"Judith wrote in message ...
I have a clematis over my front door and obviously it's not in leaf now.
However we have 2 nests there and usually the birds vacate the nests for
the winter. One nest is still fully occupied and dropping its
"droppings"
over my pansies in a pot. Why have the birds chosen not to go away this
year? If I take the nest away, would the birds be able to make another
elsewhere ? or would they suffer? if so they can lodge on a little longer.
--

Judith, you don't say which type of bird is roosting there, but it may be
Wrens as they are known to roost in quite large numbers in old nests. It
appears one nest in a region seems to be favoured so you can get rather a
lot in a small nest which aids their keeping warm these cold nights.
There are other birds that do the same to keep warm I believe.
Please don't remove the nest until it's no longer needed, possibly April!

I actually think you're quite lucky, what's a few Pansies? :-)

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

In article , Sue & Bob Hobden
writes

Judith, you don't say which type of bird is roosting there, but it may be
Wrens as they are known to roost in quite large numbers in old nests. It
appears one nest in a region seems to be favoured so you can get rather a
lot in a small nest which aids their keeping warm these cold nights.
There are other birds that do the same to keep warm I believe.
Please don't remove the nest until it's no longer needed, possibly April!

We have about a dozen house martin's nests in the eaves. These are used
regularly by wrens and sparrows for roosts in the autumn and winter -
one year a kestrel used one - how it fit in I don't know but it was
definitely a kestrel!! In fact they are even used as nests in spring for
a first clutch - the house martins take over once they come back. You
can buy prefabricated house martin nests from RSPB shops. Why don't you
attach a few to the eaves of your house in places under which you don't
mind guano accumulating?
Sorry, I mean that for Judith, not you Sue/Bob!!!
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

In article , Jane Ransom
writes
Why don't you
attach a few to the eaves of your house in places under which you don't
mind guano accumulating?

I put up a bird thingy about 2 years ago, but I have yet to see a bird enter
it!

--
Judith Lea

"Jane wrote in message
..
We have about a dozen house martin's nests in the eaves. These are used
regularly by wrens and sparrows for roosts in the autumn and winter -
one year a kestrel used one - how it fit in I don't know but it was
definitely a kestrel!! In fact they are even used as nests in spring for
a first clutch - the house martins take over once they come back. You
can buy prefabricated house martin nests from RSPB shops. Why don't you
attach a few to the eaves of your house in places under which you don't
mind guano accumulating?
Sorry, I mean that for Judith, not you Sue/Bob!!!
--

Don't be sorry, actually that's a very good idea Jane. We did have House
Martins nesting under our eaves at the E. side of the house when the house
was first built but when I first repainted it I had to remove the nests and
they never came back.
Plastic eaves now, so time for a re-introduction I think. :-)

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

"sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
in article , Judith Lea at
wrote on 5/2/03 8:15 pm:

In article , Sue & Bob
Hobden writes
Judith, you don't say which type of bird is roosting there,

I can't tell one bird from another, they are small, sort of bird size.

Please don't remove the nest until it's no longer needed, possibly
April!

No, I won't move the nest at the moment. However, if I do move it in
the
Spring, what will the returning occupants do?

I actually think you're quite lucky, what's a few Pansies? :-)

Thank you, you are quite right. Thanks to all who offered advice - now,
do I need to leave out any food for them as the ground is fairly well
frozen and worms will be scarce.

Yes and yes. Anything you leave will be a bonus, anyway. Fat balls are
good now, too. I put one out the other day and it was gone by the next
mid-day!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk

Now that fat balls have had a mention has anyone found a good source of bulk
purchase of these, preferably somewhere near south oxfordshire.
I have found them for 15p each but some places round here are selling the
same ones for 56p each, outrageous, I'd just like to find a cheaper source.
Cheers
Duncan

The message
from "Druss" contains these words:


Now that fat balls have had a mention has anyone found a good source of bulk
purchase of these, preferably somewhere near south oxfordshire.
I have found them for 15p each but some places round here are selling the
same ones for 56p each, outrageous, I'd just like to find a cheaper source.

I get lumps of raw beef fat/suet free from the butcher. It's solid fat
just as it comes from the carcase, in lumps the size of two clenched
fists. You can cut smaller lumps and put them in one of those coiled
springy feeders, but I put larger ones inside a feeder that looks like a
clay summerhouse...tits and blackbirds can get inside, crows can't. They
soon reduce it to a small bit of connective gristle. Spare supplies can
be stored in the freezer.

If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.

