Daydream thread continues.....

rozeepozee

lostinrates wrote: »

I also just saw a mosquito. Gads.

We;re teeming with mozzies round here. Nothing seems to kill the blighters.

Davesnave

alfie_1 wrote: »

i had 11 robins, 17 long tailed tits, other tits, bullfinch ,2 woodpeckers,3 nuthatch, a magpie, 2 wood pidgeons [and my doves] descend on my bird feeding area within minutes of putting stock out ....

The bird population is well down here and we may be partly to blame for clearing the place up.

However, some things, like the disappearance of most greenfinches, are not tidiness related. They were here well after we did the main clearance. I still grow that horrible geranium phaeum just for them!

It's a balancing act. I'm putting in two copses to make up for trees we've removed, and I've grown new stuff like Guelder rose for the hedgerows too, but it will take a few years for those to have much effect. Of course we have all the usual nuts, fat balls & seeds in the feeders, but it's not the same as good cover.

Some of the birds here are pretty tame though. I had to stop the barrow this afternoon because a blackbird wouldn't get out of the way! We also have a wren that flits under the back sliding door of the polytunnel, so that comes & goes as it pleases. Useful birds when there are aphids about. The blue tits have also nested in our garage box for the first time this year.

Usually too breezy here for mozzies, I think.

lostinrates

We have cleared, but are getting greater variety of birds.

pink_poppy

lostinrates wrote: »

I also just saw a mosquito. Gads.

I've already been bitten by something ~ 3 times on my foot!! :eek:

alfie_1 wrote: »

i had 11 robins, 17 long tailed tits, other tits, bullfinch ,2 woodpeckers,3 nuthatch, a magpie, 2 wood pidgeons [and my doves] descend on my bird feeding area within minutes of putting stock out ....

Wow, I thought my 4 robins today was exciting!! I'd love to see nuthatches here, I've only ever seen them at a nearby woodland centre.

I don't know if anyone is interested, but Ald1 have got fruit trees in store at the moment ~ £3.99. I saw bramley (on my wishlist but no good for where I live atm) & braeburn. Also raspberries ~ that confused me

lostinrates

I want a Granny Smith, which I was sure Audi had last year but not this year. I was amazed to get a fruit on the Bramley I bought there last year, so guess I ought to buy it pollinators. We inherited three apples, not sure what any of them are, but obviously two are the required, but at least one is going.....so thinking ahead....and I think Granny Smiths are one of the suitable pollinators (i know its diploid though) but I will check. I like Granny Smith juice too.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

morning all:j

think this cols snap is with us until the weekend..

well at least its not raining.

really noticing the mornings and evenings getting lighter:beer:

If its still dry on the weekend, I think we can start clearing again up the ranch....:T:T

Davesnave

Hmmmm, nobody seems to be mentioning the strong wind we have here, which was going all night too.:( Oh well, mustn't moan, as it looks pretty dry overall in the next week or so.....I can always cut grass when more static jobs make me chilly.....

I'm hoping the builder guys will start sorting our barn next week. They've already put a few tonnes of aggregate down there in readiness. No sign of Pete wanting to do a bit of fencing though. I saw him last week and he was being deliberately vague about his movements! :rotfl:The Petes of this world are never short of work, so one just has to fit in with them.

rozeepozee

No wind here, Dave, and we're normally blowy on The Hill. I think it might be our achilles heel for growing....

well, that and the heavy clay soil....

I'm feeling a little puffed up about my bird table. We have the advantage of a long strip of woodland all up the rear side of our property so I can site the bird feeding station in front of this and it gives them loads of cover from the birds of prey and they feel secure to feed there.

We too have flocks of long tailed tits, nuthatches galore (they used to be a very rare treat in Sheffield - they're incredibly untidy eaters!), Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits (tits galore :}), Blackbirds, robins, Chaffinches and last night we heard loud crunching under the table, got out the torch and it was a young badger. Didn't even run off when we pointed the beam at it. Don't know whether to be pleased about that or not. Badgers are personas non grata round here.

Not surprisingly, I'm spending fortunes on wild bird feed. I've a selection of hanging feeders with loose seeds and fatballs, a tray and some I just chuck on the floor (or the nuthatch does the job for me!) for the floor feeding birds. It seems to help attract s wide variety of birds,. I love 'em and am thinking that we may not need any other livestock at least for a while...

I'm having a reframe about lots of stuff. I've decided that we cannot take on anything else now until the build is sorted out. We've all been sick this week and it's finsihed us off. Four tenants have suddenly given notice (herd mentality!) and there is now a bit of smartening up the rental properties to be done over Easter - if it is done it will take the pressure off for a while because newly let tenancies mean that they are sorted for at least 6 months, but the work has still gotta be done.... Ho hum..... This means no chickens, no growing, no courses, no more voluntary stuff.... Come September, the girls will start school and hopefully the build will be mostly done and we can plan ahead then....

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

I'm having a reframe about lots of stuff. I've decided that we cannot take on anything else now until the build is sorted out. ...

Same reason we closed the nursery. Couldn't see us doing that and the build. The build has taken longer to sort than anticipated though!

Not sure how keen I will be to re-open. Once the government start paying me my OAP, we should be solvent, and that's all I care about.

If we had a badger like yours, it might be one too many. Say no more!

rozeepozee

Davesnave wrote: »

If we had a badger like yours, it might be one too many. Say no more!

That's the way of squirrels around here