Just One of Those Days :(

*Sigh* where do I start?

Firstly I was late leaving for work this morning as I could not get Muzzy out from my room. I was clearing the room of cats so that I could close my bedroom door for the Finches to be safe all day as I had a full day of work. 😦

So being late and flustered, I rushed for the bus and managed to get one in time. I met my student whom was not very well with a cold!

During the morning I texted my Mum asking for updates on how the Finches were, as even she could not get Muzzy from my room. Every time she tried to pick her up, Muzzy would dash under the bed 😦

At lunchtime I got a text saying that the bird cage had been pulled over by Muzzy and was all over the floor 😦 So Muzzy is definitely in my bad books!

I wanted to rush home and clean them up but I had an afternoon of work ahead of me. I emailed David the bad news and he was saying he wasn’t having a great day either as the systems were down in his office and he couldn’t do any work. 

When I did get home, I was reunited with Chocolate and Caramel. They were chirruping away in my Mums room. I washed out their cage of damp sand and the seed seemed to get everywhere. lol It took me over half an hour but they are now content in their cage with all their seed, millet and water. 

Chocolate and Caramel after their ordeal have been very vocal and energetic tonight. They have both been chirruping and jumping onto their swing and flying back and forth. It has been nice to watch. 🙂 Even Chocolate has been playing with their mirror but they don’t know what the piece of apple I left in their cage is as they haven’t touched it. lol

I took out the metal mesh of the cage floor and I hope that they venture to the bottom of the cage eventually. I still want to serve them carrots and a boiled egg 🙂

I saw a Blackbird first thing this morning which was nice and the Dunnock was in the yard later in the afternoon, I saw him eating in the ground cage. I have heard the Blue Tits but not seen them.

I’ve a day off tomorrow so hope to see more bird action and to keep the cats away from the Finches! Wish me luck! 😛

Not Much to Report…

… except that do Society Finches just eat and sleep? That’s all what Chocolate and Caramel seem to do. They are very quiet and don’t sing that much. Am I doing something wrong?

Caramel and Chocolate

I bought them some more feeders today as they don’t seem to like the bottom of the cage and have not really ventured down there, where the food is. I placed a pot of seed and also a pot of grit/sand too. I don’t think either knew what the sand/grit was, they were constantly eating it. I got a bit worried as some sites online say not to give Finches grit/sand. I hope I have done correctly.

They seem quite content and love hanging upside down to eat the millet. They don’t seem too bothered about the seed. I am worried that they are not getting all their nutrients. I would love to give them half a boiled egg, but they don’t seem to like the cage floor. They even ignored the bath I put in and decided to have a wash in their drinking water lol

Not much wild bird happenings of late. Going to work early today, the air was so silent and still, maybe they are all too bothered with love on their minds???

Now… Introducing…!

 

 Chocolate (left) and Caramel (right)

The two newest members of our family were procured on Saturday after driving around Widnes and Warrington for two hours as the first pet shop didn’t have much in the way of a selection. I wanted a Zebra male as they were quite colourful, but David threw a spanner in the works and wanted a brown ‘Society/Bengalese’. So in the end I capitulated and went for a brown Finch too. We don’t really know if these are pure ‘Society/Bengalese’ because they were bought from a pet shop in Liverpool which had all Zebras and Societies together. I wasn’t very well over the weekend with a migraine so I was a bit grumpy and fearful that we were going to go home empty handed! 😦

Choosing Chocolate and Caramel was funny as the young boy who served us entered the aviary with a net and caught each Finch for us to decide if it was adequate. We had picked the Finches we liked before hand, but I don’t think we got the same Finches lol 😀 I don’t think we are disappointed with what we brought home, even though we don’t know if we have two males or two females! 🙂

When we brought Chocolate and Caramel home, I was very worried as Caramel was very still in her/his box, I thought he/she were dead! On the other hand Chocolate was very active, flicking his/her wings and trying to scratch out of the box. They cost us £11.50 for the two!

It took a day for them to settle into their new cage. I don’t think they knew what millet was nor a honey seed bar. Caramel turned out to be the more adventurous and within a few hours, found the millet and the water, though neither have found the seed and grit that is on the base of the cage 😦

I grew slightly worried for Chocolate as all night he/she just sat on top of the nest in the corner of the cage and hardly moved, not even for food or water. The next day, thankfully, Caramel showed Chocolate how to eat the millet and showed him/her the water. David added the other nest box for them to choose between and moved a few of the millet sprays.

