Off topic - noisy harmony!!!

[Oldgirl]

We've had a bird table in our back garden for many years and hubby is most dedicated to ensure his feathered friends get their breakfast and sometimes the odd mid day treat like bacon rind if there is some when I'm cooking. Well this morning I was washing some strawberries, a bit early for really nice ones but I love them and picked up a punnet at the shop. Two big ones were going a bit soft and a third one even more so, I know serves me right for buying out of season!!

Anyway said to hubby, "would the birds like these strawberries"? "I'll ask them" was his daft reply

Now daddy blackbird watches our garden from his secret place and popped up onto the fence before hubby was even back into the house from the bird table. He checked out the table but flew off only to come back a minute later with his darling wife, mummy blackbird. Then it happened daddy and mummy blackbirds called out a song, which was clearly heard from the open kitchen window. Before you could count to 5 the garden had about 4 sparrow, 2 blue tits and a robin in it. Now I thought there could be a terrible fight here as they all want some of that new stuff!

Not so, there was no waiting for the usual pecking order Mummy blackbird flew off taking some with her, daddy stayed, 2 sparrows, 1 blue tit and even the robin all shared the same smallish bird table and tucked in to PUDDING! The noisy harmony was wonderful to hear on a pretty dull overcast day, it almost made the sun shine.

I stood and watched them all and thought to myself 'What a shame human beings can't get along like this, may be one day it will happen though' We can live in hope can't we? And for now the garden has gone quiet again, the strawberries were enjoyed and eaten in about 5 minutes so I guess the answer to my original question would be "YES" the birds liked the strawberries, well we knew this cos when hubby used to grow them they used to steel them before we got them picked and the softie wouldn't cover the plants with netting just in case his feathered friends got caught up in it

Sorry if you've read my rambles and thought what a heap of nonsense but it made me happy and I just wanted to share it with all of you. Have a really good weekend all my running friends

[sfb350 Graduate]

How lovely !

Thank you for sharing - I don't think it's entirely off topic either as, for me, one of the best things about running and cycling outdoors is getting to see more of nature and wildlife. That might be why I'll always be a bit on the slow side - if I go too fast, I might miss something !

[con-brio Graduate]

Not a heap of nonsense at all... I really enjoyed reading this. A welcome break from a long technical translation I'm doing at the moment (no rest for the wicked).

[con-brio Graduate]

PS... after reading this a little bird kept twittering awayin my ear to get out and enjoy the day... Just got back from a fantastic 50 minute 5km walk. Thank you.

[Oldgirl Graduate in reply to con-brio]

Haha at least some good came out of my rambles and glad you managed a break from your translation work.

[PastyMan Graduate]

We've got blackbirds in our garden too and they are lovely birds

Exciting this week though on Thursday evening one of the swallows that nested in our garage appeared ... one swallow doesn't make a summer? Well a second and third one appeared on Friday morning. They've arrived a week earlier than last year .... I wasn't expecting them till the second half of 5x50

[Souki Graduate]

Oh how lovely, I keep chickens, and on my way up to let them out in the mornings I sprinkle a little food on the bird able, before I'm even back down the garden the birds are all calling "food served in the Hyde household" then I stand with my cuppa in the kitchen window and watch the feasting xx I do love the spring.

Ooooh and I think I've a nest in a bush, trying to keep my children from peeking at it xx

[Oldgirl Graduate in reply to Souki]

I'm green with envy Souki that you have a nest in one of your bushes. Hubby fixed a bird box behind one of our bushes years ago, never been used yet, we live in hope that it will be one year though.

[greenlegs Graduate]

Amazing that they all came so fast to something that wasn't usually available. I feed our birds, and it is surprising how quickly they appear when an emptied feeder is refilled - often in less than a minute!

We saw several swallows over the weekend (in Cambridgeshire) and heard chiffchaffs.

So -maybe off-topic, but much appreciated!