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?