A Blackbird has cheered me up
Nov 9th, 2007 by Birdy Trish
I’ve just thrown down slices of a peeled apple onto the grass and near a small blackurrant bush. This is as well as filling up the bird feeders. A blackbird has just hopped across the grass towards the apple.
Yesterday I was so annoyed when I saw
the squirrel come and sat on the grass, picked up yesterdays piece of apple and ate it. I banged on the window but it was like a tough-guy squirrel - it wasn’t bothered at all.
This squirrel has also been eating the peanuts I put in the peanut feeder. The woodpecker has stopped coming and the blue tits and great tits have stopped coming to the peanut feeder. All because of this pest of a squirrel.
Yesterday a thought passed through my mind that I may as well stop putting bird food out onto the bird tables and bird feeders and on the grass because all that was eating the food was pigeons and this squirrel (I hope there is only one squirrel. I’ve only seen one). I wondered why I was wasting my money and thought that if I stopped putting bird food out the birds would just fly to the next garden bird table and in a week would have forgotten my garden.
This morning I’ve from my kitchen window I’ve been watching this blackbird come hopping towards a big piece of sliced apple. It looked around - for squirrels maybe. Then this lovely blackbird picked up this big piece of apple, seemed to do some little hops of joy (my imagination maybe) and then hopped happily into the bush with the piece of apple in it’s beak.
That’s the reason I put bird food out for the birds in my garden.
Of course I won’t stop feeding them. How can I stop putting food out when winter is fast approaching.
I wonder if squirrels are everywhere. I wonder if the number of blue tits is down. I’ll have to find out. Does anyone have any ideas.
Have a good day.Trisha
Tags: blackbird, squirrel, squirrels, woodpecker
Hi again, Trish
Funnily enough I put out apples for the birds today myself - although in a slightly unconventional way! I cannot comment on squirrels but my daughter did notice one just sitting in my garden the other day - we don’t usually see them. I wonder if they will be attracted to our apples. I use sunflower hearts in our feeders but I’d guess the squirrels wouldn’t be interested in them - would they?
Re Blue Tits I do believe the numbers have gone down. I’m sure I heard somewhere, BBC Autumnwatch perhaps, that the BTO have this info in a survey.
Enjoy your weekend
Hi Shirl, nice to talk to you again. It wouldn’t surprise me if squirrels ate sunflower hearts. The squirrel that come to my feeders sits and seem to eat anything!
The Blue Tits - It seems because of the storms and floods earlier in the year millions may have starved or drowned.
It’s really annoying me that the grey squirrels seem to be advancing and growing in number and birds like Blue Tits are having a bad time.
Nice to hear from you again. I love your bird box with a camera in and I love your photos and videos they ar so clear and interesting. Best. Trisha