Add your "Odds & Sods" here thread ... 2020

LOL Wendy,

Here's a Greenfinch I took earlier, but I have a little story to say first of all.    About an hour later I saw movement just

outside my kitchen window.   Grabbed camera but couldn't move in case I frightened it.    Only my first Goldcrest!!!!   It was in the Bottlebrush tree, silhouetted against the blue sky with it's red crest on end being blown by the N/E wind.   Such a tiny bird and I was blown away too.    Only there for seconds and I managed a shot of the bottlebrush (:(  Still embedded in my memory though::)

Gaynor has lost the plot you say.......  well the Greenie will just not appear in my library so thought Sue would be glad of a chance to pose!!  

Beautiful photo of Sue and your gorgeous garden Gaynor; how lovely to spot a tiny Goldcrest, as you say they don't hang around long ! sounds like your Goldcrest might have been a male if it was showing orangey/red colour.

Thanks Hazy, On second thoughts it could have been a Firecrest, the plume was so vivid in colour, and looking at the book they are the same size. Will never know now, shows you how unless you watch the garden full time you never know what passes by or lands. There are bee eaters flying around North Wales too, don't think they will stay long as the wind is so cold.

gaynorsl said:

Thank heavens for that Mike, I'm afraid I have a water pistol to hand for next door's cat. It has decided I am a rotten shot and now rubs up against my legs and comes in the shed to scout around!!

Apart from that one cat, the rest here know how far they can push their luck, taking their nine lives to the extreme!

However, I think most bird life here, has become wise to how slow that one cat is, or they'd be gone in a flash.

gaynorsl said:

On second thoughts it could have been a Firecrest,

wow Gaynor, you better keep your eyes peeled as that would be really special;   I've only ever seen one and didn't know until I looked at the photos off the camera afterwards !   although I always think they look a bit clownish with so much white around their eye/eyebrow.     Exciting to know there are Bee-eaters around too but if only they would stop a while longer;   can you imagine how frustrating it must be for twitchers hearing there is such a bird and not being able to travel into Wales to see it    !!    

Strawberries & cream anyone, hmmm maybe I'll give it a miss, the cream looks a bit chewy. I wouldn't mind but we only had the 2.

Pretty shot of the garden & dog Gaynor & how lovely to see the Gold/Firecrest. They are tricky to tell apart but one has a white eye-stripe which makes the head look bright, without it the eye seems darker somehow. Not sure if that helps.

gaynorsl said:

There are bee eaters flying around North Wales too

I saw that - a flock of 13 according to the story I saw. Have you got many bees in the garden!!??

Hazel C said:

I'll give it a miss, the cream looks a bit chewy.

Finnicky, that's what you are!

Like your strawberries Hazel, without the dressing maybe. I really can't say now whether there was a white eye-stripe or not, it was heading upwards in the bottle brush tree and of course so fast...it was just the raised peak that stuck in my memory, and I didn't spot the grumpy look that the Goldcrest has when I first spotted it.

Hazy I hadn't thought of the poor twitchers (chomping at the bit) as my hubby used to say, not able to travel over here to see the Bee eaters!!

Yes Nigel I have the odd few bees buzzing around so will be keeping my eyes open, more bumble bees now rather than anything smaller, unless they feed on the hovering bees too, she says hopefully.

A few pics from yesterday when the Starlings put in an appearance

they've always plenty to say for themselves,  usually cursing me from the perch as I limit their live mealworm bag limit    lol 

the cursing just gets worse if you don't let them raid the worms    lol 

then they go all "speak up …...can't hear you Mrs"  as I tell them they've got to share with the other birds   !

then its turn of the head and "I'm not listening any more Mrs"    

more ranting and raving at me and flapping one wing    !! 

next the evil stare  !

then head off to find extra food elsewhere 

Finally, good news is we have two house martin nests next to one another along the eaves and both pairs are constantly flying back and forth