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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Oct 30, 2009 23:14:46 GMT 1
As you know, we are creating a garden area for the wild birds at the new TRPD building. If interested in sponsoring something for that, please have a look at the list below, to see what is available or needed at the current time... For £1.00 each...A pack of peanuts; OR a fruit or insect laden suet block; or a pack of 6 fat balls; or a hanging feeder. For £3.00 each...A hedging plant/shrub - including buddelias; batchelor's buttons; Califorian lilac (we think!); a bird nesting box. For £10.00 each...A metal bird feeding station/stand for feeders. Coming soon... Fruit trees!Sponsors to date:
Grateful thanks to the following various TRPD groups' members and supporters...(In alphabetical order.)Colin & Jill - for a donation of 3 garden chairs. Dylan - for three padded seat, dining chairs. (Now we need some saucepans, so we can cook dinners down there as well as have tea sand coffees. ;D ) Florrie/Sue - for a metal bird feeding station for feeders. Mackenzie - for the 'tit box'. Phebe/Owl - for a donation of 4 folding chairs and a collection of shrubs and trees. Reclaimingrebus - £10 for wildbird bird food. Ruth N. - for the facility's camping kitchen and chemical loo; paint; mugs; assorted plants and bird food/feeders. SleepyLee - for a large (small Owl?) nesting box. Warrior Nik - for various hedging plants. As soon as I can I'll begin taking photos of the things that have been sponsored and post them in this thread.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 1, 2009 0:37:03 GMT 1
This shows the little gas grill and double burner unit and stand that Ruth N kindly sponsored. Attachments:
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Post by billywhippet on Nov 2, 2009 9:51:12 GMT 1
Is it just a one off payment or a monthly thing?
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 2, 2009 15:00:17 GMT 1
It's just a one off thing, Rachel. I'll be posting photos for the sponsors to see the items they have sponsored in situ. Except, with some of the plants, they may be best photographed in the spring, as the ones that die back for the winter months will look a lot better then. (I hope!) Must get pics of the kid's bird boxes...
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Post by reclaimingrebus on Nov 2, 2009 20:55:58 GMT 1
Al, put me down for £10 bird food. I'd feed them myself, but Maisie believes the garden should be a "no fly" zone, and ruthlessly hunts down ANYTHING that attempts to infiltrate our airspace. (I'm surprised my fruit trees ever get pollinated!)
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 2, 2009 21:20:39 GMT 1
Thanks, Elaine, I am sure that our ever-growing flock of visitors to the garden will appreciate your kindness.
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Post by Florrie on Nov 3, 2009 10:13:57 GMT 1
Hi Ali will send cheque for For £10.00 each... A metal bird feeding station/stand for feeders.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 3, 2009 11:49:58 GMT 1
Thank you, Sue, that will be wonderful. What we are finding, is that the birds are becoming so used to vehicles, that they seem to ignore people sitting in cars close to the existing feeder and watching them, so the view of our little feathered visitors is really good that way. This morning, and in the pouring rain, there was a little pied wagtail sitting on the gate, and all our usual feeder visitors flitting back and forth. I am sure that, as the season progresses, we will get an increasing number of visitors. It has been suggested that we try breeding maggots for the ones that enjoy that sort of thing! Not quite sure how to go about that, but... gulp... I'll give it a go! ;D Elaine, we have worked out that, at present, a large sack of the wild bird food is lasting them about six - eight weeks, so if you are happy with that, I'll use your kind donation for the next sack of that, and make up the balance in peanuts for the blue tits, nuthatch and others that seem to like those?
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Post by reclaimingrebus on Nov 3, 2009 18:25:30 GMT 1
thats fine, Al, whatever is most use to you. I just wish Maisie was a little less reactive to anything that moves, and I could feed them myself
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 3, 2009 19:32:03 GMT 1
The other day, Scampi was doing his usual things of wandering aimlessly around the yard, and the birds on the feeders totally ignored him. I think his eyesight may not be what it was, as the squirrel was only a stone's throw away from him and he failed to notice it. I suspect that, once I start working in the new workshop on a regular basis, and have the fire on, Scampi will want nothing more than a bed in front of that to be more than happy. Sue, I was passing the place that supplier the feeding stations today, so have picked yours up. Will get a photo for you once it is erected, and the weather stays dry and bright enough to get a decent shot to show you. I caught a brief glimpse of something quite pinkish on its breast on the feeder this afternoon. I do hope it was a bullfinch. They were on the 'red list' for a while, but I think the numbers have increased a bit of late, and they are now on the 'amber list'. It might have been a male chaffinch, though. I was a bit too far away to be sure what it was, it was just a fleeting glimpse, and my eyesight isn't brilliant. Once we have more feeding stations up and they all get used to people around and vehicles, we should be able to get a much better idea of what birds are visiting. I have popped my little binoculars into the car, so that may help!
