OneGuyFromBarlick

You'll soon have those little heads with yawning beaks popping over the edge of the nests. That's what I remember best about ours at Hey Farm. They look so funny!

We'll soon have the smiley faces peering over the nests. There is a hive of activity this morning all round the house and buildings.

The swallows arrived at the caravan park on the 15th also. They get mud out of any puddles on the road if there has been a shower.

When I took the ponies rugs off this morning they had a mutual grooming session which resulted in huge horsey mouthfuls of white horse hair lying in the field. A couple of hours later I happened to look out and saw half a dozen jackdaws cleaning up the last few bits of hair to take back to their nests....the rest had disappeared. The birds flew off in the Lothersdale direction, so they must have come a fair distance to collect the hair. Who told them it was there?

They got it straight from the horse's mouth. (Sorry Wendy but I had to say it)

Jackdaws are perhaps some of the smartest birds on earth. I love to watch them and also listen to them imitating sounds they have heard. We used to have a couple round East Hill Street that had got mobile phone ring tones and the squawk that a car security system makes when it's activated off to a tee!

I caught sight of this handsome little goldfinch yesterday and managed to snap him through the landing window.

Lovely! And well done for getting the snap. Gold finches used to be a favourite caged sing bird, how cruel.....

It's keeping a beady eye on you, Wendy.

The Goldfinch is beautiful, I would love to have him on my finger and stroke his breast and tummy, but I definately wouldn't cage him.

It was the fashion then Cathy but I agree with you....

A green woodpecker visiting our garden to eat the ants on the lawn.

Our baby swallows took their first flight out today.....bedlam, especially when the cat walked across the lawn. All are back inside tonight safe and sound.

"We counted them out and we counted them in".

We set out for a walk this morning down Dodgson's Lane towards Earby and heard a snipe drumming. It's the weirdest noise and Col wouldn't believe it was coming from the bird flying overhead. I had to prove it when we got home with this LINK.

I've only heard them once....

One thing I have noticed on my early walks when all is calm and quiet is that the small black birds in Valley Gardens almost seem to welcome company! They come down and land within four feet of you and stay there until you are almost on them. At first I thought it was just coincidence but now I'm not so sure because it happens so frequently. Am I imagining this?

Maybe you are their Pied Piper Stanley ??

Not so sure about that Cathy! Mind you, they seems to have no fear....

BBC, 18 June 2014
Fish-eating spiders 'widespread'
Scientists have discovered that a number of spider species catch and eat fish. Spiders are traditionally viewed as predators of insects, but a new study suggests that eating fish is widespread among species that live near water. In some cases, the arachnids used powerful poisons to kill fish that were much bigger than them....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27904153

I never was keen on spiders, particularly after one bit me when I was a lad!

While working at the hospital last Monday I came across a Gecko on the floor, poor thing had lost his way and come-in a long way too. I popped him back outside into a garden. Had one on the outside of my bathroom window too, was quite surpised to see that his feet-pads where a bright green. My indoor cat spotted it and was going nuts. Oh dear.

They eat insects don't they?

Flock of Swifts/Swallows flying round in Butts screaming at each other.....

A pure white starling just arrived on our feeder! I've got some photos and will post them later.