What are you all up to
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Sounds good. Fingers crossed OP.
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Just putting the finishing touches (painting) to a couple of bird tables I’ve been making. My thoughts have turned to bird feed. I know we have some bird lovers here, so maybe someone could suggest a good feed? Some of the feed we’ve bought in the past hasn’t always gone down well.
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What species of birds visit your feeders Freddy. Tits and Finches love sunflower hearts. Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds and pigeons often sit under the feeder and pick up the dropped seed. Woodpeckers love peanuts. I have smeared peanut butter on branches and tops of fence and robins go crazy for it.
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We may well see you there, OP. We're there for 5 nights soon.
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Moved down to New Willow Cottage today. Lots of bird feeders about here so hopefully we should see lots of birds about. There were plenty at Priestfield Grange including GSPs, and Tawny Owls who started calling at 5:00 each evening and seemed to keep going all night till about 7:00 in the morning.
Walked to Bartoft church this afternoon, and saw lots of Snowdrops, a few Daffodils in bloom and surprisingly a few Primroses already in flower.
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Thanks. I’m not that familiar with birds, to know which is which, but we get blue tits, goldfinches, robins, sparrows, blackbirds and pigeons. Obviously, I’d like to attract more species. We regularly use fat balls, which go down well with the sparrows. I was wondering about a good seed mix? As I said, not all those we’ve tried in the past have been welcomed. To this I was thinking about adding mealworms and sunflower hearts? Or are seed mixtures not worth bothering with?
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Freddy55 we have hanging, squirrel proof feeders, one with wilko mixed seeds, one with wilko sunflower hearts. They are on two crook types feeders with both of these types of feeders and seeds and a fat ball hanger, the dish has a selection if whatever I'm putting out. and are situated close to shrubs so the birds have somewhere to hide. We do have neighbours cat - but a grand dog visits keeps it on its toes! plus a sparrowhawk which visits. We have an established city garden. I put fat squares and fat balls in the shrubs, at the moment and generally this winter little interest, but last spring going through 4 fat balls plus a day. We've tried peanuts and bigger seed but our birds don't care for them - yet at my late mum's I'm still topping up the peanut feeders front and back every visit. I ground feed, sultanas, mixed seeds and mealworms plus suet pellets. We have about 40 tree sparrows, not that they were visible for the garden bird watch last weekend. Lots of other birds including most tits, goldfinches, robins, blackbirds, starlings, thrushes, dunnocks HUGE pigeons, collar doves and more. My advice is trial things and see. Don't forget water too. Its lovely to watch their antics.
We also have at least 2 hedgehogs and a large pond with frogs, toads and crested newts, which goes to prove you can create a haven for wildlife anywhere. We have at least 3 squirrels too.
Our latest visitors are 2 magpies, mum and baby from last year and a crow!
Never tried peanut butter Oneputt, not something we eat and I disposed of an open jar at mums recently 😤😢. Might have to add that, our wildlife food bill rivals ours 😂😂
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In terms of buying bird foods, we can recommend Vine House Farm. They do a very interesting newsletter about how they produce all their crops, including bird feeds.
A very cheap, but much loved addition to our bird menu is over ripe apples and pears, we get ours free from greengrocers. Blackbirds adore them, just left on ground to enjoy. You can get apple feeders to hang them in, but blackbirds and thrushes like to feed on ground.
Water points are a vital necessity. We use old fashioned bin lids laid in Borders, edged with rocks to make them look good. Get all sorts drinking and bathing in them. Not too deep, not too shallow. We have two ponds as well, keep them from freezing over with a ball floating.
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Interesting website, includes information on identifying different birds.
https://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx9DkgJms5wIVArTtCh22QwNaEAAYASAAEgIJAfD_BwE
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We have used Vinehouse Farm excellent food and quick delivery.
We do not use mixed seed here much as some will sprout even when the pack says it does not so sunflower hearts, sunflower seeds which we get in 10kg bags from local farm/outdoor shop peanuts cheaper in UK than here and fat balls plus a bird bath which gets the water changed daily and they do use it regularly.