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Post by Florrie on Nov 4, 2009 14:18:10 GMT 1
looking forward to seeing the photo am into minds to get a feeder or bird table ( having given up with the normal type of feeder)
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 4, 2009 18:40:13 GMT 1
I managed to get it up earlier today, Sue, and add some feeders, but didn't have the camera down there with me, as I'd really just intended to spread more of the huge pile of chippings on the car park. Well, as I was doing that, the birds were very busy, and seemed to favour your feeding station over the other nearer the building. In fact, they seemed to get really used to me barrowing chippings back and forth, and were only flying away into the nettles when I approached, and returned to the stand as I went back to the pile for a refil. I saw coal tits; blue tits, a great tit, a robin, numerous sparrows - both male and female, and the nuthatch on it already! There are now two nuthatches visiting regularly, and I spotted one on each of the feeding stations at the same time at one point. By the time I was ready to come home, the seed feeder on the stand had been half emptied. I've a dental appointment tomorrow morning, but will put the camera in my pocket and take some photos at lunchtime, and on my way back.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 5, 2009 15:34:36 GMT 1
Sue, here is a rather poor photo of your feeder in situ, and rapidly being emptied, as the birds seem to prefer yours, perhaps because it is that little bit further away from the building, and they have a wider view of potential dangers? Whatever, I filled the seed feeder on it last night before I left, and this morning it and the nuts were half emptied! The great news is that I've now spotted two new visitors - a greenfinch and that flash of pink I glimpsed the other day seems to have probably been a chaffinch, and there were two on your feeder when I went to turn Merlyn out after returning from the dentist! ;D In fact, there were loads of birds on it, and they'd been really tucking into the seed feeder. Hetty and Peggety, my two old hens that are now living with the neighbouring yard's chickens, as the only ones I had left, don't seem to mind cleaning up after the little birds. I'll be back down there later today, as I have a meeting with the builder down there, and bet I have to refil the feeders again on it. Colin has a new camera with a zoom lens, and says he will try to get some photos of the birds actually feeding on it. While there, I managed to put a few more plants in around the edge of the car park, and hope to get a bit more of the bark chips done later, too. That if my back will let me! Waiting now for the latest painkillers to take effect, and my ex to return with the dogs from their walk, then I can go back down there. Attachments:
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Post by Florrie on Nov 5, 2009 16:28:01 GMT 1
thats very nice thanks
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 5, 2009 19:29:30 GMT 1
Thank you, Sue. The birds clearly appreciate it, and as I was spreading bark chips this afternoon, there were lots going back and forth to it, including the chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, the nuthatch, sparrows and something I didn't recognise! We do sometimes get coal tits with colour and marking variations, so it might have been one of those, but it is possibly a willow tit. If so, I think that's the first I have ever seen.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 8, 2009 23:42:43 GMT 1
At last, a photo of Mackenzie's tit box in situ, and under the overhanging roof of the bulding, near the TRPD room. Attachments:
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 13, 2009 18:49:18 GMT 1
Here is a photo of the large sack of Wild Bird food, and the suet feeder blocks that Elaine has sponsored. Even at the rate the birds are now eating the seed, the sack should last them about a month or so. ;D Attachments:
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 27, 2009 18:44:19 GMT 1
It was lovely to see Phebe at LT again today, and for a packed lunch from the local bakery - including one of their delicious, fresh cream scones. ;D Phebe was very kindly delivering some trees and shrubs, which Sue and Sarah managed to get planted up later in the afternoon, and despite still more of that cold, wet stuff falling out of some very dark clouds. We also had some new vistors to the feeders - four starlings, and where there are four starlings today, I dread to think how many their might be visiting tomorrow! They may be lovely to watch as they prepar to roost, but they are veracious feeders, and between the four, they almost emptied one of the fat ball feeders!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Dec 1, 2009 1:34:04 GMT 1
Sue, look what Colin managed to capture on his camera, and perched on your feeding station! That's one more to add to the list of birds visiting LT - oh, and there were LOTS of starlings today! I wonder how they communicate to their pals where they have found food? This afternoon, a flock of a several dozen came overhead as I was preparing to feed the horse and ponies. Perhaps they were performing a recce? I am going to have to start making our own fat balls at this rate, as the birds got through 3 feeders full of those today! Attachments:
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Post by Florrie on Dec 1, 2009 9:52:29 GMT 1
thanks Colin great photo going to ask father christmas for a bird feeder this year ;D
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