BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)

Subject: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 05:34 AM

Got two coal tits on the nut feeder this morning, Yippee!

We seem to be suffering from a lack of garden birds this winter and started to wonder what was wrong, but apparently because the weather has been exceptionally mild there is plenty of food outside of the gardens.

Shame really, we had loads last year, which was our first year in Yorkshire and just happened to be the worst winter in the village for years (snowed in for weeks).

Oh well, I'll just have to be grateful for small mercies, and store the memory.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Musket
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 05:54 AM

Yeah, my bird feeder remains unfinished, yet last year, I was filling it daily.

My Robin has returned, which is a good thing. I thought some of the feral farm cats nearby had him, but back loud and proud.

Various tits at the feeder as I look out right now, but no idea which sort.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 05:58 AM

Hmmmm.... Thought I posted to this thread a few minutes ago - musn't 'a took!

With the onset of very harsh weather across Europe, there'll very likely be an influx of birds to gardens in Britain and Ireland over the next few days. Keep feeders full!

Regards

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Will Fly
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 06:02 AM

My feeders are full at the moment because the weather's been so mild - but there's some really icy Northerlies blowing down to Sussex in the last day or two, and I expect to see some tit action very soon. Hopefully there'll be redwings and fieldfares in the field at the end of the road.

Finches have been very mixed so far - more goldfinches than usual but greenfinches seem to have declined. Sparrows, dunnocks, wrens and a robin or two very much in evidence.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 07:51 AM

Nasty and horrible return of icy cold weather! Birds positively flocking to our feeders, poor things. Bought some revolting sausage rolls yesterday (too greasy) so flung the lot (six long ones) out for the birds. Gone in two minutes ! Am frantically making lardy blocks of goodies for them, and have filled (again) the seed feeder. Looks as if we're in for a really cold spell. Hate it!

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: theleveller
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 09:21 AM

All the old apples in the orchard have been eaten and the seeds from the seedheads left in the garden. Forgot to net my spring cabbages and either pheasants or woodies have had them - but I'll get my revenge (nice game casserole coming up)!

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 10:02 AM

Had 6 long tailed tits on my fat balls, on Sunday.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 11:41 AM

I confess that, at first glance, the title of this thread conjured up the heart-rending image of a penniless, sex-starved hermit living in the wilds and 1,000 miles from the nearest "house of ill-repute".

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 05:06 AM

The mind boggles!

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 05:25 AM

In Lower Coke, the pigeons are still the size of Dorniers. But the ground is very hard this morning and I am planning to keep the woodstove running 24/7 for the next few days at least.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 01:51 PM

I haven't put out the bird feeders this winter. The weather has been so mild and there is a lot of food out there that I'd prefer they eat than spread commercial seed in my garden patch or lawn! And when they're habituated to feeding there, they come back when there are crops and are hard on them. But mostly, last year we had rats come eat the bird seed on the ground and I want to discourage that. I live next to a creek and large wooded area and would prefer those native critters stay in their area and out of the crops.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 02:09 PM

Don't feed on the ground

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 02:26 PM

I chuck some stuff on the ground, and it gets hoovered up in seconds, so the rodents don't get a look-in. I've noticed a lot of blackbirds have materialised lately, haven't seen them all winter, but here they are. Poor things, the ground is like iron, so no worms. We put down dried mealworms for them. Snow is forecast tonight, so we'll be filling up the feeders constantly and getting lots of fat out there. I do so love the blackbirds' songs in early summer, so must help them now!

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 04:10 PM

I don't put feed on the ground, but the little birds get up on the feeders and literally bail out seeds from the openings then hop down to the ground to pick up the seeds they want. It ends up paved in seeds after a while. The doves try for the small openings but usually walk around on the ground under the hanging feeders sharing with the small birds drop. And they all trample in the uneaten seeds.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: gnu
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 04:23 PM

Feed on the ground is a problem as I understand. Birds crap on it and other birds eat the seed and, well, you know what happens next.

BTW, our big fat robin has arrived to get drunk in Mum's apple tree. -21C this AM. Guess he needs a bit of "warmth".

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Ed T
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 04:39 PM

Considering the average age of the Mudcat community, there likely were no raised eyebrows or even mistaken meaning take on the thread title. A for effort, though;)

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 06:58 PM

Ed T, I agree that the creator of this thread title absolutely deserves an "A", for effort. If in doubt as to my sincerity, see my first posting above. But I'm not with you as regards your first sentence. I think you really need to check out, as a random recent example, the thread "BS: Hey I got a Boner!!" and get back to us with a further comment sometime soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 10:09 AM

Here in the Midlands the blackbirds are also back with a vengeance and it's snowing pretty hard. I also saw a couple of great tits this morning...

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 12:01 PM

Cup size?

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: gnu
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 01:07 PM

Great tits are great tits no matter what size they are.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST,Manuel
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 03:33 PM

If I may mimic Simon & Garfunkel,where have you gone, Ed T? Look at the three postings which follow my last one. You spoke a bit too fast, I'm afraid!

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: Ed T
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 06:16 PM

""But I'm not with you as regards your first sentence. I think you really need to check out, as a random recent example, the thread "BS: Hey I got a Boner!!" and get back to us with a further comment sometime soon.""


I briefly called into the post as you suggested. IMO seems more like someone "shooting off blanks". From my newspaper reading experience, the headlines that lead do not always match the story.

Subject: RE: BS: Two Tits on my Nuts (been a while)
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Feb 12 - 10:16 AM

Tit fanciers will know that there are an estimated 3,000,000 pairs of Great Tits in the UK. 40,000 pairs from France may however not be all that they seem.