The wrens in the coconut bird house have fledged. I saw one sitting right on the edge of the hole and thought it was an exhausted parent but later realised it was a fledgling plucking up courage to fly! Hubby got his fibre optic inspection camera and confirmed the nest was empty. It was a bittersweet moment because I was pleased they’d all successfully fledged but I was sad I didn’t have them to keep an eye on any longer and of course being spider and insect eaters they would never come to the bird feeders or tables. We hope we’ll see them flitting around the garden.
But other fledglings have started coming to the feeding station, ranging from woodpeckers to tits and even the crows brought their juvenile, as large as themselves, who stood waiting for mum or dad to feed him!
Hubby managed to snap a good shot of the juvenile woodpecker with his/her cute red beret, which all juvenile greater spotted woodpeckers have, eating from the nut feeder which his mum had just introduced him to before flying away. Later a blue tit fledgling landed on the roof of our bird table and sat there for ages, no doubt exhausted. I went out and it let me get right up to it with my camera with no fear at all. When I returned to the kitchen window I saw him go to join his Mum or Dad who waited in a nearby shrub.
They really lift my spirits and I thought I’d share them with you in the hope they’ll lift yours too. 😍🤗😘
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Spotty-ewe
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They did indeed. All we have are crows in our garden with the occasional blackbird or robin when we had a caravan in Pembrokeshire we used to put bird feeders and sit for hours watching the different colours and types of birds feeding xx
Lovely memories Cecily. Such a pity you aren’t getting the variety of birds now. How are you keeping now? I hope the pessaries are helping. Take care. Xx
Yes I loved Pembrokeshire. We lived there for two years but then had to return home when I became ill. I still have the burning but I am hoping that it will ease. I have sent for sea buckthorn capsules too as apparently they help ease dry eyes too. I am so damned proud of myself this past week I have done 2 hours and 16 minutes on the treadmill. My knees are so swollen and painful but I am certain that it is doing me good. Thank you so much for asking. I am feeling a bit low today, not sure why really perhaps it is the hormones? The hot flushes are back at night with a vengeance , hopefully they will ease as time goes on too. How are you keeping? Have you been out yet? Xx
Pembrokeshire is such a beautiful part of the world. You must miss it. I use evening primrose oil capsules and omega oil capsules to keep me well lubricated - I’ve taken them for many years so assume they help. No wonder you are proud of yourself - 2hrs 16 mins is very good with swollen painful knees. Well done. Sorry to hear about the hot flushes - horrible. I always felt worse after a nice cuppa! So unfair! I’m in Scotland so we haven’t eased the restrictions much at all yet, so no I haven’t been out yet, just for walks with hubby to the nearby woods. Oh and I did go for blood tests my Rheumy ordered. Exciting eh? What about yourself?
Sorry you are feeling low today - I get days like that too for no apparent reason.🤔 Maybe hormones but I think what we’ve all been going through definitely doesn’t help. Take care Cecily and I’m sending you a big feathery hug and some pecks. 🤗🐤🐣🐥😘
Thank you so much. Also very much appreciated. My hubby is from Glasgow. I have only been there once and I loved it. We took a trip to Rothesay to visit his sister who was in a care home. He had not grown up with her as all his sisters were in care before he was born but she did not recognise him as she had Alzheimer’s. We spent a wonderful few hours on Loch Lommand and a very brief trip through Edinburgh. I really want to visit Skye, Eileen Doonan Castle and the Kelpies. The restrictions are still not lifted here in Wales either. The only time I have been over the door step was to stand on the street as my neighbour made her last journey. I think we are more fortunate than in England in that we are better safeguarded. Which part of Scotland do you live? Xx
I was a castle guide in Eilean Donan (Eilean is Gaelic for island) during the 1970s before it got so commercialised. But it is a beautiful castle and well worth a visit. I’Ve been in the south of Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway ) for the last 18 years, but lived In the Highlands for 27 years before that. Beautiful area. Where in Wales are you? Xx
