Grow Your Own Magazine

ha ha

it flew across the lane a few yarsd in front of us and was in the headlights for a second or two I guess, but pretty obvious what is was.

As to cats torturing, well yeah I know it looks grim (and is grim if you are on the wrong end of it!). I think "torture" is imparting them with human emotions - they play with a silver ball in much the same way. My own take is that they are "practicing", honing reflexes etc, but who knows?

My cats have taken a few birds, but I figure that I help more than I hinder with all the food I put out.

My cats and the pheasants seem to have a mutual respect: they just walk around each other a few feet apart, but if the pheasant breaks "the rules", then Spitfire or Hurricane give them a half-hearted chase just to re-assert who is boss!

Cats are also v useful if you grow veggies: there are loads of rabbits in the fields around my patch but not a single lettuce has been nibbled. May have something to do with the 15+ rabbits caught this summer (and that was just one cat!).

Kind regards,

Nick

What was a Barn Owl doing driving back from the pub? ..... sorry!

He'd been down there trying to get the autograph of the Famous Grouse

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I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person

The owl was driving because I was over the limit

They don't help though

I cleaned all the feeders out last week and filled them up and put them out, within 3 minutes I had Collared dove, 3 sorts of tits, starling, blackbird, thrush. dunnock, robin, goldfinch and a woodpigeon - they obviously remember me from last year

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

There are 6 blackbirds fighting over my back garden at the moment ... dad and all his babies. He keeps chasing them away, and they keep coming back, bless.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

The darlings (starlings) are back, and there's a very plump and healthy looking female blackbird tucking into the windfall apples.

We moved the bird food metal 'tree' nearer the house this year, and I have seen just one great tit on it - we thought we may have moved it too close. This morning there was a young crow pootling about under it, then on it - picking up mealworms. It then came onto the patio (not a very big patio) and totally ignored me and OH standing about 6 feet away. He is either very brave or very stupid (or very young).

I've never seen one that close, so perhaps we haven't moved the feeders too near to the house, there are just no birds about yet. I have seen/heard a mixed throng of great tits and long tailed tits - seen them from the bedroom window and on the top of the trees and heard them everywhere. Perhaps they are just not hungry enough?

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Nell

I cleaned all my feeders and filled them 3 weeks ago and it took them 3 minutes to remember they were there !!! I had Great Tits and Robin on the fat balls whilst I was still filling my big feeder up!!

Re-filled the big one yesterday ( It holds 6kg a time!) and the silver birch was alive with Long tail tits. So they are definitely starting to re-appear round here!

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

We had a bluetit & a robin at the lottie today~mental note to take fatballs up on next trip!Also saw a couple of greenfinches there the other day.

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the fates lead him who will;him who won't they drag.

Happiness is not having what you want,but wanting what you have.xx

A robin has just started visiting us ...you can feed robins on fat, cheese, sultanas, breadcrumbs, and cake, but their favourite food is mealworms (from reptile shops).

I hated the shrubs in my new front garden, but the birds are using them as perches so they can stay.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

It's really early, I'm so tired but can't sleep ...
but all the birds are just getting up, so I don't mind so much. I can hear something tweeting sweetly (not robin, not blackbird, seagull, cockatiel*, nor starling - that's the extent of my birdsong identification skills)

* there was an escapee on the roof yesterday, silly beggar wouldn't come down to be caught though

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

The spadgers are back in the village this last weekend. From having a full seed feeder which stayed full for weeks, it was emptied in a few hours. I love all the LBJs. (Little Brown Jobs!)

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

After having no birds (apart from a death wish crow) for months, this weekend has been full of madly hysterical, twittering, flapping and generally gorgeous long tailed tits. I hear them coming - a really high pitched tsee tsee, then the mob arrive. They are hilarious to watch, like kids let out of school. There are usually a couple of other varieties of tits with them. Maximum was 8 long tailed tits on two feeders. Loveley lovely

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Nell

Nellie, show us some pix of your tits - they're so cute!

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

After watching Bill Oddie last night, me wants a raven
Mr Sheds won't let me leave a sheep's carcass on the front lawn though

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I'll try tomorrow, off to work now and I can hear them but not see them.

And I am glad we all act like adults on this forum - well done to all who resisted

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Nell

Pardon!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

You didn't resist, go on admit it - everyone else did, even I did.

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Nell

Oh Two sheds thats a beauty of a picture of my fav bird.

We've got hundreds of birds in our hedges, haven't a clue what they all are cause they spend all day in there arguing like mad - continuously they make a right old racket - must spend some time and watch the feeders to see what they are.

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Hayley B

OH is competing in the Macmillan 4x4 challenge (in aid of Macmillan Nurses) partnering Julia Bradbury (Watchdog presenter) in March 2009 http://www.justgiving.com/mac4x4juliabradbury

Sorry........it just had to be said!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)