Bird Log - 7th March 2012

Bird Log 7th March 2012

10:10 Starling - Fatball
Dunnock - Ground

10:18
Dunnock back again.
3 goldfinches landed and flew away

I cleaned the bird things for half an hour then...

11:00
2 greenfinches and 1 possible young greenfinch and a female chaffinch appeared!!!

2 male and female adult greenfinches were on the nyjer feeder, 1 young greenfinch was on the seed feeder (finally one of the birds is blinkin' using it!!) and the chaffinch was on the bird table. I think they did swap a bit, and before I restocked, I'd noticed that the safflower seeds had all gone! In fact, all the bird seed had gone! Husks were in their place so they are definitely picking up the seeds ok and dehusking them, the husks neatly stuck in the tiny holes of the feeding table's mesh.

(The RSPB or other source recommended a feeder in case the birds choked, although this may have been more for peanuts, but I wasn't sure and had no more feeders left, wasn't sure what shape to use etc and the birds only really seem to use the nyjer feeder so far, they haven't really got used to the others or something.)

The fat balls are popular again since I had a few days break of putting mealworms out, (due to fine weather and being busy).

Now I've put out the mealworms, will those lazy starlings abandon the fatballs and guzzle the mealworms?

I'm still debating whether to put two more fatballs in the large rectangular mesh feeder, which supposedly is better for the birds' feet. I haven't noticed any birds getting their feet stuck in the traditional fat ball mesh yet, however only the starlings really use it. I am worried the food would go to waste and the birds wouldn't come, but maybe I could try it.

The peanuts definitely are not to the birds' tastes, so I'll throw those out I guess. Not sure what to replace them with as can't afford any more bird food for a good month, mind you peanuts aren't that expensive from the market, but I still want to buy an organic nut mix for them. It sounds crazy maybe and I've never heard of it before, but I worry about toxins for the little birdies.

I personally can't stand the taste of peanuts. They're so vile and bitter... Sometimes I can cope with them! Eg. I barely notice in chocolates, so perhaps it depends on the source and cooking method. But my feeling is that because of the overpopularity of the nuts, like wheat they've been severely overfarmed, in incredibly unethical ways, eg. too fast, too cheap, even inhumane or slave labour, with toxic chemicals to unnaturally speed up production.

And that's why they taste bitter and the energy/angel and my own inner angel interpreting around them is telling me:

'Don't go there. Get some nice hazelnuts, fairtrade brazil nuts, shelled macadamias... the things you like the taste of and would happily eat yourself (wholefood wise) the birds will too'.

I am so glad to have seen the greenfinches today! Ha! Mum only said to me yesterday 'Are you SURE they weren't female chaffinches? I'VE never seen any greenfinches in the garden. Greenfinches are almost bright yellow!' Well ha, yes they were. Back again and feeding happily, even though I was there with my bucket and scrubbing brush, almost as a gift from God and the angels, or from their own greenfinch inner angels. I could havd cried perhaps but not feeling emotional today, too busy to be emotional. Which is itself an unusual feeling - I had forgotten what being this busy felt like.

Oo the dunnock is back. It's 11:18. He or she is hopping around. Very cautious, looking around for Santa the cat I assume! He doesn't seem fussy about what he eats as such. I want him to hop onto the table which he's learned to do lately. Which is brilliant, because I'm not allowed to scatter seeds on the ground in case of mice and rats, so I'm relying on the ground feeders' ingenuity in hopping onto the bird table, and the finches' and starlings' clumsiness in scattering spare seeds onto the ground... and the occasional slip of my hand. Or Lizzy's.

He flew away, then came back and brought his friend the blackbird.

It is a quiet garden I think.

We seem to have 2 near resident chaffinches, 1 or 2 dunnocks, a family of wrens have apparently moved in, (martins come and nest in summer), 2 blackbirds, 1-2 bluetits, 1-2 great tits, 2-6 starlings, 2-3 greenfinches as newcomers, 6-7 goldfinches as newcomers, the occasional pigeon family member and rare squirrel. I think this is quiet. There are apparently few trees up here and that's why. Perhaps the female birds are also nesting today.