Lizzy Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Right now I have a flight of long-tailed tits on the feeders, a large woodpecker thingy and two robins posturing at each other :-D
howie Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Take care on these frosty mornings Lizzy or you might end up with a pair of bluetits as well. Nice to see you are looking after the wildlife though. *-)
michele Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Lizzy , one thing is for sure ,you certainly have found your two tit's ;-)
David Dwight Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Hi Lizzy, Keep feeding the Birds. We have a flock fo Goldfinches upwards of 20 the other day also Greenfinches, Siskins, Longtailed Tits as well as lots of the more common garden birds. We occasionaly have a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpecks that collect peanuts then try and stuff them between the sections of the street lamp post, its fascinating to watch them clinging to a smooth lamp post. Last year lots of people saidv dont encourage the birds because of Avian Flu. Birds that dont get enough food become weak therfore they are more susceptible to catching Avian Flu if and when it arrives. So everyone PLEASE keep feeding the birds, with out them the World will suffer, they are a big link in the food chain. David
michele Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Talking about birds .....the feather ones does anyone know about African greys .or does anyone own one. would love to know . Hubby's buying me one he does not know yet?
howie Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 David Dwight - 2006-12-21 7:58 PM Hi Lizzy, Keep feeding the Birds. We have a flock fo Goldfinches upwards of 20 the other day also Greenfinches, Siskins, Longtailed Tits as well as lots of the more common garden birds. We occasionaly have a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpecks that collect peanuts then try and stuff them between the sections of the street lamp post, its fascinating to watch them clinging to a smooth lamp post. Last year lots of people saidv dont encourage the birds because of Avian Flu. Birds that dont get enough food become weak therfore they are more susceptible to catching Avian Flu if and when it arrives. So everyone PLEASE keep feeding the birds, with out them the World will suffer, they are a big link in the food chain. DavidAnother simple way of helping migrating birds is if you replace the facia boards under the eaves, then make sure you leave gaps big enough for the Swifts and Swallows to get in and nest. Quite often, especially with uvpc boarding, this is cut to the shape of the stonework, and while this might improve the look of the job it denies access for the birds. A few small holes here and there will do, and its always a welcoming site during the Spring to see them returning "home" where they usually raise two broods of chicks before leaving for sunnier climes at summers end. Howard.
Mel B Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Michele Be careful what you wish for ... parrots are a very long term commitment and can be a bl**dy nuisance! Although not always, some can also be quite vicious if they feel left out as they like to be the centre of attention, and with your family I get the impression you've got enough on your plate without worrying whether the ruddy bird is going to start taking chunks out of the kids! Our friends have a male parrot, a large blue and yellow Macaw, which they've had for around 10 years, and he's an absolute sod, he creeps up on you and tries to bite you whenever he gets the chance. It's really their son's but they keep it at their house as the son has kids and it simply wouldn't be safe to have it there with them. If you desparately want one make sure you get some views and advice from several owners before getting one, that way at least you'll get a good idea of what to expect ... a bit like doing your research on motorhomes really! Take a look at the following website: http://www.parrot-rescue.co.uk/ Look down the centre column to the part entitled 'Parrots as Pets' and click on 'Selecting your parrot', it'll give you a bit of advice on what to look for/expect. Hope it helps :-S
michele Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Mel , Your right have always wanted one have a friend who has two so know quie a lot just trying to find out everything. the little one is straight to bed at night and the other one would not even see it and asked for bed by 6.30 7pm I have all day to myself and my animals I dont go out much sad really . Still your right will really have to check this one out .thanks.
howie Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I think Mels right on this Michele, and apart from what she has already said, you should take into account the many deseases these birds sometime carry. I would give this a miss if I were you unless your prepared to give the lot of time and effort these birds require. Howard.
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 A pharmacist friend of mine told me that it is impossible to get pain killers in the jungle because the parrots eat 'em all.
michele Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Maybe another horse ? Ha ha ....... Animal mad. Surrounded by horse shoes at the mo I think the whole family has one specially hand made from scratch from my daughter ....cheap a . son has now decided he wants to do it more money......... kid's couldn't eat a whole one a ....... ;-)
Lizzy Posted December 22, 2006 Author Posted December 22, 2006 Parrots are messy, cantankerous, long-lived, rare in the wild so make sure that you buy one from a person licsenced to breed and handle birds - have a look at the Cotswold Wildlife web-site or that of Bristol Zoo - Bird-world at Bourton on the Water too: it might be better to adopt one which is owned by a person who knows a *lot* about them. Get lots of info - they can be destructive, nasty - remember those beaks are for breaking nuts in the wild and can damage an appendedge with one fowl snap ;-) Make sure that your vet is knowledgeable too! As for blue-tits - with so much fog around, can't see any in this locality :-D By the way: do any of you feed wild birds when you are out and about with your campers? Like, do you carry nuts etc.? *-)
howie Posted December 22, 2006 Posted December 22, 2006 As far back as I can remember i,ve always carried my nuts around with me Lizzie, and I can confirm that many campers on site, ourselves included, take great interest in not only the birds, but all the other wildlife that can be found on campsites. Like golf courses, these sites can often be compared to mini sanctuarys where lack of interference means there is a supprising amount of wild flowers and plants to be observed as well, and all it takes is a little time and patience to be rewarded with things not apparent to the casual observer. We always rate a campsite by the time it takes to get the birds runnig round your deckchair when feeding as this shows the type of camper they are used to. If the birds are happy, then so is the campsite. Howard.
flicka Posted December 23, 2006 Posted December 23, 2006 Lizzy - 2006-12-22 8:02 PM Like, do you carry nuts etc.? *-) My better half (her opinion anyway) keeps telling me there's one Nut driving our Camper, we don't need anymore loose nuts in it. Then as long as no "fixed" Nuts come loose we should be OK. Flicka
michele Posted December 31, 2006 Posted December 31, 2006 Still fancy one lizzy but no money & have to take on board the looking after one ...although I am a stop at home mum so it would have lot's of attention . But having serious thoughts about it now ... Just because i want dont mean I should have A ?..... Thinking hard and long gonna take my time over this one ...... have not ruled it out yet still If I am still pining in may my birthday maybe I can talk him into it but I am doing alot of reading first . Wouldn't want to get it wrong... *-)
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