Thursday, January 07, 2010
Thrushes
For the last three days I've almost willed my on-time train to be late. From the Mytholmroyd Tod platform I can look down onto a tree that started off laden with berries. I pass the tree as I walk up to the platform but the birds are so skittish there's no chance of seeing them well. There's over a dozen fieldfare, half a dozen redwing, 5 blackbirds and a couple of mistle thrushes there daily. Took some photos but I can't get my system to save them when zoomed so the birds aren't really clear. They frequently fly off away from the station but soon return. I think by Monday all the berries will have been eaten so I must take my fill of the birds tomorrow. They also feed off a tree on the opp platform just behind the 'Mytholmroyd' sign near the shelter. Lovely sight and sounds!
2 comments:
Sandra here in North wales where I live we have no snow at all but are suffering the big freeze in terms of temperatures as the rest of the UK. Why don't you do as I am doing and buy a quids worth of apples a day, chop em up and put them down for the thushes ? I buy big bags of apples for about £1 a bag at Lidl and for a measely quid I know I am saving lots of Blackbirds and Thrushes from certain death and I have the pleasure of watching them all day from my office window. Not sure how much your train fare is every day but adding say 50p worth of chopped apples will not add much to it and you get the continued pleasure of watching some delightful birds whilst waiting for your train.
Besides the normal food at the feeding station by my office window. I putting out baked potato skins, the remains of the Xmas cheese such as Stilton, some stale Dundee Cake, some out of date rice I found in a cupboard and cooked up, same with some out of date Pasta. i don't know if anyone else uses this but I found out that lard has more protein content that the fat balls sold as wild bird food so I have driven a few nails into the fence behind the feeding station and impaled block of lard on them. These are popular with Wrens, Blackbirds, Tits and Woodpeckers.
PS Despite the cold weather we have spring flowers on the go with Dog Violet in bloom since November, Celendine in bloom since last month and I saw a photo yesterday of a garden nearby that has had Daffs in full bloom since December 21st !
PPS loads of Woodcock and Snipe have moved into the area since the freeze up and I have heard reports of up to six Little Egrets being seen together near Pwllheli around 10 miles away.
Thanks for that Paul. I'll try putting apples for them under the trees, although it may be too late for the Fieldfare & redwing - the berries were nearly finished today so I suppose they'll be gone by Monday. The blackbirds & thrushes can take advantage of them though. Likewise, I will put some lard on the fence at home.
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