
We had an amazing selection of birds round the bird table at one point today - a pheasant, a wood pigeon, a nuthatch, a robin, the gaggle of long tail tits, a jay and our blackbirds (Mrs Blackbird has one white tail feather so she is easy to spot). The pheasant was very ruffled about it all and started fluffing up its feathers and tail and darting about.
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Post by Jasmine on Feb 2, 2009 19:30:51 GMT
We had an amazing selection of birds round the bird table at one point today - a pheasant, a wood pigeon, a nuthatch, a robin, the gaggle of long tail tits, a jay and our blackbirds (Mrs Blackbird has one white tail feather so she is easy to spot). The pheasant was very ruffled about it all and started fluffing up its feathers and tail and darting about.
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Post by Ladygardener on Feb 5, 2009 14:13:27 GMT
Befor I even left for work this morning the 2 thrush were in the garden, in the snow looking for more food. The other day I saw what looks like a starling in the garden too. My Daughter is hoping to come visit this weekend and I'm hoping to get my bird table brought up. I really could be doing with it. ;D
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Post by maggy on Feb 5, 2009 14:47:05 GMT
I was just looking at the Aldi specials this Sunday they have bird feeder hangers and bird boxes for £5.99 I think.
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Post by maggy on Feb 5, 2009 21:15:47 GMT
Oh and one with a camera set up not sure how but that one was £35.99.
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 18, 2009 19:21:54 GMT
Little update, I've finally gotten both bits of the bird feeding table. My Daughter Jenny brought them up when she came to visit at the weekend. I've had the top part for a few weeks but only just got the stand. The thrush have been inside it eating the mixture of seeds and suet pellets I leave for them and the little tits come and eat the peanuts, not sure if they're eating the fat balls but hey it's good to see them if only for a short time. The blackbird comes really early around 6 30 and has a forage at the bottom border where I've put seeds and fat and suet for him and her. I'll take a pic of the table tomorrow. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif |
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 19, 2009 19:16:07 GMT
as promised, here is a pic of my bird table in the garden today.   |
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Post by Juliet on Mar 19, 2009 20:38:30 GMT
That looks good, LG - nice and sturdy I'm interested to know whether you have cats in the area, and if so, whether having those feeders hanging from the table quite low down mean the cats come into your garden more, to stalk your birds? I'm asking because we were looking at one of those poles with bird feeders hanging from it, on special offer, but it's quite a short pole - the feeders would only be a couple of feet off the ground - and we were worried that if we get it, we might just be putting our birds in range of the local cats. I'm also now trying to work out (roughly) where in Belfast you are - those chimneys in the background look familiar! I used to know Belfast well, but haven't been there for a while - I think it's changed a lot since I last visited. |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 19, 2009 20:41:36 GMT
Juliet, you can get extender poles for the pole bird feeders that makes them a lot higher.
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Post by Juliet on Mar 19, 2009 20:57:13 GMT
I had wondered about that - thanks MRH - will have to see if I can get measurements & see if one would fit (I don't think the pole I was looking at is one of the usual makes, but you'd think they'd be a standard sort of size, wouldn't you?).
