Wanderers return

You are doing great work to look after the garden birds in this freezing weather.. Especially lovely pics of the thrush... :o)

Oh! So nice to see a Thrush, not very common these days, I saw one in Befairs Wood Leigh-on-Sea, first one I've seen in years.
Nice to see you are looking after the wild life, they sure need all the help they can get in this cold snowy weather.

Lovely blog Dorjac, you did well to get the photo`s, that table is a very good idea, I must either make one or see if I can buy one, my dog Brynner cannot get the feeders but he won`t leave the tables alone, one of them in my apple tree would be a godsend for my blackbirds, robins and thrush........

Excellent blog Dorjac, It's so reassuring to know that you and thousands probably millions are feeding our lovely garden birds. Today the Farmer spread copious amounts of 'muck' on the field. In a matter of minutes it was covered in birds even Lapwing and Grouse. I worry about the birds that live in rural areas where there's nothing but snow.

'Dried wormy thingies' sounds interesting, Dorjac! Lovely to see a Thrush in the garden, as for the grapes, well, the Blackbird has eaten all of them now! No chance of a photo, he's in and out so fast, then he goes across to the red Pyracantha berries. Fascinating to watch, such a busy bird throughout the day. I wonder if I could make a feeding table using old chains from a redundant hanging basket and some spare wood?

We have a lot of holly trees. We counted seven wood pigeons feasting themselves today and yesterday. I have to run out and get a few branches for Christmas decorations before it is too late. There is enough for us all!!! lol My husband Barry supplies the birds with seed and fat balls.
I have a yellow Pyracantha but the birds don't seem to like them. The Cotoneasters are popular and the Rowan.
They are lovely to watch.
Best wishes to you Dorjac hope you are both keeping well.

You are doing a great job Dorjac! That looks like a Mistle Thrush to me....but I'm no expert. I have two at the mo. in my Rowans. Funnily enough, they seem to chase away the blackbirds, but they are bigger than the blackies ..just a bit bigger. The Waxwings have gone now, but lots of small birds and a whole squad of Rooks today that took the Robin treat...well, the dog actually took most of the Robin treat late last night....yuck!! Take care..

I am out of bird seed so I am making pies with household scraps and fat cakes and trying to get fresh water out every day.The birds are clearing the lot ,and as well as drinking the water they are still bathing in it.

Nice to see people feeding the birds in this harsh weather.
We have pouring rain tonight :o) It's much milder and I am pleased. I hope it spreads.

Hywel, I am seriously unhappy with the news tonight..they have just said no thaw before the New Year at the earliest! I don't know how you're getting rain, but ....hey...I hope it continues for you! I think you and the far west of Argyll are the only green bits left on the map!

Thanks all for responding. This weather must have caught the birds on the hop. Some of the poor things fly to UK for an easier time, and now this prolonged bout of freezing weather. I put warm water out and before it could be used it had frozen!! Some old people, my age group really, fall in their gardens and that's it, never to get up again. I have hiking boots on my feet and a broom for support when I venture in the garden, and my mobile on in my pocket too.

That's very good Dorjac. You are well prepared!

I sooooo wish I could put food out for 'our' birds as I used to in Essex, but what with feral cats booking their stays in the barns for Winter and constant raptors flying overhead with their beady eyes on the lookout for tiny live morsels I fear I would cause more deaths than save feathered lives!

Exactly that happened a few years ago. There was a gang of sparrows feeding on the hanging feeders and this sparrow hawk must have floored about 6 with a smash and grab raid. Female SH. She plucked and ate them all. So many, she spent 3/4 of an hour in the hawthorn, weighed down with her feast, before she flew off. 5 mins walk from town! Photos to prove it, but only in the scrapbook. Published one of one standing on a chaffinch on GoY, I saw that kill. GoYers don't really like that sort of grim reality.

It's a fact. Sparrowawks also need food.

Well done Dorjac keep the good work up, very wise to carry your mobile, even if you areonly in the garden. Lovely photo of the thrush. :o))

Milder today but still a dodgy walk to get the paper. Leki stick, hiking boots etc, tread warily while the youngsters go skipping past. Not many birds around today....perhaps flown away to a tropical island. Raining a bit just now as it is going dark. I bobbed into a music based emporium as I came back. Lots of younsters in there on electronic drums, synthesisers. You can play about 15 different exotic organs with earphones on. There is an Apple Mac set up with a big screen, synthesiser below, two big speakers, mike, the lot. All hidden down a back street. Free parking. Heaven on earth for some lads.

It is really bad here today after a milder weekend. I have been taking photographs for an email Christmas card. Ho! Ho! Ho!

I am very envious of your rowan berries, Dorjac! My new little rowan tree didn't produce any berries this year - fingers crossed for next year. Lucky you to have a thrush visiting - a rare sight for me.

Not a good day Gee and Linda, yesterday, as had to visit the dentist to have a back tooth extraction. Rung up 9.30 am....extraction at 12.30 but not NHS. Strange there was a short mild period of weather and the birds mostly vanished. Just those perky little tits left and the odd sparrow. I think they tanked up in the garden and flew south.

Hope you're feeling better today, Dorjac, bet that hurt your purse as well as your mouth! Your little birds must have flown south, straight into my garden - lots of starlings, sparrows, chaffinches, etc. I will feed them up and send them back :)

Thanks Gee.... my mouth healed up really quick. Well worth the money to get prompt, expert attention from GJ's old Swedish dentist.Yesterday we spent an hour or so in the bank with adviser and got told off about the amount of money in current account....so no problem. Difficult to spend a lot when one of pair is not well!!!!! Went to our favourite pub after the bank and I had a 'butter fly ' lamb chop and trimmings. Delicious.There have been considerable re arrangement and disapearance of contents off the bird tray, but nary a birdie have I seen using it.

Your lamb chop sounds delicious. I cooked something similar when my family were over (a regular Monday evening event) a couple of weeks ago. My youngest daughter is 40 next Monday so we are eating out but not sure where to go yet. Has to be an early meal as my son in law works nights.

I am curious to know who is raiding your bird table :)
I obviously had some sort of hawk in the garden recently - this morning I found a sad bundle of feathers but nothing else (looked like sparrow feathers) - they were under an area that has been iced up until today.

Great blog Dorjac. How lucky to see a thrush, had one here last winter, for a few weeks only and very wary. We've got a raiding party of starlings too, they scrabble around on the feeders sending all the food flying and are really a big nuisance...ah but I know they have to eat too!
Your hanging table looks like a goumet feast....what lucky birds you have :o)

Trouble is Lily that they are very wary of it so I have moved it again. Just now in the garden, a very large mistle thrush has flown off with a small bunch of grapes off our vine.He thinks mistletoe has gone black! They only deteriorate slowly in this weather. Blackbird loves em but won't go on the hanging table for them. The vine is now pruned back to it's main stem and the surplus grapes are gradually being eaten. There was a standoff between bossy blackbird with one mistle thrush but when another appeared he backed off quick!See how interesting are the winter birds!!!!!!!

lovely blog Dorjac, love the thrushes to,great pics and i could eat that food myself lol