ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Saturday, 7 January 2012

THE MEANING OF LIFE (07/ 01/12)

Today is a write off………….I can hear you now….well why bother to post.

The weather is awful, heavy, cold rain showers and barely daylight. I’ve spent the day writing, failing to do the crossword, cooking and cleaning. The feeders are doing brisk business. All the common feeder visitors. Twenty six chaffinch picking up the discards, twenty six is the meaning of life.

The morning was enlivened by three raptors. A buzzard parked on my mates TV aerial. He came out to ascertain the cause of picture flicker. A sparrow hawk kept food consumption down as did a kestrel……….I did manage a very blurry shot of the latter but it was already ffflying off. Just one of those days.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         Blue tit eating fat balls. These fat balls seem more popular than the average ones. I get them in Darlington they do dissolve in heavy rain, are a bit sticky to handle but the birds love them. I’m using three to four a day. Seven pounds for fifty they are. The kestrel caught a dozy blue tit but it escaped and is minus several feathers back eating. Can’t see it lasting long as the others are attacking it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         Green finch and gold finch on the niger seed feeder. This isn’t my feeder. Niger seed is a fortune.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Mr bullfinch…………Mrs pops round as well. Apart from the hawks the star of the show today. I have a tree creeper but needless to say no worthwhile snaps.

I hope you all had a better day.

22 comments:

  1. How I envy you with the Bullfinch on your feeders.
    Beautiful birds.

    If you ever come across a couple of shops on your travels, called B&M Supplies, and/or Home Bargains, their fat balls are 49p for a pack of 6. Great value.
    Very cheap for other stuff too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keith, I was made up with bullfinches. They are rare to me. To have two pairs calling is great. These fat balls are dear and they eat them quicker....they are worth it are the birds. Fifty cost less than a pack of fags. So no worries. I may even start buying niger seed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great shots for a bad weather day. I look forward to a raptor photo.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just discovered your blog via Horst ... Love it here, Adrian! Always, cat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hope the year will continue better than it started! Just back to discover the terrible weather that hit Western Europe. Global warming or climate change??
    Thanks for the bullfinch photo, i have not seen any of these birds in years! pretty but quite disturbing in the garden though as they snap all the buds on the plants!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your right, the Bullfinches stole the show. Lovely. I hope that you get a better one tomorrow, though I don't think so.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely bird photos,you are very lucky to get the bullfinch on the feeder,I have never ever seen them on ours.They do come into the hedge in the garden but not very often.

    I buy peanuts by the sack,costs about 50Euro but they last a long time and much cheaper than getting the small packs that cost a fortune.I get the fat balls as well,but when I have the time I do make my own.
    Have a good weekend.
    Carolyn.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful images Adrian.. back at Blakemere Moss today.. it's a bit fuller after all the recent rain.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Back to rain here as well. You did well with those bird pictures though!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Is it raining everywhere? Here too! Lucky you don't have to go far to get such nice shots!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the photos of the birds, you have such beautiful birds in the UK. Take care and Hope the weather warms up for you soon.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Adrian...Lovely day here : } sunny and 45f degrees...and had a visit with blogger friends I follow from Virginia ..my first time to meet any blogger people!! They where visiting family in New Hampshire and payed me a visit!! We had had a wonderful time chatting away over lunch I prepared...chicken stew with dumplings and ginger snap cookies for dessert with coffee...when are you coming to visit?? I will have tea for you ; }
    The Bullfinch is just gorgeous ...sorry you had a bad day ...there is always tomorrow!!
    Grace

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always know that when you say that the day was a write-off, I'm still going to see some lovely photos. Today was no exception.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jolynne, I would love a good hawk image. I have some but they are all tame ones.

    Cat, good to see you here and thanks.

    DeeBee, it has been windy and miserable. The odd good day restores the spirits.

    Bob, it does look like more of the same. There is always the pub.

    Carolyn, I only buy mixed seed and fat balls in bulk and dog food. It's a storage issue really.

    Andrew, I'm being eaten out of house and home. The raptors are doing me a favour.

    Monica, it is horrid. I want some more snow.

    Pauline, the world id dissolving. I don't have to move from my chair for these birds. They come to me.

    Horst, I think there are wonderful birds everywhere. Ours are just different.

    Grace, I enjoy meeting bloggers from time to time. I suspect yesterday was better than today will prove to be.

    Hilary, one reasonable snap a week is about my limit. It keeps me out of too much mischief.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The super Bullfinch photos would make the trip worthwhile for me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks like you've found a great location for the birds there Adrian. (avian variety, of course!...what did you think I meant!!)

    And just to make everyone envious, not one, but two pairs of Bullfinches!...more pics please?...[;o)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Like everyone else I'm envying in you your bullfinches. If that's a write off I'd welcome one like that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Graham, the Bull Finch made my day. Now I am up to here with them.

    Ruby, thanks.

    Trevor, it is unbelievable....like every bird in the uk is here.
    The barmaid isn't a film star but very pretty. I've just done some more.

    John, I never realized Bull Finches could be so popular. Many folk dislike them. They are agressive and destroy fuit crops, whats ans apple or pear?

    ReplyDelete
  19. At first I thought you meant that the buzzard had come to fix your mate's TV flicker. D'uh.
    The birds are lovely. But I was sad to hear that a near miss with a kestrel is not the end of your worries, when you are a blue tit.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The cost of great photography ... to feed your habit !!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Katherine, it is a cruel world.

    Jay, the cost of feeding my habit is astronomic. Marlboro are a fortune.

    ReplyDelete