Short Video of the Red Kites Feeding

Worth a visit purely because of the number of kites involved, and you can get quite close to them. Only a hide to go in though, you can actually view them from the road without paying but we thought that would be really mean, the guy has to buy the food after all. (There is a pub at the end of the road where you have to park the car, but it wasn't open when we went, under new ownership - they do snacks and teas Pete!)

http://www.redkiteswales.co.uk/location.html

Trying to catch up a bit

Well, hopeless task to go right back to Easter with this, seems like ages ago now, I had a nice weekend, went to some good places, the weather was fab, and I took some photos, but other than that can't really remember what or where until I sort through them for this!

At present, am doing the farm, only four days this time, and of course the weather changed in my honour, turned wet and a lot colder but still.

Bird stuff, well a first, a pair of Redpolls on my niger seed feeder, been coming a few days now. Not a very good photo cos it's only through the glass window, didn't dare open, they would have been off, but it's a proof shot more than anything!

Frank still coming and taking plenty of worms, had to buy another £3.50 on Saturday in the Pet shop, his babies must be at least 11 days old now so due to fledge shortly I would think. Mrs Frank getting a bit bolder but still won't come too near.

Had an upset this morning, a pair of blackbirds have been nesting in a large bush out the back, I checked the nest last week and she had 4 lovely eggs. Had another look this morning as I noticed she wasn't sitting, and all that remained were the shells, perfectly broken in half. I wonder if a hedgehog would have climbed up in there or maybe a rat, grrrrr. I suppose could even have been a magpie, have noticed one around a bit more lately. Thank goodness the babies weren't being formed properly, that would have been awful. Only hope the hen is ok, not seen her today but no feathers around.

Emma still doing good, been lively and happy. Her last blood tests show her albumen levels still slightly low, but Damien says to keep her on the same diet for now and re-test again in about another 2 months. Her weight is staying stable so that was a relief, wasn't sure if I was giving her too much or not enough. Oh, she is on some other heart pills now too in addition to the Fortekor that she's been on for a couple of years, wonder how much they are going to set me back. Still haven't received any insurance money for this lot, but that seems to be Damien's fault slightly, he promised to get the forms sent off last week, and the week before that and .....bless! (No comments...) He said it was his next job when I saw him at 4.35 last Tuesday, as he glanced at the clock (they shut at 5)

I've been really busy getting stuck into doing some gardening again, last year it all got left apart from basics like grass cutting, but have got the bug again and bought a new greenhouse cover a few weeks ago, and have got cucumbers tomatoes and strawberries on the go in there now, going to buy some bedding plants this week and get my tubs and hanging baskets sorted out. Done a new rockery in the front garden, and a new border near the aviary with Sunflowers, Lupins,Red Hot Pokers and asters coming along, and the steep grassy bank round the back which has always been a nightmare to look after I've planted out with lots of wild flowers, bluebells, primroses, violets, forget-me-nots and chucked a lot of wild seeds in which may or may not come up.

Can't think of anything else much to catch up on really, so will post all the photos that I can find out from the phone and memory card and put what they were beneath if I can remember!

Redpolls

Unwelcome visitor from a couple of weeks back

Mouse in the shed, inside a polythene bag, they think you can't see them lol



New Rockery

New Passion Flower with trellis, Flowering Currant and Teasels

The bank with wild plants

Emma at Easter, Teifi marshes Nature Reserve, Cilgerran




Walk along the coastal cliff path at Aberaeron Easter weekend









Walk along the coastal path at Llansteffan, Sunday 19th April























Visit to Red Kite Feeding Station, near Llandeilo, Sat 18th - Great close ups of the Kites, better than at Gigrin Pete, not such a nice set up though, no tea room!

















And finally.....

Emma had a bath! I'm fed up with people saying she is fat. She isn't. She has a wide ribcage and is stocky. You can feel her ribs and her spine. The fur makes her look tubby. When she is wet all is revealed. So there.

Okay, I know I have lost the plot....

It's about Frank. Again. Well to cut a long story short, I ran out of mealworms on Tuesday lunchtime. 100gms gone since late Friday (and that's a lot of worms) As I was out a lot on Saturday and Sunday, I hid some and showed him where the pot was so am pretty sure it was mainly him taking them.

I had to go to the Vets at 4-ish on Tuesday so I thought he'd have to wait till about 5 when I would have some more, wouldn't do him any harm, he must be finding other things to eat anyway, or will have to at some stage. So I go in Pet Shop and she's sold out! None till Friday. Not in the least bit sympathetic or helpful, which upset me a bit, I spend lots and lots of money in there. She didn't know where else I could buy any.