Oh that must have been wonderful. It looks so beautiful. There are two ladies on Facebook who post photographs of Scotland and I never fail to appreciate the sheer beauty. When Neil and I got married 20 years ago I bought us matching Eileen Donan rings inscribed in Gaelic with my love is upon you. We live in Tredegar in the South Wales Valleys. Sadly it has become a very deprived area as all our coal , steel and iron industries have gone now. It is such a terrible shame the valleys are so beautiful but there is little work here and house prices have fallen so low that people cannot afford to leave.xx
Oh wow! Eilean Donan rings! I’d love to see them. Where did you buy them? When I worked in the castle we lived in the upper part of the wing to the left of the entrance and the gift shop was below. The caretaker had a bungalow at the end of the causeway where the modern tourist complex is. The car park was tiny and only held one coach at a time. Changed days now! I loved living in the castle annexe and working as a guide but as it was only seasonal work and low paid we couldn’t do it for more than 3 years. We rented a cottage in Dornie for the rest of our 6 years in that area. Apart from the miscarriages caused by my undiagnosed Lupus and having to be taken by ambulance 4 times to Raigmore Hosptial in Inverness (75 miles away), I have VERY happy memories of that beautiful area. Fantastic walks and wonderful wildlife.
Sorry to hear you are living in a deprived area. That is hard. Here the main industry is tourism and there is very little in the way of industry so we are considered deprived too. But as we never had industries like yours that have now ended, I don’t think we’ll be as badly off. But our house prices are low and even before the pandemic houses took on average 3 years to sell in our village. Just as well the wildlife and beauty of the area keeps us going, because like you we couldn’t afford to move now.
I will take a photo and upload it for you. I cannot remember where I got them from. As Neil had no family and very few friends at our wedding due to the care background and not knowing where his siblings were, I wanted to incorporate as much of Scotland into the wedding as possible. I bought him a full kilt outfit from the Royal Mile, had a candle with thistles, thistles on our cake from Choccywoccydodah and scrolls for invitations with tartan ties, miniature bottles of whisky for the men, chocolates for the women and teddy bears in tartan trousers for the children. There were only 25 guests but we had such a lovely day xx
So pleased the wee fluff ball lifted your spirits too Farmer. I was surprised the wrens fledged so quickly too, but of course they could have hatched days before I ever saw them. Thrilled they all got away safely anyway. Take care Farmer. 🤗😘
Sooo Sweet, tweet... What an amazing photo you have there Spotty. The fledgling reminds me of the "peeps" from Easter. So soft, and cuddly.. Very healthy looking woodpecker, we have them here to. Knock knock, who's there, a little one, with red hair!!! Call him, "Woody wood pecker". the third, LOL... What great moments in your sweet garden, nature is so fascinating. I am sure more will come your way, as your welcoming paradise beckons them in all there beauty... Stay well my friend.. Peace, and blessings to all. Thestormy sunshine
Yes, I was very lucky he was both exhausted and innocently fearless to allow me to get so close to him. I felt like gaining him a kiss, but that would have been a step too far! 😆 Wee Woody Woodpecker was indeed healthy looking and fatter than his Mum who led him to the nuts, no doubt saying,”Here you are junior, eat as m uch as you like!” The poor parents of all these fledglings we are seeing must be exhausted. Wish I had a fraction of their energy!
A little birdie told me you aren’t feeling good just now Stormy. I’m sorry to hear that and hope you improve soon.🙏🏻 Love and pecks. 🤗😘🐥🐥
Oh Spotty! What a wonderful pic! They are so worth waiting for and the reward is fab! Thank you so much for posting, I do so love to see these as they brighten my day. Glad to hear that the wrens have fledged successfully and lovely to see the woodpecker too.
We now have a very domineering magpie scoffing all the nuts but a few daring great tits and blue tits have dared to challenge him! We think we might have a siskin too - bright green, we’ll try and get a pic and post for you to have a look at and see what you think.
