Having been up to Scotland this year to visit family for Christmas it was great excitement on our return to discover that the nuthatch has returned to our garden - we had a pair of them that regularly visited the bird table a year ago and I didn't see sight nor sound of them during 2008.... and I've managed to get a few pictures which I thought I'd share on here... along with one or two other favorites of mine... the quality of photos need to improve but as yet don't have a camera with a good enough zoom.... guess I'll be waiting a while for one of these!
Beautiful birds.......very much needed at this time of year to add cheer to the garden.......I can see that they are well fed and looked after.......
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl - ever since I was a little girl - watching the birds in the garden has always been a pleasure - I think I'd rather have skipped school so as not to miss out! They certainly are well fed - they have another bird table to go to as well - one with a roof on and as soon as the ground has thawed I've got a new table to replace the one in the photos - it has a mesh area for the food and low wooden sides - that way when it rains the food doesn't sit and get all soggy and harbour disease - thought it was quite a good idea - also it is attached to a metal pole - why no one has thought to sell bird tables on metal poles is beyond me as they are great at keeping the cats away - wooden posts are ideal for cats to climb - I had to modify the last one that was given as a present as I discovered our cat on the table helping himself to the bits of cheese I'd put out!!
ReplyDeleteSorry this is turning into a bit more of a quite posting, but will never forget when I lived in Bristol, when my neighbour came round with a photo of this black and white cat which had stuffed himself in between the four posts of her little bird table with a roof on top - she wondered if it was my cat... lucky for me she wasn't too much of a bird lover as it was Hamish... he's such a monkey! Anyway - I'm sure you'll be enjoying your birds in your own garden too.... will visit again soon - take care Miranda
Don't worry about the photos Miranda, they look pretty good to me. I'd love a nuthatch on the bird table, sadly though not enough woodland around me, though did get long tailed tits on the fat balls for the first time today.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew - thanks for your encouragement on the photos... not bad I suppose considering they were all taken through a window! Mind you it took some patience waiting there - my arms were aching by the time the nuthatch arrived as I'd sat on the edge of the sink in our porch for quite a while with the camera in position ready to shoot! Just waiting for the long tailed tits to arrive - they were around in the woodland today!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful birds!
ReplyDeleteYou must not get any squirrels.
Would love to have a wooded stand to photograph the birds like in your pics but the squirrels would live there. :)
Thanks Patsi - you're certainly right about the squirrels - I've only ever seen 2 red squirrels in my whole 5.5yrs in France - not quite sure why that is as there's plenty of acorns and nuts that they'd love!
ReplyDeleteThe wooden stand I made myself one day in a moment of boredom - it's not the best piece of woodwork, but seems to do the job! Made with thick fencing post which I banged into the ground, then a simple rectangle of wood and a couple of sides! If you put a metal pole as the base would the squirels be able to get up onto it? Just a thought... Miranda