Garden Stuff

It's about time I did a garden update.  It's been a bit quiet recently in the little world outside my door.  The Pheasents are not about quite as much as they were.  It may be because they are starting to nest, or whatever it is Pheasents do.  They have certainly been getting very friendly with each other lately so I would imagine that the patter of tiny claws would be imminent.  There have been a couple of casualties recently.  One of the males has developed a limp.  He hobbles about the garden pitifully pecking about as they do.  That is until another male shows up, then he seems to have a miraculous healing and goes running accross the garden at the interloper at top speed.  When the other bird is gone he goes back to limping.  If I thought he knew I was watching I would say he was after sympathy!

The other casualty is a little female.  The poor thing has lost all her tail feathers plus most of those below on her rump.  She looks very strange without a tail, sort of like a wierd Partridge.  It must be hard for her to fly without them, not that they fly much anway, they seem to prefer to run away.  Flight always seems the last option to them.  My daughter says the poor little thing looks like she has lost all her dignity.  Mind you it does not seem to have bothered her, she does not go around hiding her behind in the bushes or anything.

Esmerelda and Arthur are still visiting, although I don't seem to have seen Esmerelda quite as much lately.  Maybe she is busy elsewhere nesting or maybe she has found someone else who is a daft as me and gone out and bought her seed.  Arthur seems a bit bolder, he sits and waits under the window until I appear and then backs off a bit till I start throwing food.

There is still a good selection of little birds coming to the feeders.  Well to what's left of the feeders, if it's not squirrel proof then Butterfly has chewed a hole in it.  I really will have to scrape some cash together and get a squirrel baffle.  I have not noticed Willow Warbler recently but then maybe I have not been listening.  There are still loads of Coal Tit.  Who would have thought I could ever get blase about Coal Tit!