We love our family twitching moments after dinner, it’s so entertaining to watch the birdies and nature’s “pecking” order!! Hope you are keeping well 🐦🌺❣️xx
I’m so pleased they brightened your day too Horsewhisper. We were thrilled to bits to see the juvenile woodpecker with his Mum as the parents had been back and forth to the nut feeder for weeks, so good to see the baby now. I was SO lucky to get the shot of the blue tit . I’ll have to wear my camera around my neck when I’m out in the garden because I’m missed a few good shots. Mind you modern cameras take so long to boot up I’d probably miss it anyway. 😂
Sorry to hear about your bossy magpie. Good for the tits standing up to it👍🏻We had a crow who came regualrly and ate at the ground feeders but because he never bothered the other birds we left him to it. Then he brought his mate and she too ignored the other birds. But when junior turned up with them and stood there waiting to be fed, he chased off the sparrows and dunnocks while waiting for mum or dad to return and fill his beak! Brat! 😂😂 They are amusing and entertaining aren’t they? Siskins are bright yellow with a black cap and with dark streaks. The black cap is the distinguishing feature. Does that sound like your bird? Otherwise it might be a greenfinch. Would be interested to see a photo if you can get one of him.
Are you still having the brids watch your family having your dinner? So funny. 😂
Hi Spotty, yes the birdies are still congregating in the evenings to view our dining habits - maybe it’s because we are watching them that they have decided to watch us!! We have put more feeders out to give more choice to the little ones - a robin appeared the other evening, we don’t really see them or indeed notice them in the summer months. Good idea about the camera - we always seem to see the most interesting/funny antics when we don’t have a camera handy!
I think it could be a Siskin as it definitely has a black cap and a black streak down the side of its cheek. I’ll see if I can get a pic for you. Oh which reminds me, I managed to snap a buzzard! I’ll post that later for you, it’s a distant shot, but got it anyway!! What I am enjoying from being shielded (and I have to find something!!) is the time we take to sit and watch the birds and google their colours and markings to identify the type. The pace of life has slowed dramatically which I think is good for teens to be able to sit and enjoy something as simple as nature and learn new stuff at the same time. Anyway, hope all good with you and I’ll post a pic a bit later. 🐦👋😘
It does sound like a Siskin, so that’s lovely. Sadly I found our resident buzzard (for this locality not for our garden) dead under one of our trees on the banks of the burn with its wings outstretched. This was several years ago at the end of a hard winter. I felt very sad and was amazed at how little it weighed when I lifted it to bury. The local Wetands and wildlife centre said it will have died of starvation and cold. That made me even more sad. He said another would come and take over the territory quite quickly. It never has. We used to enjoy him soaring around the fields next door and sitting in nearby trees. Lovely bird.
Yes, this lockdown and shielding has made us all take life a little more slowly and allow ourselves the time to stop and stare and wonder. Copies of bird books and nature guides which were gathering dust on the bookshelves have now come into their own in identifying species and Google has made life easy to discover more about each bird or creature we see. What better education can there be for youngsters of any age? Good for you encouraging and nurturing such an interest in your children.👏🏻 Wildlife is so badly abused by mankind the more young folk we can get on board to appreciate and save our wildlife the better. 👍🏻 My local councillor and I are still trying to discover why the woodland beside us has been felled during the breeding season and whether it was even legal to do so. We found a badgers sett not even 2 metres from the edge of the felled area, whereas Scottish Natural Heritage stipulate a minimum of 30 metres has to be left between setts and felled area to avoid disturbance, and that felling must not occur during the nesting/breeding season. At least it has stopped now, but the area that has been devastated is enormous. So sad.