Today they have had a few mad half hours, flying and singing back and forth. They have enough room to fly and I love watching them hover 🙂 The only problem we face is the cats, they have all been very curious with the new additions to the family!

Spring is definitely on its way, there are young shoots of green sprouting from the trees in the garden and there has been lots of birds singing first thing of a morning. While heading to the bus stop for work on Friday, I almost collided with a low flying Dunnock that whizzed past me. I also witnessed 7 or 8 Blue Tits all chattering together while flying above my head. I heard the song of a Dunnock and saw four Magpies on my walk.

Later that afternoon, I saw the visiting Dunnock couple, (they have visited every day for the past three days recently), one of them looked very hungry and was guzzling back my crunched nuts and seed. I put clean water and food out for them as evening drew closer. I am so looking forward to Spring and the promise of baby birds! I wonder if the Blue Tits and Dunnocks will bring their young to my yard to expand the knowledge that there is a nice lady there that is feeding them?

A Taste of Spring Today!

Only a short blog today as I am just recovering from a draining migraine. 😦 I fell ill not long after I finished work today. I was doing some research in the library with my student and it was so hot in there that I felt like I was being suffocated! We were only in the library for two hours, but it was enough to make me feel sick and when I stepped outside, low and behold it was so warm!! It has been such a lovely Spring-like day today, the sun makes my heart sing for the coming season. 😀

When I got home, I watched with delight a visiting Dunnock singing at 1.30pm for about half an hour. He was just sitting in our big tree, happy and not bothered by any other bird. Maybe it was the warm air and the lovely bright sun that made the birds more relaxed today as I also witnessed a lone Starling sitting in our tree for over an hour, unperturbed.

This morning before I headed out for work, I saw the Dunnock couple, I don’t know if they both flew away as I only saw one fly off, but there was also a lone Dunnock in the big tree, which raises the question, was there three Dunnocks in my yard today??? I have also seen a visiting Blue Tit couple, the bachelor Blue Tit who was in our yard at 6pm!! There have been only a few Pigeons and later on in the gloaming a Great Tit was tweeting away in the tree opposite.

Last night David and I took about 40 minutes fitting the Finch cage together, but what lasted the rest of the night was the rearrangement of my desk as the cage was too tall 😦 (I must have measured wrong) 😦 In the end I lost a shelf for my books and we had to find new homes for them. 😦

Apart from the annoyance at losing precious shelf space, the cage looks great! I enjoyed fitting it out and can’t wait for Saturday now so we can put a family inside it! 🙂

One Dunnock, Two Dunnocks!!!

Wow!!

I looked out of the window after 10am today and I was amazed by how much bird activity was going on outside in my yard! (I miss so much when I’m at work) The Blue Tits were being bullies again and one was chasing the Dunnock about, I was stunned at how much wing flickering was going on!! Then the Blue Tits started on the Robin who was uncomfortably perched on our domed feeder, do Robins like Sunflower seeds? He seemed to be guzzling them back!

Once the Blue Tits had flown to the tree across the way, I saw the persevering Dunnock in the ground cage eating!

I need a refilling at the dentist, I’ve got another appointment for the work to be done next week *sigh* 😦 I don’t know why the dentist didn’t do the work there and then!

Once I came back home, I looked into the yard and saw the Dunnock in the ground cage feeder again, and then I had a double take as I saw another Dunnock in the branches of the tree 🙂 TWO DUNNOCKS!!! At last I have seen them! I am so happy to see them together, just wish I had had my camera with me at the time! I am a little confused now, am I seeing a lone Dunnock of a morning or am I seeing one of the couple visiting?

After sitting down with a cup of coffee, a white van parked up outside the house. With eyes wide with expectation, I held my breath as my Mum opened the door to receive the Finch cage!!! It has arrived! I had to help her bring the box in as it was huge!

The van driver joked at my Mum saying, ‘how big was the bird!’ I jumped for joy! I can’t wait to set the cage up tonight with David 🙂 The Finch swing also came and it is made of rope, which looks like a dog toy and Riley was trying to take it from my hand to play with 🙂

The Dunnock visited a couple times during the afternoon, as did a few of the Blue Tits. We had some Starlings in and also Pigeons.