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Good to see you are utilising these dark evenings wisely, Freddy
As for the food for differing species might I suggest " Haiths Bird Foods " website. It's got detailed info on what each type of bird eats / prefers. Browse thro other sites for the different types / prices of feeder seed or suet types . The choice of which to buy is, of course, purely the birds
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BBC RED BUTTON TEXT SERVICE
I notice that, following a petition being handed in to No 10 Downing Street, on behalf of a large number of concerned organisations the withdrawal of certain services has been halted, pending a review by the BBC. They have said that a further statement will be forthcoming in the Spring
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In addition to seeds and nuts Freddy you could always buy a few of the cheapest apples and cut them in half for the blackbirds. The smaller birds will often sit on one and take some. Maybe tie up half a coconut filled with goodies from a branch.
Booked a few days away at a local non CL/Club site. Leave on Sunday. I phoned and expected the answerphone so when a Gentleman answered it completely flummoxed me. I lost my intended message completely but we both saw the funny side.
Some of the afternoon spent having an ECG and collecting prescriptions.
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ABM - I was going to post something to you on the Change of Use thread which has now been locked, so....
But don't forget "Wotsername" -- sigh
Came across your old friend when looking at a CL review only yesterday. She posted a review at the back end of 2018 of a site near Birmingham. Thought you might like to know she's still active and has finally got off the Naughty Step.
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Thank you WN, it's nice to know that somebody with a gentle sense of humour is still going.
She has in the distant past been known to treat some of my er er witticisms to one of her " Sigh " ripostes .
Twas a shame about t'other thread but ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,
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“Good to see you are utilising these dark evenings wisely, Freddy”
It’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for some time. As I suffer with depression, it’s hard to get motivated. Among other things, this little project is part of my self-help scheme. We do have bird feeders already, but I thought it would be a nice touch to fix what are basically platforms with roof over, to the pergola I built last year. I might post a photo, if it doesn’t look rubbish 😀
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Freddy, my OH tends to hunt around on eBay for bird food, usually peanuts and mixed seed. Our visiting woodpeckers love the peanuts but we've had to invest in squirrel proof nut feeders leaving just one for the squirrel. Fat balls and fat cakes, lots of apples and some easy access food for robins etc. Sounds like a nice project, they like bird houses too for winter shelter and nesting so I think you'll be busy!
PS our birds like all the shrubs and trees we've put in I don't think we'd see as many without this "cover."
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TDA _ "In terms of buying bird foods, we can recommend Vine House Farm. They do a very interesting newsletter about how they produce all their crops, including bird feeds. "
We buy our organic feed straw from Vine House Farm. They're a good company to deal with, and Nicholas is a lovely man.
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Tonight is the start of our monthly treat - when my husband gets a weekend off! Our farm man works alternate weekends so Henry and our son take turns to have the time off.
We try to make the most of it (as well as switching off the 5 am alarm) and get out and do something. Our favourite pub/restaurant http://www.theblackbullsedbergh.co.uk/ had an offer of 20% off in January so we're off up the road straight after milking to enjoy a wonderful meal and a stay in one of their quirky rooms.
Whether or not we'll raise a glass (more in sorrow than than joy) at 11 pm remains to be seen. We will probably have fallen asleep.
Then tomorrow night we're invited to a rather posh "At Home" do - Drinks & Canapes. Dress: smart casual - no ties. And there was me planning on getting my scruffy work clothes out.
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We are going to introduce Lady to (hopefully) her new companion today - he's an 18 month old boy! - not sure what she's going to make of only getting 50% of the attention! - but if all goes well we'll be bringing him home on Sunday and back to 4 of us!
Wish us luck!
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Sounds very good F55. I used to get seriously stressed out when I was working, found it hard to relax and unwind when not at work. But concentrating on a craft of some sort really helped me, you forget about anything else, just enjoy creating, making. I am never without a project of some sort to hand now, despite, or maybe because I am now quite chilled😁. I am sure they won’t be rubbish👍
Goldie, that sounds like two great farms to me, getting together! 😁
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How exciting. We were there some six years ago, hoping a laid back, very shy seven year old Mbitch would take to a rampant three year old hooligan Rdog. Rdog fell instantly in love, Mbitch took a bit longer, but they became inseparable. Hope all goes well, that will be a very lucky boy, certainly going to live the “doggy dream”🥰
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