Good Morning From A Newbie

Go into "last day" and scroll down to chat. There are currently only 8 items under that heading so you will find it easily. Then just click on malapropisms. Did you read The Rivals at school? Mrs Malaprop was always getting her words wrong and you should find this thread amusing. Sorry I didn't do a link, don't know how to ?

We live in Staffordshire Bumblebee and get both Dunnocks & Sparrows in our garden .

I envy your garden visitors Cherry. I had dunnock many years ago and up until fairly recently the sparrows used to come. Seems they've all flown north. ? We spent two lovely holidays in Staffs a couple of times, in a little cottage about two miles south of Alstonfield with a river close by. It was idyllic. I'd love to go back but health problems now prevent such forays (different criteria these days).

I have to go now and Google 'dunnock' I wouldn't know one if I fell over it......
Welcome to the 'newbies' - can I stop considering myself as a newbie yet - I have been here for a year now?!

You are well and truly a "regular" nana. I've been here two years, so not an original either. Keep posting and don't worry about falling over dunnocks. They skulk around and don't show themselves too much, plus they're fairly dull, but they do have a nice song ?

Thank you Bellanonna!

Hi Bella, you can get special peanut feeders for the squirrels. Ours are arranged on little platforms so they can get a peanut and sit and nibble on it. Trouble is, the bigger birds want to have their share of the peanuts that are provided. At this time of year, we have to start grinding the peanuts into small pieces in case the smaller birds take a peanut to feed their babies. A whole peanut could choke them.
Blackbirds have the best song and can become resonably tame. Every morning when my wife goes out to feed the birds there is always a blackbird that will settle very close and listen while she talks to it.

Did you know that dunnocks are also called hedge sparrows?

Hi bumblebee123. Go to the chat thread and scroll down. You'll find the malapropisms thread there.

I haven't seen any posts in Grandads' Shed for ages. Is it derelict and abandoned? Bumblebee could renovate it and revive the blokier conversations in there.

I agree about the blackbird's song Bumblebee. It's the best. So mellow. I have to stand and listen whenever I hear it. I also like the song thrush's output, with its repeated phrases. Unfortunately I hear far fewer of those now. Yes you have to be careful what you feed the birds while nestlings are around. Even bread should be soaked first. I don't use feeders all year as i think birds can forage for themselves.

Did you have any success with finding the thread we talked about yesterday? Once you get the hang of it it's quite easy. There is also a gardeners' thread which might interest you.

Hope you manage to find some interesting threads as strictly speaking this is just for all newbies, and I feel we know you now!

Talking of sparrows made me realise that I haven`t seen a sparrow since we were on Lindisfarne in 2012! All we get here are seagulls, pigeons, and the occasional blackbird and magpie. We used to get a lot of pied wagtails on the riverbank at the front, but they seem to have deserted us now.
I`m saying that we don`t get many birds, but I haven`t included the ones on the river (well, canal), we do have a lot of ducks, plus some geese and swans, and once in a blue moon, a heron.