We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill

"Dave Hill" wrote in message
...
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill


A terrific amount of activity in and around the nest box under the veranda
today. Many many visits, some with the bird staying in for quite a while.

Unable to see if nesting material is going in, my feeling is no.

Interesting point is that sometimes, when one bird is in the box, the other
will be on the Honeysuckle just outside, and try and look in. If the bird is
outside, the one inside stays inside for quite some while.

Activity been going on all day, not noticed it before. When the bird does
come out, it will fly from bush to bush or tree, not appearing to collect
anything, then fly back to the nest box.

Picture five, taken from the computer, shows the nest box up to the right so
I am getting a front row view http://www.myalbum.com/Album=4X3JO4J6

Any ideas what they are up to?

Mike





--

....................................
Today, is the tomorrow, you were worrying about, yesterday.
....................................

In message
, Dave
Hill writes
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill

I have seen a few in the last couple of days, and on a feed table in the
country park on Sunday there were 5 trying to get at the food together.
A nuthatch disturbed them for a while, then when they came back there
were 8 of them.

At the same time a large group of siskins was feasting on the pods of an
alder, just above.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

Long tailed tits seem to be the tits which are least bothered by humans. We have had them coming to a fat feeder two feet from the kitchen window. They're one of my favourite birds.

In article
, Dave
Hill writes
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill


We used to have a lot but not since many at all this year.
What do I have to put out for the kites ? We have had four or five at
least circling here today and the snow is really deep .
My brother suggests putting a board out with stuff on it but I seem to
be right out of dead mice and voles in my freezer!

We also have magpies around so i am assuming that they will pinch
whatever I put out/

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
In article
, Dave
Hill writes
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill


We used to have a lot but not since many at all this year.
What do I have to put out for the kites ? We have had four or five at
least circling here today and the snow is really deep .
My brother suggests putting a board out with stuff on it but I seem to be
right out of dead mice and voles in my freezer!

We also have magpies around so i am assuming that they will pinch whatever
I put out/

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk


The best answer I think would be offal - but where do you get that from? At
a local kite feeding station it is noticed that kites rarely actually touch
down to get food - they just swoop and pick up what they've spotted on the
ground- fascinating spectacle.

Bill

On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:38:29 -0000, Bill Grey wrote:

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
In article
, Dave
Hill writes
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill


We used to have a lot but not since many at all this year.
What do I have to put out for the kites ? We have had four or five at
least circling here today and the snow is really deep .
My brother suggests putting a board out with stuff on it but I seem to be
right out of dead mice and voles in my freezer!

We also have magpies around so i am assuming that they will pinch whatever
I put out/

The best answer I think would be offal - but where do you get that from? At
a local kite feeding station it is noticed that kites rarely actually touch
down to get food - they just swoop and pick up what they've spotted on the
ground- fascinating spectacle.

ICBW but I think you need a licence to feed kites and such. I know that a
feeding station in Mid-Wales has a licence and they can only put out meat
fit for human consumption. Also there are rules about feeding offal and
meat not for human consumption to working dogs meaning that birds aren't
supposed to be able to get at it.
--
Phil Cook

"Phil Cook" wrote in message
. ..
On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:38:29 -0000, Bill Grey wrote:

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
In article
, Dave
Hill writes
We have been getting a great deal of activity from the blue tits since
the start of the hard frosts, I don't think I have seen so many on our
feeders, also a fer Great Tits, Coal Tits, but no sign of our Long
Tailed Tits, tyhat was till today when they turned up in force, over
12 of them as far as I could count, feeding as if they hadn't eaten
for days. I was afraid that they had been lost to the cold.
I just hope they get through the comming cold spell that is being
forecast.
David Hill


We used to have a lot but not since many at all this year.
What do I have to put out for the kites ? We have had four or five at
least circling here today and the snow is really deep .
My brother suggests putting a board out with stuff on it but I seem to
be
right out of dead mice and voles in my freezer!

