For all Bird Lovers

[FP]

Am I completely mad?  This year my swallows have decided to build their next on top of the porch light over our front door. Therefore, we cannot use the porch light (too hot for the eggs), have banned use of the front door for the foreseeable future,  the doormat has been removed and the step has to be constantly swept and scrubbed!

The robin is bringing up her brood in the garage!

[hugoboss]

Yes, FP, you are completely mad!! you said it! i think it's nice that you're being so accomodating to your new visitors!

[smudge]

Hi FP - What a wonderful time of year - it's sunny & warm here today too!

Apart from birds nesting in our trees, hedges & the little tit boxes, we have a nest within the 'hopper', just out side the bathroom. The birds nest there every year & they must love the sound of the water draining from the bath, basin & bidet into the hopper, as it never frightens them off.

It's so lovely listening to their little twitterings, especially when you're laying back in the bath - or on the loo!

Enjoy your little friends!

[Lillabet]

Perhaps mildly eccentric - but not mad. I think being so considerate is actually really nice as long as it isn't too hard for visitors to make it into your house...

[FP]

Visitors can come round the back Lillibet.  Last year the swallows built a housing estate in our enclosed front porch.  One nest was right above the letter box which is in a side panel next to the front door.  Fortunately, our postman is great but he did have to avoid being 'poo-ed' on.  We have a lot of laughs about it.

I like 'mildly eccentric'.  I always planned to be eccentric as I reached 'my mature years'!

[FP]

Morning Smudge and Hugoboss its a lovely morning.  I love the thought of your birds in the hopper Smudge - Birdsong whilst you wee!  Hugo, you weren't meant to agree with me!!! xx

[ck1]

maybe a little mad but it's nice to accomodate the feathered visitors, I have wrens underneath our back garden light so similarly the light is banned!

[Hammer]

FP, you are completely bonkers. It's official. Must be lovely being so close to all that activity though.

[spudqueen]

My friend has swallows building a nest in her garage, so she has banned her husband from shutting the door. It's great seeing them fly in and out, can't wait for the babies to hatch!

[FP]

The babies are absolutely beautiful, I spent many hours watching them last year as they roosted opposite the front door at night and I could observe them through the glass side panels. 

Trouble is for several days when we opened the front door they all flew indoors and we had to catch them before our cats did!

We also have partridges nesting under our lounge window  ( I am sure the same ones come back every year) and loads of other garden birds nesting, including two stupid wood pigeons.  Woodpeckers are nesting somewhere but I can't find their nest.

[Robinia]

Totally barking FP & we wouldn't want you any other way! :-)

Seriously if swallows nested in my porch I'd do exactly the same.  I've made mud pies for a grateful blackbird & chopped up raisins really small for her babies, & also spent more time digging for worms than digging the weeds. The things we do!

Oh, what a coincidence!! I've just turned to see daddy blackbird on the seat outside my open window (about 3 feet away from me as I sit here). He was letting me know his raisin pot was empty!

[FP]

Don't they just love Raisins and Sultanas Robinia.  My mother gets through loats of sultanas for 'her' blackbirds.  And she will only buy them Whitworths!!!

I was collecting snails this morning for the thrushes!!

[tetherend]

No FP you're not bonkers.  It's your home and I applaud your kindness to the birds.  It's not everyone's cup of tea, but carry on mate, we would do the same if we had to.

[FP]

Thanks folks for your answers.  Nice to see so many people who are so kind to our feathered friends. 

[cat woman]

HI FP, What a caring person you are, but if that happened to me I would do the same ( after all they are all gods creatures ) I'm quite surprised that they are nesting so close when you have cats, but then we have blackbirds nesting in next doors pear tree which is covered in ivy, and they are none too pleased if our cats go too close to the fence. They must be the same family as last year, because my Millie was chased several times by the father bird, she was scared to go out in the end, it was hilarious to see this bird it actually chased her right up to the back door, one time it flew at her and she hot-footed round the side of the house with this bird right on her tail, I had to let her in the front door she was too much of a scardy-cat to come back in the back door! So its all starting again this year they do make a racket and I think Millie is nervy, they have already had a couple of goes at her. Merlin being a young cat ( 9mths ) has yet to learn, but when Sooty is out there they leave him alone they must know that he is'nt a threat with him having 1 front leg.  :-)

[woofgang]

no you are not mad. A few years ago our local garden centre had a robin nesting in their flowerpot sales area...so they closed it!! It was lovely the shoppers all watched from a safe distance and when the last baby had left, they re opened that part of the shop

[FP]

Hi Cat Woman and Woofgang.  Thanks for your answers.

Cat Woman - two of my cats are basically indoor cats.  William is partially sighted and has epilepsy and does go out on occasions in a well fenced off part of our garden.  He is absolutely terrified of birds when they warn him off and comes scuttling in.  Molly never goes out as she has too many medical problems and brittle bones.  The one cat that ventures, Alice, is scatty and a bit frightened of her own shadow.  We keep her in first thing in the morning and just before dusk when the birds are at their most active. 

Unfortunately, I have some lovely new neighbours but they have a ginger moggy who comes visiting and I haven't seen as many baby birds around this year.

Woofgang, I think your local Garden Centre is wonderful to sacrific profits in order to help the robin family.

Have a nice Bank Holiday everyone.

[FP]

Unfortunately, this afternoon the nest fell to bits!  It did look a bit like it had been completed by a couple of 'cowboy' builder swallows. Fortunately, no eggs yet.  Undoubtedly they will start again, hopefully after brushing up on their construction skills!

[Elfin]

You and me both FP.  My tumble dryer lives in one of my garden sheds (which has a window missing) and this year a robin has gone and built its nest on it. Had a look a couple of weeks ago and it was full of eggs.  The robin is now constantly in and out with supplies of food so I guess that the chicks have hatched.

So, I no longer use the tumble dryer and can only do the washing on nice days when I can use the line...!

[FP]

Oh how sweet Elfin.  Robins are such opportunists when it comes to nest building!  They seem to love man made objects and think they have been designed just for them.  Hope the weather stays lovely for you.

Our robin is so busy this weekend and slightly cross because Mr FP has dared to go and work in the garage!