I wish I could have more days off like today as the bird activity was great to witness. I probably won’t see half as much tomorrow as I’m back at work, maybe I will be woken up with the song of the Dunnock?

Preparations!

The items I bought yesterday in preparation for the arrival of the Finches, which will hopefully be this Saturday were as follows:

Bird grit

Bird sand

Mirror and bell, whether they will play with this is yet to be found out!

Millet sprays

Cuttlefish

An iodine mineral block, an impulse buy as I saw it on the shelf and want to do well by the Finches, to keep them in tip top shape.

An extra food dish for possibly straw or nest materials

A honey bar as a treat.

There are many other items to buy in preparation for the Finches, like their seed mixes but we will purchase that alongside the birds. I could also use one of my two left over nest pockets for the Finches to sleep in!

Last night I got an email saying the cage had been dispatched! Both David and I were so excited!! All day today I have been eagerly awaiting the post but nothing arrived, maybe tomorrow?? 😛

David was showing me videos on YouTube of the Hagens cage we have picked and it looks really good, though we have to put it all together! I really look forward to its arrival and to build it with David, to see how big it is and to set it up ready for the little Finches. 🙂

I was up early again this morning for work and at 7am I heard the Dunnocks’ little song,  it is getting earlier and earlier with the sun rise! Today the weather was more Spring like than the end of Winter. Before I set off for work, I saw the Dunnock, Robin and a bachelor Blue Tit, apparently the Blue Tit couples have also been visiting during the day.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the dentist, so will be at home for most of the afternoon 🙂 I look forward to a little relaxation 🙂

I can’t wait to welcome new members to the family!

Last night, on the orders of David I ordered online the Finch cage. I am now eagerly awaiting a confirmation email that they have despatch the item. I do hope the cage arrives this week as I so want to get the two new members of our family this weekend 🙂 Though I worry that the website doesn’t have the cage in stock! It should say on the website surely?

It’s been a tiring day today. I came home from work after 3pm with some Finch goodies bought from Wilkinson. That seems to be all that I have done these past few weeks, spend, spend and spend! No wonder I am skint!

With being in work for most of the day, I have seen little in the way of bird action. This morning while I was having breakfast, I did hear the Dunnock, but I couldn’t see him. I walked to work with the sound of the Dunnock following me, (probably not the same one) they do seem to be out in force at the moment, probably with only one thing on their mind!

This evening, all I saw was the lone Robin and a Blue Tit couple eating some fat ball and peanuts. I have been feeling more and more gloomy with regards to my nest box, it is still empty and unlooked upon, even the visiting Blue Tits have completely blanked it recently. 😦 I have wondered why there has been a decreased activity in my yard of late. Is it because Spring is on its way and the birds are off doing other things? I think if this lack of interest continues, I shall have to get down some of the bird feeders, the peanuts will be going stale!

Chasing Cages!

Not much to report this weekend.

Recently there hasn’t been much bird activity in our yard, I saw a few Blue Tits and the Robin on sentry again. There were about six Pigeons and two Starlings, and I heard the Dunnock but didn’t see him. I did see three Blue Tit’s flying over the house, I though this was a strange number as I have only been seeing two at a time recently.

People on the British Garden Birds website have already starting talking about the birds nesting or choosing preferred nesting sites, maybe that is why there has been a reduced activity of late? Regarding my nest box, I haven’t seen any Blue Tits taking an interest in it, so it’s looking more and more likely that I won’t have a family nesting this year, but it’s still early, so I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed 🙂

After a mundane weekend of doing the weekly shop, of getting our hair cut and David having to pay £25 to replace his broken wind-wipers, we decided to visit a few local pet shops and garden centres. We went looking for bird cages like the one I have chosen from the Zooplus website. We did see similar in a pet store in Liverpool, but they were not the right size.

We are also not so sure on what type of Finch to get. The two pet shops we have visited that have Finches, have only stocked the Society Finches which I think look a bit bland and the Zebra Finches, though David doesn’t like them. I have a liking for the Gouldian Finches but we can’t find a suppler and they seem pretty expensive, though they are so colourful! 