Janet.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Druss" contains these words:


Now that fat balls have had a mention has anyone found a good source of
bulk
purchase of these, preferably somewhere near south oxfordshire.
I have found them for 15p each but some places round here are selling
the
same ones for 56p each, outrageous, I'd just like to find a cheaper
source.

I get lumps of raw beef fat/suet free from the butcher. It's solid fat
just as it comes from the carcase, in lumps the size of two clenched
fists. You can cut smaller lumps and put them in one of those coiled
springy feeders, but I put larger ones inside a feeder that looks like a
clay summerhouse...tits and blackbirds can get inside, crows can't. They
soon reduce it to a small bit of connective gristle. Spare supplies can
be stored in the freezer.

If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.


As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.

The message
from "BAC" contains these words:

If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.


As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.

If you originally made a hole in the coconut's "eye" to drain the milk
out, remember to plug it before pouring in the fat mixture :-)

Janet

If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.

"BAC" wrote in a message:
As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.
----

Yet another variant is to dip pine cones in the fat and seed mixture before
it has cooled, place them upside down on a plastic bag to set the fat then
hang the cones up around your garden. Use the largest cones you can find,
your birds will soon find them.
I found Jane Ransom's account of a kestrel roosting in a house martin's
nest most interesting, My parents had a row of martin's nests under the
eaves of their cottage and one I remember was taken over by a starling as a
ready built nest. I don't remember if it was successful or not.

Rufus

Judith Lea wrote in message ...


I put up a bird thingy about 2 years ago, but I have yet to see a bird
enter
it!

I've had a nest box up for a couple of years, never seen any
interest.... until two days ago when a bluetit landed at the hole and
looked in, gave it a very thorough once over and flew off. Apparently
they do this in several places before choosing the site they want, so I
live in hope.

Mike
www.british-naturism.org.uk

"Rufus" wrote in message
...
If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.

"BAC" wrote in a message:
As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.
----

Yet another variant is to dip pine cones in the fat and seed mixture
before
it has cooled, place them upside down on a plastic bag to set the fat then
hang the cones up around your garden. Use the largest cones you can find,
your birds will soon find them.
I found Jane Ransom's account of a kestrel roosting in a house martin's
nest most interesting, My parents had a row of martin's nests under the
eaves of their cottage and one I remember was taken over by a starling as
a
ready built nest. I don't remember if it was successful or not.

Rufus



That's the lot of you, I never even thought of butchers, being a veggie I
tend to bypass them and not even notice it. Strange that, I've got all sorts
of little arrangements with grocers for stuff for compost heaps but never
thought of butchers for the fat.

I shall have to try this sometime, although I''m not sure me wife would let
me stick it in the oven !!! :-)

Duncan

"Druss" wrote in message
...
"Rufus" wrote in message
...
If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt
the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.

"BAC" wrote in a message:
As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half
coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.
----

Yet another variant is to dip pine cones in the fat and seed mixture
before
it has cooled, place them upside down on a plastic bag to set the fat
then
hang the cones up around your garden. Use the largest cones you can
find,
your birds will soon find them.
I found Jane Ransom's account of a kestrel roosting in a house
martin's
nest most interesting, My parents had a row of martin's nests under the
eaves of their cottage and one I remember was taken over by a starling
as
a
ready built nest. I don't remember if it was successful or not.

Rufus



That's the lot of you, I never even thought of butchers, being a veggie I
tend to bypass them and not even notice it. Strange that, I've got all
sorts
of little arrangements with grocers for stuff for compost heaps but never
thought of butchers for the fat.

I shall have to try this sometime, although I''m not sure me wife would
let
me stick it in the oven !!! :-)


I suppose you could substitute a hard veggie fat like veggie 'suet', if
there is such a thing?

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "BAC" contains these words:

If you want the kind of fatball that has seeds in it, you can melt
the
suet in the oven and when the fat is cooling but still runny, mix in
seeds and set it in a large yoghurt pot.


As a variant on the above, I've set the fat/seed mixture in half coconut
shells, which look quite 'rustic' hung up in the garden, with fat etc
inside.

If you originally made a hole in the coconut's "eye" to drain the milk
out, remember to plug it before pouring in the fat mixture :-)


Sound advice (although I usually do this with the 'other end' of the shell).
I also drill a small hole near the 'rim' and knot some string through it
before pouring in the mixture, so it's easy to hang up.

"BAC" wrote in message
...
:
: I suppose you could substitute a hard veggie fat like veggie 'suet', if
: there is such a thing?
:
BIG SNIP

You can certainly buy shredded veggie suet in packets - just like the stuff
used to make suet puds. I sometimes shake some out on the grass if the
weather is particularly bad.

K