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Suzy's assortment of birds
Topic Started: Oct 5 2015, 11:56 PM (1,986 Views)
Night Owl
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:ha: at the cat Suzy, I'm sure the Starlings will be ok :cool:
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Dovetail-Marg
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Thank goodness that nest is well out of reach of the cat. :yep:

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feedyourhedgehog
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I have to admit I would be tempted to squirt the cat a few times with a water pistol :bag:

A neighbour's cat once killed all the baby robins, from our garden, seconds after they fledged ...I was devastated :( and invested in a long range water pistol to keep the cats out.

After a couple of squirts they keep a very low profile...
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Davebutterflyman
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They are definitely not keen on water, Paula.
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Night Owl
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We might have to get one of those Paula :yes: After watching the trailcam footage from the past few nights we've seen a cat is coming and sitting right next to where our family of mice live :notfair:
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Davebutterflyman
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And we definitely don't want that!
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africamfan
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You are right Jan we do feel protective of them.
I have having more Starlings visit now, its up to 5 I think.

Yes Jane, we need smart Starlings to outwit that Cat!
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Davebutterflyman
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Safety in numbers maybe.
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africamfan
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Paula, I have to say that I was very tempted to use a water pistol today!
Next doors cat keeps patrolling the garden and looking up at the nest but then it hides behind garden pots to lay in wait for when birds come to the feeders. It also keeps trying to get into the house, so I had to keep closing my door and window! On a day like to day with the lovely sunshine its the last thing I wanted to do.

Despite the cat, the baby Starlings are in fine voice and the parents are working hard to keep them fed. Hopefully more photo's a bit later.

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africamfan
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A few Starling photo's from today.I tried to get a close up to see which foods they were choosing to feed the young but I couldn't get close enough without it becoming too blurry. One of the pics isn't food, its the result of one of the Starlings that had just been in the nest to do a bit of 'housework' I still don't understand why the adult hangs around outside the nest for so long before it flys away.
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PS, The 'housekeeping' pic that I mentioned, I can't find it, it must be on my other camera :-/



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Jane
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Water pistol is a great idea to discourage pesky cats. A friend of mine does that and she says it works :yes:

I love those close ups Suzy :encore:

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Davebutterflyman
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Great captures Suzy.
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Pam M
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Beautiful close ups of the Starlings Suzy.
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africamfan
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Thank you Jane,Dave and Pam :-)
The Starling Chicks are getting very noisy now. This evening I was convinced that an adult was trying to encourage them to fledge because it was sitting near to my feeders and screaming as loud as it could and at the same time the chicks in the nest were very loud too! But then I saw what was realy going on - the Cat! lurking behind a plant pot again! Tomorrow I have to go into town, so its time to buy that water pistol!
I was quite confused because I couldn't understand why the parent would want them to fledge so late in the day.
It was 26C here today and I can't help wondering how hot it must have been in that nest under roof tiles with the full sun on them. Hopefully it isn't like a sauna in there.
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AnnB
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Fantastic photos of the Starlings, Suzy.
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africamfan
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Thank you Ann :-)

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africamfan
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No photo's today but I have heard the chicks and seen the adult going in and out of the nest. It did seem quieter today though over all. There was a Buzzard circling quite a long way from where the nest is but closer to the houses than I usually see. I can't help wondering if he was looking specifically for fledging activity :-/

I may have mentioned this here a long time ago but every Spring, I hear a bird song in the trees at the back of my house which I don't recognise and I have never been able to spot it. It has driven me mad because it sings for what seems like hours, in the very early morning and the evening which seems to get earlier for the bird all the time!

Anyway, this morning at 6.30 I finally spotted it while it was singing from high on a fir tree - Its a Song Thrush! I know for sure that its a Song Thrush because I youtubed the song and it was just like it, plus it looks like the picture in the book!
I am so pleased that I now know for sure what it is.

One thing I am not pleased about though, It seems they are red in the endangered list from what I read.I imagine he likes it in that spot because there is a field there which is never used for anything, so I imagine there is lots of slugs and snails.
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Jane
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The Song Thrush is very distinctive with it's repetitive call. I remember as a child we had loads of Thrushes in the garden bashing snails on the path. Use to fascinate me. But as you say, sadly they are much rarer now :( It's great you have them near you :cool:

Glad to hear your Starlings are doing well. :yep:
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sensiblenamejohn
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make sure it's a "super-soaker" ,Suzy :Ha:
..not the biggest Cat fan tbh .....so lucky not to have any around mine :nod: great close ups of the Starlings , they're always good entertainment until your garden is full of young at 4:30 AM :huh: :morning*:
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feedyourhedgehog
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Excellent Starling captures Suzy :encore:
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