This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Birds.
cowslip2
Posts: 137
If only I had some photos to show you all! I have been watching a chaffinch collecting dog hair, which I had combed from my golden retriever, in order to line her nest. She took so much in her beak that it appeared she had an enormous moustache!
0
Posts
I've been watching all sorts of birds collecting coir from a hanging basket liner - they have very bristly ginger moustaches
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Blackbird and Collared Dove have been busy in our garden coolecting dry grass and fine twigs.
hi all
I collected the fluff from my tumble dryer, and put it on the lawn, the housesparrows cannot get enough of it, they are so funny to watch. Last year I also, ripped up an unwanted cushion that was stuffed with feathers, I put them in the garden in a small pot, and turned the pot onto its side, and the sparrows went crazy for them, and was so funny to watch
just seen 3 eggs in robins nest in garage. weeks ago i watched as robin flew into garage with twigs, leaves and moss. nest looks very cosy , snug on the old dog cushion that i left.
Yep, tumble drier fluff goes down well here too. Also coconut fibre from old hanging basket liners. And the the outer husky bits that the bamboos drop. The mice pinch those too. My kids discovered a blackbird had nested inside the top corner of their playhouse the other day. She's only about 4ft off the ground, but was looking very cosy in there with her fledgling. I'm looking forward to them moving out so I can see how on earth she's managed to build the nest - the building is just timber corner posts + plywood sides + lap roof and the nest is kind of floating in the corner like magic. Perfect quiet sheltered spot tho, clever girl. Assuming the cat doesn't find them
At work there's a robin's nest in the 'cupboard' built on the wall around the outside tap - it's opposite my window the robins have filled the cupboard up with leaves and twigs and bits of bark mulch and now have a nest with 4 eggs in at the last count. The door to the cupboard is sometimes blown wide open but it doesn't seem to daunt the birds. However I'm keeping a close eye on them as there's a pair of jays who are visiting the garden to take bits of coir from one of the planters, and it's only about 8ft from the robins' nest
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've got a comedy pair of collared doves too - one does all the work, trying to build a nest in a tall conifer and the other just waits on a branch for it to bring each piece, then takes it out again and 'does it properly'. They've been a resident pair for a few years now and are obviously past the honeymoon stage! Wonder which one is the bloke...
Betty that's brilliant! Made me laugh. I was just watching a big fat wood pigeon sitting in a conifer at the end of my garden surveying the world-and the bird feeder. I put the hair from my daughter's brush out for the birds but not much been taken-think it was just too late when I did it-or else they don't like the smell...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We leave out piles of horse hair, as the horses are usually molting in spring and it comes out in bucket loads.
I have been putting feathers out onto the lawn again the last week. The bluetits and sparrows really cannot get enough of them. I have had to put at least a handful out everyday. It is so funny to see them all gathering for the feathers
I thought I would share a few pics with you all
male sparrow......
and again.....
but the female, chose the live worms over the feathers