you can move a mountain if you use a larger spade

[pensnest]

I was upstairs on the phone to my sister, when I noticed the crow with the wonky wing doing the dance of joy in the back garden.

It had somehow got the half-coconut down from the bush, and dragged it across the lawn. No wonder if was so pleased with itself. But I have retrieved the coconut shell—there is still plenty of fat/seed mixture in it—and put it back on the bush.

Of late, the fat balls have been disappearing *very* fast, and I have run out. Today, the small birds have been most frustrated by the mealworm holder, because they think it ought to be the fat ball holder and they should be able to peck through it to the tasty food within. Nope. But a couple of bluetits (of course) have worked it out.

It is surprising what a difference the specific branch makes, upon which I hang the food dispenser. One of the robins (well, quite possibly both of the robins) had a really hard time trying to fly at the coconut shell and peck food, because there was no handy branch upon which to perch and it did not think to grasp the shell. Or, stand on top of it, which a great tit did.

Comments

[frausorge]

It sounds like you've been attracting an impressive variety of birds - v. cool!

[pensnest]

The blackbirds have been trying to figure it out but appear to have too little brain. And, sadly, the little black and white ones I decided (perhaps erroneously) were pied wagtails have not been back for quite a while. But it is lovely to see the birds having their noms!

[turps]

That crow should do the dance of joy defeating the coconut shell like that.

I used to buy big 50 fat ball boxes from B&M but the fat pigeons ate them so fast I went back to seed and fat blocks only. I don't what it is about the balls, they were like fat ball crack to the pigeons.

[pensnest]

Beast came back from Aldi with a gigantic tub of fat balls just today.

Oddly, the pigeons which are picking at the lawn at all times have not even noticed the fat balls! One of the squirrels has, now, made off with the coconut shell.

[turlough]

Victory for the crow!!

[pensnest]

It was *so* pleased with itself. So pleased.

It has never, as far as I know, attacked the fat balls in their dangling cage, possibly because it would snap the slender branches of the bush.

[watervole]

Blue tits have better feet for hanging, (and a lower body weight) than robins.

If you see them feeding on trees, they often hang looking for inscets.

But robins feed more on the ground.

[pensnest]

I've had a mealworm container up (not currently, it broke) and the bluetits investigated it but the robins didn't. We've now moved the fat ball container away from the bush a little, on a sort of mini washing line, and with a thin stick and a fat plastic pole through the bottom for the birds to perch upon. An anti-squirrel precaution, not sure yet whether it has worked! I've noticed the blue tits perching on everything, and the robins (and the magpie, briefly) using the fat pole. I think we looked up their relative sizes not long ago, and robins weigh several grams more then blue tits, but I really noticed the difference just today.