So I came home and got out the phone book. It's 5.15pm by then. I knew which shops didn't sell them, and started to go through the list of next nearest ones which might. No luck with the first, struck lucky with the second. Woo hoo. The good news is he had 8 tubs at £2.20 a tub (cheaper than my normal one), the very good news was he was open until 8pm, but the bad was it meant a 72 mile round trip to get them. Oh well, what else was I going to do all evening! (Well actually I was going to go to Tesco, so it worked out okay)

I got 4 tubs, and he's now gone through one and a half of them. He's also now bringing Mrs Frank with him. I thought at first it was a rival, but the Git is still here chasing him off each time but this one is actually taking three worms as well from the pot with Frank at the same time and they fly off in convoy. She is terrified of me though which is a shame. He will come on the windowsill and she is staying back on the wall, and if I throw out a worm for her, she flies off, so I've got another pot in the flower border alongside the wall.

The things we do eh?

Frank's a Daddy!

I've got so much to catch up on since I last blogged, can't even remember it all so will probably resort to posting a few pics with a brief note on what I did and when etc, but the most exciting thing of all that's happened is my little Frank is a proud dad! No idea how many, only a rough idea of where, but oh boy is he working hard to provide for his family. He heads off with the mealworms I am supplying, taking three at a time, right down to the end of my road, across the next and then into a garden where I lose sight, he could be in that garden or beyond, but it's around 200 yards away at least. Since Friday when he caught me out gardening, he has been back and forth countless times, around every 5 minutes, sometimes even quicker. Having to dodge the three other resident robins at times too and I have been protecting him. Most times, I am leaving him a pot full which is hidden, only he knows where it is, well that was the general idea, but one of the others has found it now too, lol. Mainly though he still prefers to come to me and take from my hand, must feel safer, knowing that the other gits can't get him there! It's a bit of a worry with him crossing the road at high speed, would be preoccupied, and not see a car I think, but it is a cul-de-sac so not that much traffic but still enough if he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Can't wait to see if he brings his babies up to feed after, but think it unlikely due to the territorial thing with the other ones here. So proud of him though and so privileged to be part of it.

Bought him 100gms (£3.30 worth) of live worms on Friday, and they've nearly all gone. He won't be fobbed off with the dried version either, even though I've tried soaking them. I've got to go get some more tomorrow now. I wonder how long till the chicks fledge, lol. He may well have been looking for me before Friday, that was the first day I was around much last week, so perhaps they are getting on a bit hopefully.

He is catching the odd thing himself, arrived with a fly once, and a spider yesterday morning. Not in the least bit interested in earth worms though, took one and spat it back out. Charming. ;o)

Latest news

Well I'm sure you've all been waiting with baited breath, but good news about little Frank. He appeared in the front porch one day last week, but I didn't report then because I wasn't 100% sure it was him, he hid from me at first (or so I thought) then he came on the wall, took ages to decided whether he would take the worm from me, and then when he did, he flew off with it in his beak like a rocket, so I was half convinced it was an untame one, and he was just plucking up the courage.

Anyway, there was repeat performance on Saturday morning, but this time he was more laid-back, took three worms, but on the third one, another robin appeared from the junk stored in next door's porch and chased Frank off across the gardens, so maybe that was what was freaking him out before.

So anyhow, today, was in the kitchen earlier and looked across to my bird feeders up the garden, and a robin was there - he saw me and flew over instantly to the windowsill, took 5 mealworms, two suet pellets and then went! Relief. He's fine. :)

Okay so other stuff, been really busy, had a great weekend with the weather. Saturday we went to Lampeter, had lunch and then took Emma for a nice walk along the Peterwell forestry, haven't been there since about last May, no bluebells out yet but they won't be long by the looks of things.

Sunday we went to the big car boot sale at the Showground and then onto Laugharne another place not been to since about Easter last year or maybe the first Bank Holiday Monday, can't remember. The place was absolutely packed, it could have been mid-summer and height of the tourist season. Nowhere to park, all the cafes full, anyway had a lovely walk, lunch out, ice creams etc.

Photos below are of two of the lovely Camelia's in Alan's garden, and Laugharne Castle, Emma in the moat, and a view across the estuary.

Today it's been raining. Been trying to get something done in the garden but had to give up at 2-ish and come in for lunch. Bored stiff ever since!