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 19, 2009 21:20:28 GMT
It is good and sturdy Juliet hopefully it will withstand the winds we get at times. We do have cats in the area, the lady about 6 doors up has about 3 and there's a black one which I see around sometimes. In the past I've managed to hiss at them if they come inside the gate. I have a cat of my own but he's a house cat and sits at the window watching the birds and making a strange sound. They are'nt in the least afraid of him.  Those chimneys near the stainless steel looking building belong to The Royal Victoria Hospital, you may have seen them on tv news or something. The new hospital which you can just about see was built about 8 years ago. |
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Post by Juliet on Mar 19, 2009 22:50:29 GMT
Thanks LG. Birds seem to know which cats are safe, don't they?! Unfortunately there is - or was - a cat around here which is really bad for chasing birds - I think it's left out at night, as R has often caught it sitting in our Prunus (which is where our bird feeders are hanging at the moment) first thing in the morning. It also poos on top of the heather in our front garden  - why it can't go in the soil like other cats, I don't know! I'm guessing it's a tom and its owners haven't had it neutered - I wish they would, and that they'd get it a collar with a bell and keep it in at night. I must have seen the chimneys on TV then - it's more than 8 years since I was last there. There was a programme about there being lots of new building works in Belfast a while back, which we watched with interest, as I've spent so much time there - so I expect I saw them on that. I've stayed in that part of the city a couple of times, years ago - so I might well have walked down your street! I love Belfast - I used to spend all my days off there when I lived in Northern Ireland |
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 20, 2009 7:32:39 GMT
Juliet I'm happy to hear you have good memories of Northern Ireland. Belfast is a good place to live and any friends and family who come visit from the rest of the UK seem to like it too. Cats are a nusence in the garden especially if they belong to someone else, although I do love my little guy I won't let him into it. I think I've been jinxed by saying the cats in our street mostly leave me alone. This morning early I looked out the window to find one of the toms eying up the bird table and sitting on the wall. I went out and hissed at it and it ran away. Will have to be vigilant, I have seen the thrush this morning after that so hopefully he's not seen the cat. |
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Post by Jasmine on Mar 20, 2009 7:36:57 GMT
Have you had any other visitors to your bird table LG?
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 20, 2009 8:11:34 GMT
morning Jasmine, I've got the thrush and 2 little blue tits also eat from the peanut feeder which is hanging on it. I do get visits from a male and female blackbird but they eat off the ground where I have dishes puit out for them. That's it so far. Maybe as summer comes I'll get more. There are allotments not far from me and lots of places with trees and berries which I'm sure they're visiting. I have to say, my neighbour a few doors down was saying the other day how she loved to see the thrush visiting and she's starting to hang up feeders to try to get birds into her garden. |
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 23, 2009 7:52:24 GMT
as promised, here is a pic of my bird table in the garden today. Well that looks fab LG and I'd say well worth the wait ;D Sounds like the birds are happy with it too. |
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Post by Chuckles on Sept 2, 2009 8:01:56 GMT
My neighbour has been wanting a bird table/feeder for a while now. She had the stump of an old conifer in her garden which had been chopped down a while ago to about 4ft ish, the remains were two trunks. So, in true Chuckles style we rummaged in my wood stash and got two off cuts of decking board, 4 pieces of that half round stuff that you can get for edging borders and some nails. Hey presto 10 minutes later she had a feeder. The birds love it and as you can see they sit on top of my trellis waiting to feed.   |
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Post by Ladygardener on Sept 2, 2009 14:20:53 GMT
My neighbour has been wanting a bird table/feeder for a while now. She had the stump of an old conifer in her garden which had been chopped down a while ago to about 4ft ish, the remains were two trunks. So, in true Chuckles style we rummaged in my wood stash and got two off cuts of decking board, 4 pieces of that half round stuff that you can get for edging borders and some nails. Hey presto 10 minutes later she had a feeder. The birds love it and as you can see they sit on top of my trellis waiting to feed.  How wonderful, well done you. Great pic too deserves POTM for sure. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif |
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Post by snowowl on Sept 3, 2009 20:48:54 GMT
My neighbour has been wanting a bird table/feeder for a while now. She had the stump of an old conifer in her garden which had been chopped down a while ago to about 4ft ish, the remains were two trunks. So, in true Chuckles style we rummaged in my wood stash and got two off cuts of decking board, 4 pieces of that half round stuff that you can get for edging borders and some nails. Hey presto 10 minutes later she had a feeder. The birds love it and as you can see they sit on top of my trellis waiting to feed. How wonderful, well done you. Great pic too deserves POTM for sure.   So that is were all the little sparrows are :DThey have disapeard from around my way. |
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Post by purplejulia on Sept 3, 2009 21:32:34 GMT
How wonderful, well done you. Great pic too deserves POTM for sure. So that is were all the little sparrows are :DThey have disapeard from around my way. Lovely photo Chuckles. The sparrows look so cute.  |
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Post by Missredhead on Sept 5, 2009 17:09:47 GMT
What type of food do you have on it Chuckles?
