Sunday 27 September 2009

Life by Day and by Night

Daylight brings the usual feathered visitors to the garden. It is hard to remember it is only a few months ago that I used be jealous of those who had regular visits from Goldfinches. Then I managed to entice a pair which visited for a while. Next came four adults with their youngsters. The other day there were sixteen squabbling for a place on the two feeders. It is great to see the juveniles are maturing as they moult their head feathers and show the first signs of the lovely red which will adorn their faces..

Juvenile Goldfinches

The fat waddling Wood Pigeons are very greedy but useful at clearing up seeds left by the smaller birds. I cracked up looking at the expression on the Sparrow's face. I could just imaging it saying,

"Move over fatty, give others a look in!"

Move Over Buster

 Although it is beautifully sunny outside the temperature is still fairly low so Bobby, my poor old 'delicate' Lurcher, prefers to sunbathe indoors.

Sunbathing Indoors

By night Honey the Hedgehog continues her visits. She is definitely getting through more food each night and I am sure I can see her putting on weight. That is good as Hedgehogs need extra fat reserves for the Winter hibernation period when their natural food is in short supply.



 Hedgehogs are not the only night visitors. Cats, moths and the odd rat make an appearance.



I had to have a long think about Mr. Ratty as I wanted him to have his own special supper but I needer to work out how to put it out safely where there was no chance of Honey coming across it. I found the right place in the end and was pleased to see that Ratty had helped himself last night.

9 comments:

  1. Good to know that is going to be one healthy hog, when he decides it's time for sleep John.
    Bobby certainly looks comfy lying there. :)
    It's so rewarding seeing the wildlife that comes to visit, and knowing that you've helped a bit in their survival.

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  2. Hi Keith. We do our best to help out the birds and hogs.

    Bobby is a past master at comfort.

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  3. The goldfinches are beautiful. It would certainly be nice to have them in the garden so its nice you were able to entice the first pair and they have brought others. I wonder how the cat coexists with all the birds?

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  4. The Goldfinches are indeed beautiful little birds Mick. It is a real treat to have so many visit - even though they get through an amazing amount of seed.

    There is one local black cat which is a real killer. I am forever chasing it away. A few minutes ago it tried to snatch a Dunnock but fortunately missed.

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  5. I'm so sorry if you have had this comment already John. I tried to post it last night but every time I tried to publish, blogger said it 'could not execute my request'. I had the same problem on someone else's blog but when I checked later it had appeared, so if mine is just awaiting moderation I apologise. Just to make matters more complicated I did all this again earlier but got interrupted. When I came back to the computer I wasn't sure if I had finished sending the comment or not! However here is my comment...again :)

    Oh dear! Poor Ratty (if I have understood your intentions correctly)! I can understand your dilemma though.

    It was fun seeing Bobby's 'walk on part' in the first video and the photo of him sleeping is lovely.

    My Goldfinches are being killed by the Sparrowhawk! I haven't seen it but have found remains every day recently. It makes me feel guilty for luring them to their death by feeding them.

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  6. Hi Jan. No worries, it was the only comment of yours to get through. I see that problem with comments on Blogger from time to time. It usually works second attempt but it is a nuisance.

    The problem with having Mr(s) Ratty about is the number that can be there a few weeks later so it is the only wildlife I don't welcome, especially when it started appearing not far from the back door in daylight hours. Enough was enough!

    Sorry to hear you are losing your Goldfinches. Thank goodness for the tangle of dead brambles next door as they make excellent protection for the birds. A few days ago I found the remains of a Chaffinch on the lawn so I guess my local Sparrowhawk had paid a visit.

    Just before Bobby's walk on part Honey had been eating but I think she now knows that the sound of the back door means it's time to beat a hasty retreat.

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  7. Hi again John, I'm glad you weren't bombarded by my comments ;) but here is a bit that I realise I put in the original and subsequently forgot to include.

    The look on that little Sparrow's face was absolutely hilarious, I'm sure it was thinking exactly what you said. It would be such fun if we could hear what the birds are thinking sometimes!

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  8. Hi again Jan. It was so funny watching the way the Sparrow was eyeing the Pigeon. They really are bold little characters. At one stage I thought it was going to try to scare the Pigeon away but in the end it found a corner with some seed.

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  9. Hi Jan. I eventually found your first two comments. For some reason Blogger didn't send copies to my email address. Anyway, I deleted them.

    I am sure Mr. Ratty is no more. All the first load of food had gone but a new batch last night went untouched.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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