I’d just like to thank the customer service at Gardman as my £15 cheque for the ground cage defender that didn’t keep the Pigeons out, arrived on Saturday. I will probably use the money to go towards the Finches, that’s if we get them:)

 

Gloomy Friday…

Last night out of sheer boredom I went looking online for some flowering plants for the back yard, in the hope of encouraging Bees and Butterflies. At the last count I had £200 pounds worth of plants in the online shopping basket 😮 I think I shall buy them a bit at a time. I think the first plants I buy could possibly be a Cotoneaster and Honeysuckle with a few small herbs.

I was thinking how cute the vocalisation of the Blue tits are, after yesterday hearing them lightly calling to each other when they knew I was in the yard. They have a sort of call like a quiet chuckle, possibly it is some kind of signal to each other to show their status. I suppose that if there is danger around then the call would become much more louder!

I was doing some reading  about nest boxes and their placements in a garden, but none of the articles I read said how many metres from food to put them. I have a feeling that mine is too close to the tree that has the seed feeders, it’s at an angle and has a direct flying route but I have a feeling that I won’t get any birds nesting, wherever I will place the box 😦

Regarding bird boxes and cages David and I have been doing some research about the finches. We are quite appalled that bird cages are so expensive, the one that I like is about £50! Though I am not so sure that the website ‘zooplus‘ is any good? I have read reviews that the customer service isn’t up to scratch! In relation to customer service I still haven’t received my cheque for the Gardman ground cage defender as I wrote a letter of complaint about how it stated that it deterred Pigeons but mine alas didn’t! Also my ‘One day’ DVD and book hasn’t been despatched yet,  I am so impatient!

After a disturbed nights sleep, I awoke early for work this morning. At 7.15am I first heard the Dunnock singing his song, he was singing on and off until I left for work at 8.15am. I saw him sitting in the tree opposite, while it poured with rain. There was also a Blackbird sitting not far from him, we don’t see them very often. I saw the Dunnock eating from the ground cage later on in the day, he looks so healthy and has a round body with glossy feathers. The Robin made his appearance as did the regular Blue Tits and of course there was up to six Pigeons following four Starlings.

Was it a Long-tailed Tit???

Well, I must say it has been quite a confuddled day today, maybe it was because I wasn’t feeling too well, I don’t know! David was back at work today, so maybe I was missing him? This morning, my Mum was overcome with excitement, she had seen a new species of bird in our backyard. I don’t know, it always seems to be the case that I never see these new birds, and I am the one who can identify them properly. lol 😛

I was told that there were two small Blue Tit type birds in the yard, one was on the fat ball holder eating, while the other was just sitting in the branches of our small tree. My Mum said the most striking thing about this new species was that they were black and white and had awfully long tails! What confused matters more was that she said that the bird had a black line on its chest, but she wasn’t so sure once I started interrogating her. lol

People on the ‘British Garden Birds‘ website said it was a female Great Tit, but they don’t have long tails. I did suggest it may have been a Pied Wagtail but we later saw one of these and Mum said it wasn’t one of them, so back to square one again!

All I can assume was that my Mum had seen a Long-tailed Tit and if it was one of them then I think I will probably explode as they were one of the species I had hoped to have seen this winter and they have evaded me. 😦 I hope they, like the Wren comes and visits the yard soon.

Yesterday my insect house came about 5pm 🙂 Today, with the help of my Mum we put the box up on a wall hoping for some solitary Mason bees or Butterflies.

The yard is coming along nicely and looking more like a nature haven than it has ever been. All I need now are some flowering plants to encourage the Bees and Butterflies to the yard, but will probably purchase them in April when the weather gets a bit warmer.

I am so eager for Spring to arrive, I have yet to see if any of the Tit family are interested in my nest box. I do hope someone chooses it as it would be lovely to document a new family. 🙂

I have noticed that after 3pm the bird activity in my yard becomes less and less. Activity peaks about 1pm. I saw the Robin and Dunnock several times today, eating from the ground feeder. I heard the Dunnock singing at 7.20am this morning. There were again lots of Pigeons and about four Starlings. I think the Pigeons follow the Starlings as they drop lots of fat ball from the feeder. There were a few Blue Tit couples and the Blue Tit bachelor was around in the morning, singing, he still hasn’t found a mate yet.

This morning when I was in the yard with my Mum deciding where the new insect house should go, two brave Blue Tits flew into our big tree, we both stayed extra still and watched as the Blues readily ate from the sunflower hearts. They are so adorable 🙂