That's lovely purplerallim, they are so comical to watch - I could spend hours watching their antics. They grow so quickly and will be off fending for themselves soon.
I have just been out and it's still there squawking away it's so young it can't reach the low branches of my trees yet. Good job I have plenty of hiding places. The robins and spadges always seem to emerge ready to go but the blackbirds seem helpless.
Big babies aren't they - although I am always pleased to hear the parents making a loud squawk to warn the babies and other birds when the cats are prowling around, they don't miss much!
Fat balls only get taken during the winter with us, I stop putting them up around the end of April, its mixed song bird seed and sunflower hearts that are now being wolfed down, and some birds by the sparrow hawk, who is in most days of the week, the song birds do have a refuge in a nice spiny berberis bush alongside the feeders, that helps with protection.
I would have a mutiny if they didn't have fatballs! The parents use these as fast food while looking for bugs for nestlings all the food goes fast except for sunflower hearts which are the last to go.
My brother started putting fat balls out in his garden ( I think it was an impulse buy as he gets my bird seed for me - too heavy for the bus!) and he hasn't stopped e-mailing since to report all the wildlife he has seen in his garden.
I think he's hooked
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." Sir Terry Pratchett
It is an interesting past time isn't it herbaceous watching the comings and goings at the bird feeders. I could quite happily watch them all day and there were days in the winter when I did just that! All that extra feeding I did last winter has paid off, we have had far more fledglings this Spring/summer than usual and fat foods are their favourite followed by the mixed bird seed, flutter butter and then sunflower seeds.
Absolutely GD, and I have been watching them as I can't be outside in this heat the baby blackbirds have become obsessed with two cordylines in pots, playing with dead fronds and dragging them about - so sweet.
I don't generally put fat food out at this time of year as it attracts the 'wrong' sort of bird and I worry about Mr & Mrs Blackbird but I've never heard of flutter butter. I'm off to Google it.
Happy watching.
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." Sir Terry Pratchett
Yesterday I went a few house down to borrow a lawn edger and the elderly lady told me the wind from the day before had blown one of her birdhouses down. I went and picked it up and looked in the hole and there were smashed finch eggs in it. We were both sad about that. Went out the backdoor after supper yesterday and one of the area cats left a dead sparrow on my steps.
I hope there are no more bird disasters for me to discover for a while.
Oh dear @Johnny canoe that is always so sad, but its life. The baby blackbirds keep bumping into my patio window despite my best efforts, apparently 'window strike' is one of the many reasons few of them survive according to the RSPB. Don't make me feel better.
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." Sir Terry Pratchett
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I think he's hooked
I don't generally put fat food out at this time of year as it attracts the 'wrong' sort of bird and I worry about Mr & Mrs Blackbird but I've never heard of flutter butter. I'm off to Google it.
Happy watching.
I hope there are no more bird disasters for me to discover for a while.