SNOW BIRDS in March
Sorry to say that the weather forecasters got it just right this time. Overnight, West Yorkshire has been smothered in a blanket of no-go snow and there's plenty more still to come. Looking out of the window from the warmth of my home, I feel so sorry for the birds and have been throwing out whatever food I can think of: wildlife seed that was bought for the small bird feeder, seeded bread, and I've even broken up Shredded Wheat. The pigeons are the bully boys of the garden and have crowded out the blackbirds and the medium-size birds but, happily, they cannot obtain seed from the cleverly constructed bird feeder that has feeding holes for four small birds.
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You can barely see the bird feeder which is hanging on the washing line at the top of the garden. It's centre photo, near the top, and at the time of my taking the photograph, there was at least one Robin, on the left, eating the wildlife seed within and another bird opposite with a little yellow showing. I don't know what it is as I can never get close enough to see. If you click on the image, you will get a closer look. This is a link to identifying British garden birds: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Bird Identifier
My garden is alive right now with the fluttering wings and pecking beaks of pigeons, big fat pigeons, and my cat has been watching through the window, thrashing his tail and making rather unnerving noises in his throat. Although he'd like to go out, he wouldn't; not even if I were to leave the door wide open for him because the snow is many inches deep out there.
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Later, I will throw out some sultanas in the hope that some of the birds smaller than the pigeons might have a chance. As for water, it isn't quite cold enough out there to freeze the nearby dam and so the birds should be ok for drinking and bathing.
I've been ransacking the cupboards for food for the birds. It's lamb casserole day, for me, and I cut off all the lamb fat and fried it in some butter and out-of-date olive oil margarine to extract the lamb fat. I then cut up the fried lamb fat into small portions and threw it out for the birds. The blackbirds have come for it already. Then I mixed the butter, margarine and lamb fat with some oats, sultanas, and broken Shredded Wheat and compressed it in a bowl. My plan is to make a kind of fat ball. Below you can see it next to the bird feeder. I put the fat mixture into a bag that previously held clementines from the supermarket. The birds are showing interest already.
.JPG)
You can barely see the bird feeder which is hanging on the washing line at the top of the garden. It's centre photo, near the top, and at the time of my taking the photograph, there was at least one Robin, on the left, eating the wildlife seed within and another bird opposite with a little yellow showing. I don't know what it is as I can never get close enough to see. If you click on the image, you will get a closer look. This is a link to identifying British garden birds: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Bird Identifier
My garden is alive right now with the fluttering wings and pecking beaks of pigeons, big fat pigeons, and my cat has been watching through the window, thrashing his tail and making rather unnerving noises in his throat. Although he'd like to go out, he wouldn't; not even if I were to leave the door wide open for him because the snow is many inches deep out there.
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| Alfie, the resident Ragdoll cat, looking out at snow. |
.JPG)
Later, I will throw out some sultanas in the hope that some of the birds smaller than the pigeons might have a chance. As for water, it isn't quite cold enough out there to freeze the nearby dam and so the birds should be ok for drinking and bathing.
I've been ransacking the cupboards for food for the birds. It's lamb casserole day, for me, and I cut off all the lamb fat and fried it in some butter and out-of-date olive oil margarine to extract the lamb fat. I then cut up the fried lamb fat into small portions and threw it out for the birds. The blackbirds have come for it already. Then I mixed the butter, margarine and lamb fat with some oats, sultanas, and broken Shredded Wheat and compressed it in a bowl. My plan is to make a kind of fat ball. Below you can see it next to the bird feeder. I put the fat mixture into a bag that previously held clementines from the supermarket. The birds are showing interest already.