Anyway, on to a happier note I look forward to seeing your post later on. Take care Horsewhisper.🤗😘🐣🐥🦅
Hi Spotty! My pic is of a Red Kite not a Buzzard! We do have Buzzards too, but snapped a Kite, with its sharper shaped tail. Anyway, have a lovely evening and will reply more fully later! Xx
Super stuff! I took the dog out last night about 10 pm and got buzzed by a bat! I’ll take my phone next time and see if I can snap it! It was still light enough so I could be lucky to get a pic...I’ll see what I can do! Sorry to hear about the woodland devastation, let’s hope the clearing has stopped for good, the poor badgers, reminds me a bit like “Watership Down”. Hope all good with you today Spotty and hear from you soon 🦅🐝🌟😘
Sadly it won’t stop for good. 🥺 The conifers are a cash crop, but they have never been felled during the breeding season before. Even farmers are not allowed to cut their hedges between March and October, yet a whole woodland can be cleared? 🤷♀️ My councillor has been waiting to hear from the Wildlife Crimes Officer in the police and said if he hasn’t heard by today he’s putting in a formal complaint. It is only 2 months since he first raised the issue!!!
I hope you manage a pic of the bat. That would be great. Take care! 🤗😘
Hello, Spotty. The wee blue tit is adorable! I don’t feed the birds in our garden as we still have a ageing but agile cat and it wouldn’t be fair to lure them in. My neighbour assured me he saw her catching a bat a few nights ago!!! But we do have a bird bath in the front garden where it is more open so we get an assortment of birds using that. Yesterday I saw two chaffinches, along with the sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, blue tits, pigeons and crows. There are definitely more birds around since lockdown as everywhere is quieter.
Hope you are both well. I’m desperately hoping for a wee bit more flexibility being announced this Thursday so I can see my six month old grandson without being dependent on the weather. (As I type it is 11 degrees and dreich) .
Hello Barbara. Lovely to hear about your birds. I know only too well about an agile older cat - we were in the same position for many years. After Misty passed on we got a budgie and fed the wild birds too. Now we have no pets the birds are our comfort and joy. It is great you have so many come to your bird bath. Ours are well used too and I have to refill them every second day and this is despite having a wee burn at the bottom of our garden! 🤷♀️ Perhaps as you say they prefer being in the open where they can see a predator advance.
We are both doing well thanks Barbara, and I hope you are too. I hope you get to see and cuddle your wee grandson soon. 👶 🥰 It is 17 degrees here in the west with sunny spells, and when it is sunny there is a lot of heat in it as I discovered when I was pegging out the washing. 🥵
Lots of youngsters here in my garden too but I can't get any pics (got UV film on the windows) 😜but I'm very happy in my living room watching the many birds that r visiting with their babies!!
Greenfinch this year which is a first siting n now that greenfinch has two or three chicks with her!!
Thank u for sharing with us... Keeeep twitching!! 🐣🐥🕊️
Hubby thinks we might have a frog staying in our little wildlife pond!! That's a first too!! 🐸
Hi Kat!🤗 How lovely to see all the birds and their babies from your lounge 👍🏻👍🏻. We have to got to the kitchen to see ours. Is that why I’m putting on weight? 😆 That is lovely that you have a greenfinch and now her chicks too. Wonderful! 😍.
I wish I had more pictures to share but sometimes I’m just so busy enjoying the moment I don’t even think to get the camera, and other times they are too quick for me and are gone by the time I grab my camera.
A frog in the garden will be great too. 👍🏻 They keep down some of the garden pests, although I have to confess they frighten the life out of me when they suddenly jump! 😲🤭
Beautiful photo. You may still get them visiting your garden if you put mealworms out for them. They will happily eat the dried variety. Would be so nice to watch them grow. Xx
We’ll try that thanks GE. It would be lovely to watch them grow and just hope the starlings or others don’t gobble them up before the wrens find them. Worth a try though. Thank you. 🤗😘
That’s brilliant. Thanks GE. 👍🏻 We’ll leave one uncovered though so the woodpeckers can still get their nuts. I don’t know how to stop the starlings eating from the bird table either which is where we’d put mealworms. Maybe an upside down hanging basket if the holes are small enough to keep them out. I’ll have a think about that. Thanks again. 🤗😘
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