Surprise Visitor No.3

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Surprise Visitor No.3

Postby Monika » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:49 pm

This fella has been visiting our garden for some days now.

He came for his lunch on Sunday and Monday; we didn't notice him on Tuesday and, yesterday, he came for breakfast.

This morning, when my husband put the bird food out, he ran the length of the garden as soon as he saw him and was really extremely tame.

I put him on my RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch and hope he keeps coming (even if he does make a big hole in my food supply).

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Postby DaisyB » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:55 pm

I hope you're not fattening him up for someone to shoot Monika.
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Postby Monika » Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:08 pm

Oh dear, June ............... me too!

It's such a delight to see him, and so close as well. I would be truly upset if I thought he had been killed for some-one's so-called sport.
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Postby DaisyB » Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:15 pm

My friend on the Isle of Wight get pheasants in her garden, she considers herself very honoured.
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Postby Monika » Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:37 pm

It intrigues me no end that quite big birds will often peck away at the smallest of seed (this pheasant does and great, wobbly wood-pigeons also do) ... yet little tiny wrens will eat quite large grubs and caterpillars.
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Postby mazzy » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:30 pm

I have only recently started feeding birds in the garden - hate to say that we bought a bird table as a decorative finishing touch to the garden :oops:

Anyway we realised that was in the wrong place so have started hanging seed and nut feeders from the tree at the rear of the garden, and also coconut shells. It took a while, but now I keep my binoculars ready on the back bed room window sill, as we are getting more and more visitors. Mainly blue tits but on Sunday we had a long tailed tit - that was exciting enough, but Monday morning there was a greater spotted woodpecker....I was so excited - he was beautiful.

I have realised what I have been missing - I have found a new hobby.
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Postby DaisyB » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:45 pm

We have a family of crows who are providing the neighbourhood with much entertainment. One, we call Scruff, he has a damaged wing, a few white feathers and can only fly low. He is such a clown but I doubt if he'd stay still long enough to catch with the camera. We can almost hand feed him though, so maybe in time.......
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Postby Monika » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:40 pm

We get a greater spotted woodpecker but he is a very quick visitor and doesn't hang around.

He flies in, grabs a peanut from the feeder then he flies off to a tall tree next door, puts the nut in a small hole in the bark and pecks at it that way. As you say, Mazzy, beautiful bird.

Talking of which, if you'd like to attract goldfinches, get yourself some niger seed and a niger feeder. I did, about 5 years ago and although it took them around 5-6 months before they noticed the feeder, once they started to come, we have had as many as 18 sometimes.

Late last year, they diminished owing to a disease the finches had, but they are coming back now, I'm pleased to say.
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Postby twinsmum » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:13 pm

We feed niger seed, but then we found Thistle seed this has really brought the goldfinches to the garden, over the last 3 weeks we have had Siskins but they seem to prefer the niger,
The foods I put out daily
bird seed
sultanas for the blackbirds and thrushes
oats robins like them
we have feeders with black sunflower seed, sunflower hearts, fat balls
any left over cheese they like pasta has well
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Postby Lacemaker » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:48 pm

I buy a specially prepared food for the lorikeets - it is a powdered mixture and they absolutely love it......so do the Noisy Miners and the Indian Mynahs.

I used to put a mixture of seeds out for the Crimson Rosellas, sparrows, crested pigeons, doves, etc. but the cockatoos started coming in droves and they are the last birds I want to encourage - now the Crimson Rosellas are rarely here.
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Postby Monika » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:46 pm

Lacemaker .................. what a great selection of exotic birds you enjoy down under.

Another reason to wish we had emigrated many years ago :roll:

Twinsmum ............... if you have somewhere in your garden to grow some plants that you can leave to seed, try some Agastache plants. The goldfinches love them too and they flower for quite a while at the back of the border.
Last edited by Monika on Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby dita » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:49 pm

We have a tame pheasant too, he nips into all our gardens for a feed, We also have Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, they have been around for the last few years and bring the young ones to feed too. Think I put the pictures on here last year.
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Postby twinsmum » Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:55 am

]Monika thanks for the reminder someone has mentioned that before and we did ask at a garden center we visit a lot,they had none at the time but told us to ask each time we call as they do get Agastache in, perhaps if we start now as spring is on its way :rolleye11:
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Postby Monsy » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:03 pm

I've got seagulls!

*hopeful*
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Postby Emm » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:50 pm

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Funnily enough - so have I - and I am more inland than you.

Are sparrows in decline? We hardly get any in our garden these days.
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