We also have magpies around so i am assuming that they will pinch
whatever
I put out/

The best answer I think would be offal - but where do you get that from?
At
a local kite feeding station it is noticed that kites rarely actually
touch
down to get food - they just swoop and pick up what they've spotted on
the
ground- fascinating spectacle.

ICBW but I think you need a licence to feed kites and such. I know that a
feeding station in Mid-Wales has a licence and they can only put out meat
fit for human consumption. Also there are rules about feeding offal and
meat not for human consumption to working dogs meaning that birds aren't
supposed to be able to get at it.
--
Phil Cook

I can't comment on the legal side of feeding offal, I do kow a well kown
butcher company near Llandovery used to feed kites but with what I don't
know.

I would have thought using offal would a good use of the unwanted material.

Bill

In article ,
Phil Cook wrote:

ICBW but I think you need a licence to feed kites and such. I know that a
feeding station in Mid-Wales has a licence and they can only put out meat
fit for human consumption. Also there are rules about feeding offal and
meat not for human consumption to working dogs meaning that birds aren't
supposed to be able to get at it.

How utterly bureaucratic and ridiculous! Kites are scavengers, and
don't have trouble with carrion. Hawks, on the other hand, may well
need fresh meat.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Dec 20, 5:12*pm, wrote:
In article ,
Phil Cook wrote:



ICBW but I think you need a licence to feed kites and such. I know that a
feeding station in Mid-Wales has a licence and they can only put out meat
fit for human consumption. Also there are rules about feeding offal and
meat not for human consumption to working dogs meaning that birds aren't
supposed to be able to get at it.

How utterly bureaucratic and ridiculous! *Kites are scavengers, and
don't have trouble with carrion. *Hawks, on the other hand, may well
need fresh meat.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

We had a red kite flying around here this afternoon for almost half an
hour, it has permission to take every rabbit it can find here, but I'm
not going to go out and catch them for it, but if I do get any it is
more than welcome to the innards.

Dave Hill wrote:
On Dec 20, 5:12 pm, wrote:
In article ,
Phil Cook wrote:



ICBW but I think you need a licence to feed kites and such. I know
that a feeding station in Mid-Wales has a licence and they can only
put out meat fit for human consumption. Also there are rules about
feeding offal and meat not for human consumption to working dogs
meaning that birds aren't supposed to be able to get at it.

How utterly bureaucratic and ridiculous! Kites are scavengers, and
don't have trouble with carrion. Hawks, on the other hand, may well
need fresh meat.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

We had a red kite flying around here this afternoon for almost half an
hour, it has permission to take every rabbit it can find here, but I'm
not going to go out and catch them for it, but if I do get any it is
more than welcome to the innards.

I believe Oriel Jones's slaughterhouse in Llanybydder used to put stuff
out for the kites, but they were stopped when the authorities found out.
Madness! --That's what kites are /for/, for heaven's sake!

--
Mike.

In article
,
Dave Hill writes
We had a red kite flying around here this afternoon for almost half an
hour, it has permission to take every rabbit it can find here, but I'm
not going to go out and catch them for it, but if I do get any it is
more than welcome to the innards.


What would have happened in the foot and mouth disaster? Would they have
killed the birds around or scared them off?
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:08:09 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote:

In article
,
Dave Hill writes
We had a red kite flying around here this afternoon for almost half an
hour, it has permission to take every rabbit it can find here, but I'm
not going to go out and catch them for it, but if I do get any it is
more than welcome to the innards.

I think rabbits are a bit too much for a kite. They may well scavenge a
dead one but killing one might be beyond them.

What would have happened in the foot and mouth disaster? Would they have
killed the birds around or scared them off?

In the outbreak in the 60's they blasted at everything that flapped with a
multitude of shotguns. But there weren't many kites, or indeed other birds
of prey about then, having been persecuted almost to the point of
extinction.
--
Phil Cook