Wildlife December 2009

[Stephenb]

And I thought Blackcaps are pure insect eaters and need special insect food mix. But it seems they are more adaptive in kind of food and taste (like Robins)...

I read in that link that olives are important food in the south...so they've changed from Olive Oil to Sunflower and Peanut Oil it seems.....Perhaps I'll put out a saucer of olive oil for it to remind it of the old days....

[Susan Band]

Maggie,
 I once heard a lot of birds one night outside 'Petsmart' and though the finches had escaped, it turned out to be a roost of wagtails. Try looking about shopping centres such as B&Q where they have hedges separating the parking lots. They don't seem to mind the street lights.
Susan

[mark smyth]

The lowest roost I ever found was about average car height in a thick clipped hedge. Just now I cant remember what plants make up the hedge

Stephen maybe we should start feeding blackcaps diced olives

[Michael J Campbell]

Mark,do you want to spoil them,? at the moment with the recession we can't afford to feed ourselves diced olives.

[Stephenb]

Staphen maybe we should start feeding blackcaps diced olives

Don't know whether they could handle the salt.

[ashley]

Blackcaps here prefer apple, fat balls & peanuts.  Under the present weather conditions they're voracious eaters too, like the rest of us

[Anthony Darby]

I'd just visited this page, then noticed that Ashley had posted one at 1.59 p.m.. I'll check in an hour to see what he says!

[ashley]

You too Anthony   Weird isn't it?  Forum time seems to be BST rather that GMT/UTC, & setting local time to -1 under 'preferences' as Fred recommended some time ago has had no effect on my post times
So back to the future

[Gwenblack]

Does anyone recall that we used to hang up lamb bones and poultry carcases for blue tits   and starlings to feed on? I've been puzzled by the fact that such offerings are nowadays totally ignored by the feathered friends. I recently read that small doses of arsenic are added to chicken feed to boost growth [ not to mention antibiotics in farm animal feed  concentrates ]  and wonder if the message has got around in our bird population that the stuff isn't safe!!!!

[Maggi Young]

I always used to tie up bacon rind with string to hang out for the bluetits..... ours gave up eating that offering many years ago.....no idea why.I still chop it very finely and the blackbirds and the robins seem to like it.

[TC]

Another gratuitous picture.  The expression is almost human

[Arykana]

I always used to tie up bacon rind with string to hang out for the bluetits..... ours gave up eating that offering many years ago.....no idea why

because he watches cholesterol  
seriously - maybe they feel too salty or smoky

[annew]

The remains of our Christmas turkey are always enjoyed by our starlings. Eventually most of the carcass vanishes, hopefully by neighbours' cats onto their best furniture.

[Paul T]

Tom,

What sort of rat is that one?  It doesn't have the head shape of the normal hooded rats that are kept as pets, or has the pic been modified?  Adorably cute!!  I used to have pet rats for a few years.  I don't think I'd be allowed to now-a-days, being married and all (I don't think Yvonne would cope with pet rats!  )

[Maggi Young]

I always used to tie up bacon rind with string to hang out for the bluetits..... ours gave up eating that offering many years ago.....no idea why

because he watches cholesterol  
seriously - maybe they feel too salty or smoky

 I soak it first to take away as much salt as possible.