Summer visitors

[Lewis McColl]

Summer visitors, when we lived in France these little feathered friends were a welcome sight. Used to start appearing about mid March and start heading south mid October,[ATTACH=CONFISwifts&Swallows.jpgG]32189[/ATTACH]. To date not spotted any here in N Ireland yet, Today has been the first day I did not need my Big coat. Been sunny all week but an easterly breeze has kept the temps down.

[Louis the fly]

Every year blackbirds make their nests in my garden. Nothing colourful or exotic but I like watching them, they eat and have a bath with me just a couple of feet away. Two fat pigeons also are here all year round, they must have built in radar, there is no sight of them but as soon as I put seed in the tray they appear.

[Tony Taylor]

Every year blackbirds make their nests in my garden. Nothing colourful or exotic but I like watching them, they eat and have a bath with me just a couple of feet away. Two fat pigeons also are here all year round, they must have built in radar, there is no sight of them but as soon as I put seed in the tray they appear.

have you got one of those tin baths in the garden then?

[John Gill]

Just make sure there's no drones flying over Chateau Louis at bath time.

[Lewis McColl]

We had a male Black bird stayed around our garden in France. He was there for at least 4 years . The reason I know it was the same bird was that for some strange reason as you looked at him his left wing did not sit well, did not seem to hinder him as he could fly okay. He also had a white feather on that wing. Last time I saw him was just before we moved in July 2020. He would get quite close to me as I would put out food, hanging seed fat balls from a cherry tree but also put a bowl of porridge oats on the terrace table and he would feed with me sitting there while I was reading. He would keep an eye on me and as long as I did not move he would feed away.
I doubt if he is still around this years as I thought in July he was looking a bit rough.

[Keith Tindell]

Got one much the same here Lewis, only female, she has trained me pretty quickly really, she hears the door open and flys right up to me. `I have been feeding her dried really worms, and , of all things raisins, so she has expensive taste. At the moment she is feeding her young, also they like the raisins. Give it ago, F*** the expense, give the cat another goldfish, kt

[Lewis McColl]

Am I right to say there is a law or an instruction that garden hedges and farmers do not cut or trim hedges or bushes from early spring until nearly the end of summer. It was certainly the case in France.
My least favourite birds are Ring Neck Doves and Pigeons the mess they caused below the eaves of my house !!!! bloody nuisance. All they seem to do is hump and breed and when you listen to them they are definitely politically correct.
In the village we lived in La Sauvetat du Dropt they used to place poisoned grain on top of the Church bell tower to keep the numbers down. The damage their mess would cause to buildings is well known.church.jpg, but in years gone by they were kept for their droppings as it was used as fertiliser, you will still see plenty of these dotted around the French countryside.pigeonniere.jpg

[Lewis McColl]

#6 Keith I just had a read up on why some Black birds have white feathers. if they have some white feathers it is a form of albinism.

As for domestic cats , keep em fed and they should leave the birds alone. My mother in law had one for years, hard as nails was Rusty. Used to sit on the wall, even dogs would cross to the other side of the road to avoid Rusty. A right hard knock born and bred in the North end of Birkenhead.

[Keith Tindell]

Ref 7, pretty sure you are right there, i have about 160 ft of hedges right round my property, which i used to cut myself, and the pain of having to take the cuttings to the tip, multi trips. Now i get a contractor in to do it,£300, but he clears up and removes the cuttings, he will not cut the hedges until August, because of said law i believe. I love the wild life in my garden, i have a night camera linked to my computer, so have foxes and badgers (digs holes in my lawn), even the odd rat, which i don't want, but the birds are the greatest pleasure. The young foxes are incredibly tame, and on one occasion, my wife went down out of the conservatory, and a young fox was right in front of her, she spoke to it, and it did not move away, while she was filling the watering can up from the tank, she looked round and he was gone, she checked indoors, and sure enough he was in the house, she quickly shooed it out, and he was off, kt

[cappy]

#6 Keith I just had a read up on why some Black birds have white feathers. if they have some white feathers it is a form of albinism.

As for domestic cats , keep em fed and they should leave the birds alone. My mother in law had one for years, hard as nails was Rusty. Used to sit on the wall, even dogs would cross to the other side of the road to avoid Rusty. A right hard knock born and bred in the North end of Birkenhead.

isnt albanism the name of salmonds new eff sturgeon eff boris eff every body party .....funny how the two big shouts are both fishy .....and the blackadder or whats his name is has such a wee sporran for such a big mouth ......but awful sqeaky voice