BIRD NEWS:114

Munch, munch, munch - the starlings were still eating those suet balls as December's second weekend arrived. Just one day after that last photo, you can see how far the suet balls have gone down due to starling happiness!

You can also see how the dropped peckings on the ground are being used by starlings who cannot find room for themselves up top!!!!

December continued, and here is Ditty landed upon the bird table, about to investigate the latest offerings.

As you can see, Beatie has found the bird feeder pole. Here she is tucking into the highest of the two peanut feeders to enjoy a snack.

BIRD NEWS:113

The second week of December brought rain and winds as well as the dead pigeons and chopped down trees as described in my last post. Curio was still hopeful of some windowsill suet though.

Meanwhile, the sparrows and starlings have found what they enjoy munching situated in my recent acquisition. I actually spotted Mr Bob peruse the new bird feeder poles, fly along and look - but as yet have to see him munch anything. Being a ground feeder, it is unlikely he will get anything other than fallen crumbs - but you never know! He did have a bath after viewing though.

The bird feeder pole is indeed popular - especially with the starlings. In fact, within 3-4 days, they had gobbled up nearly all ten suet balls! Now they know where it is, I am wondering if the suet balls will last even that long in a few weeks.

Another pleased-with-it member of the feathered population is Beatie - whose home was removed while the council gutted next doors yard. She has discovered the suet balls and peanuts and I have seen here there 3 times in one day. PHEW! Now to see if I can find her another home...

BIRD NEWS:112

This shot is what was left of the holly tree after the councilmen chopped out 2/3s. It was once a large majestic tree full of berries that fieldfares and redwings munched in bitter winters. It used to be mingling with brambles and elder tree - alas, no more. Gone is Ditty's old home.

Gone also is this poor pigeon. I had the front door open and my son was coming back from going out and mentioned a pigeon as he entered the house. I went to investigate and spotted this sad sight. Alas, it was stone cold and still - dead. Nothing I could do to help or save it - so I blessed it with the Medicine Buddha mantra and popped it in the undergrowth in the back yard.

Ditty was wondering if there was any suet or seed going for her family... So much destruction of known territory that had remained the same for years. Of course, seeds and suet were offered as usual!

I will close today's miserable post with another piece of sadness - this is the final shot of the former holly tree shown in the first picture. They came back and chopped down the last trunk. No berries for our winter visitors if they arrive soon, this year. They still did not stop - gone are all the trees along the back fence, too. I am wondering if tomorrow they will take out the last remaining tree - the conifer at the far corner of our adjoining yards - thankfully the one to the right is planted the other side, I think!

BIRD NEWS:111

It did not take me long to empty the rotten nuts and seed and fill the containers. The two suet ball feeders are now attracting our starlings, while the two peanut containers are filled and ready to be munched. I am waiting on the seed feeder to dry, as I had to wash it out. I hope to fill this in the morning. As you can see in the next blurry photo, the starlings soon found the suet feeders!

And Mr Black soon found the dropped stale peanuts. The yard next door has undergone such dramatic transformation, that some of the birds are now wary and distressed. Their home, nesting material, food supply is all being changed... Thankfully, they have not totally abandoned our area and here is a sighting of a mystified Pidge and his offspring to prove it.

Both pictures above were in the same photo - same tree, same time - but I separated them to show them at full size and clearer. December continued...

BIRD NEWS:110

Now I have finished with the live bird shots from Arundel, but I do have one last shot to share from my trip. Regular readers may recall I took a photo of a window displaying several statue birds and decided to go back in the darker evening. I did so, and this is what I saw:

Well, there were 2 bird statues left, but mostly they had been removed and a tree erected instead. I am still uncertain if it is a house, a store, or both in one - but whatever it was, it was obviously a display. That brings us to the end of that excursion, which appears to have filled multiple blog posts. The trip was taken in the first Saturday of December.

On the Sunday, I took a shot from home - of a pair of pigeons on a neighbor's roof. The second week of December 2015 began and I took a couple of shots of Pidge in the garden - alas, the first one is more artsy than clear, and the second not that good unless you are into colors and fuzzy beaks...

Back home from my trip, things were somewhat stagnant in the yard, with all the clearances next door removing the blue tit nesting house, bird bath, bird feeder, and bird table and the absent sparrow hedge.

However, I do have one bit of super news to share on this matter. While moping over coffee at a friend's place, the suggestion to put in a request for the bird feeder cropped up - I had sort of pondered over pinching it, as I know the lady who used to live next door wouldn't have minded - we both love birds...

The very next day, the opportunity arose to do so. I had just gotten home from my allotment and spotted the council guy beginning to clear the junk from the back yard next door - I asked and I got BOTH bird feeder poles - which are now safely hammered into my back yard. YEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

If you ever wondered what a murmuration looks like - view THIS video. I have been tempted to visit the Brighton starling murmuration thyat a friend told me about - but am usually coming home by the time it gets dark enough.

BIRD NEWS:109

This swan did a Naboo when spotting my camera! It was getting dark again because of the clouds as I passed the castle entry on my way back to town for the third time. But it was not too dark to spot a dove, or for the dove to spot me and my lil pink box!

This burst of heavy clouds only lasted a short while and turning towards the lake, but not moving in that direction, I caught the swan on camera a few more times...

... before finally heading back into town to join the now amassed crowd for Christmas festivities.

BIRD NEWS:108

A pair of ducks were quite tame and friendly, coming up towards me - though I am sure a pink metal box is not 'food' in their eyes. They soon got fed up of me however, and returned to their group in the moat. As I said in my last post, I then went back to town again for the second cup of wine...

After another wander about town, I returned yet again to the moat, this time spotting a swan to photograph...

...and a duck.

Catching up back home, Mr Black and Curio are still around - but the other pair of blackbirds may have to find a new home - the shed roof covered in ivy above upon the wall next to my prickly tree is no longer there. Thankfully my tree is on my side of the fence and remains in situ for the birds liking the yellow berries, but alas the second pair of blackbirds' home is now GONE!

Mr Bob has been seen, but not as much as usual for this time of year - and I am thankful he chose my ivy covered washing pole as his home - but poor Beatie will have no nesting box for 2016. Hopefully she will like somewhere in MY yard. I have one side of house and 2 sides of nature left.

BIRD NEWS:107

Yet another statue bird was in situ in a shop window, as I progressed on a foot-tour of town. I then sat down and munched my way through a couple bags hot roast chestnuts and sipped some warm mulled wine, before deciding to potter off along the moat - again...

After all, birds are more interesting than antique shops and Christmas celebrations really - well, to me. Sure enough the ducks were still in situ back at the moat and willing to have more photos taken.

Some of these photos came out blurry - as the ducks were moving a lot more this time - not that I had had a glass mulled wine! After taking a few more shots, I returned into town and had a second cup of wine, though.