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Post by Chuckles on Sept 5, 2009 18:50:29 GMT
What type of food do you have on it Chuckles? It's not my table Missy it's my neighbours, I made it though. I think she puts a mixed seed on it, one of those that suits most birds. Thanks for the nom's everyone  |
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Post by Chuckles on Oct 2, 2009 9:27:47 GMT
I've had two small feeders out over the warmer months and have only been putting out a minisqoul (prob don't spell it like that but it sounds ok ;D ) amount of seed. As it's getting colder I thought I'd better get sorted so I've cleaned all my feeders this morning and also ordered a 20kg bag of seed from Dobbies www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/gardman-seed-supreme-20kg-a04428.html I used up the last I had today and it takes some carrying on the bus and down the road home even if you buy the smaller bags. |
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 7, 2009 23:14:47 GMT
07/11/09 Tip of the DayOld seed congealed in birdfeeders is a potential source of infection. At this time of year as you pay more attention to feeding, clean the feeders and the surface of the table from time to timeGreat TOTD Moley, I gave mine a soak today. With all this damp wet weather the seed had started to congeal in the bottom and if you don't clean it out it goes mouldy 
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Post by Dutchy on Nov 8, 2009 17:00:50 GMT
;D That is the advantage of simply putting the food on the floor or any bench or the fat bulbs in one of those spiral wire thingies. Cleaning happens often or is not necessary But I like the idea of using those horrid half round border roll as you did. Much better use and krikey there are zillions of birdfeeders one can use one such a roll for. ( minuscule you meant me thinks, took me sometime to figure it out with my Dutch background ;D  ) |
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 8, 2009 20:14:46 GMT
Thats it Dutchy, minuscule ;D your english is fab, better than mine ;D
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Post by JennyWrenn on Nov 10, 2009 6:11:54 GMT
Last Christmas my GF bought me a wonderful bird feeder station - the bottom was underplanted with spring bulbs and on top winter pansies - it also had a tiffany solar light embedded into the "garden" section Sadly - we have many cats round here - it was also the local play station - so I have had to stop putting food out So often had to take an injured bird to the local wild life hospital  There is no where else safe I can put it either - the last casualty was a wood pigeon and I just love to hear their coo coo in a morning |
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Post by Jilly on Jan 8, 2010 18:48:24 GMT
I don't usually put food out for the birds as even though my two cats are luckily useless at hunting I'd feel terrible if they caught something just because I'd encouraged it in. However I feel that this weather is an emergency (the cats are shut in at the moment anyway) & lacking any proper feeders etc I've cleared of the patio table, stuck it in the middle of the garden, away from any undergrowth & just put out some leftover pastry & some raisins. I looked out this afternoon, nothing had found the table yet, but there were a pair of Fieldfares on the Cotoneaster, I've never seen them before, I was only expecting to help out the local Starlings & Sparrows i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif Jillyx |
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 8, 2010 21:04:02 GMT
How wonderful Jilly, I've heard there are lots more birds coming into gardens than usual because of the cold weather. I'm putting down extra ground feeding myself as well as the usual bird table things and hanging fat balls seeds and nuts. I put out cereal today and bacon rinds too. |
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Post by Jasmine on Jan 9, 2010 7:59:38 GMT
I've been putting out bacon rinds too LG. I also filled a big old flat tin with food for ground feeding birds. I was a bit worried it would just get lost in the snow if I threw it on the ground.
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- why it can't go in the soil like other cats, I don't know! I'm guessing it's a tom and its owners haven't had it neutered - I wish they would, and that they'd get it a collar with a bell and keep it in at night.
