What birds (are you/have you been) watching? What birds have been watching you?

[Vox Humana]

no, definitely a pigeon. And a correction to my description, the tips of the wings were white too and I've seen it flying now, the brown/white pattern was absolutely symmetrical, not patchy, making a very pleasing sight.

Definitely a pigeon then.

[Richard Tarleton]

All such pigeons - town, domestic, racing, fancy - are descendants of the rock dove, wild populations of which hang on in the far west of these islands. Quite a few racing pigeons, possibly driven by some atavistic urge, drop out to form little groups or colonies on coastal cliffs, rather than return to the urban pigeon lofts from whence they came. Not all are eaten by peregrines!

PS enjoyed vox humana's seawatching list the other day.

[doversoul1]

Those pheasants! In a downpour, a gale, or a snowstorm, I go out every morning to feed them before my own breakfast. When they have chicks, I (almost) stand guard to keep away neighbour’s cats and the sparrow hawk. And what do they do to thank me for all this? They went and pecked an enormous hole in my best Savoy cabbage. Not just one but three (three cabbages not three holes)!!! I told them that Christmas was just round the corner. No use. These new generation of birds know exactly how things stand in my garden. Ah, well, the cabbages are still eatable, just. We’ll be eating extra helpings of cabbage for the next few days.

[clive heath]

I'm not quite sure where pheasants stand in the hierarchy of birdlife but here in W13 we have been blessed with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker checking out our ancient plum tree "Count Althan's Gage, one of the most delicious plums you will ever taste, they have some at Wisley) as a prospective home but the branch he pecked at for a while proved too tough, he/she should have tried the branch that I've lassoed up to the main trunk with rope as it is 90% dead wood but still productive. The occasional Dunnock has reappeared scratching along the paths and the even more occasional Blackcap put in an appearance this week. We are still visited by flurries of sparrows, a recent arrival in this neck of the woods and I will fill the feeder which has been empty for quite a while ( cruel to be kind or some such) to encourage them to keep visiting.

We visited Orvieto recently and as you walk toward the western end of the town there is a street sign indicating a hovering bird and sure enough if you hang around ( i.e. hover) at the viewpoint overlooking the countryside you will see Buzzards/Eagles/whatever riding the upwind as the western wind rises when it meets the volcanic plug on which the town sits. Well, I would have done if I hadn't been dragged away by hungry tourists but I did get a glimpse of those feathery upper legs. Next time maybe.

[Vox Humana]

I had my first Blackcap of the autumn yesterday - a male. In past years we have had up to six wintering, but our neighbour has had a massive clear-out of scrub in her garden so I'm not expecting much this year. Time to make my customary winter bird cake of dripping and minced peanuts - that always attracts them (fortunately we have no Starlings here so the cake lasts for weeks).

Today Mrs Humana spotted a little "crest" in our apple tree. Unfortunately the bird escaped before I got a good look at it and my good lady wasn't able to give a definitive description. Probability vastly favours Goldcrest, but Firecrest can't be ruled out as I have seen them in the garden a few times in winter.

[Dave2002]

We now have three unusual types of cat in our area. These are sonic cats, solar cats and electronic cats.

Various devices have been installed, such as sonic cat repeller, solar cat repeller and electronic cat repeller to deter these unusual animals.

In recent months fewer birds have been visiting our garden, whereas in previous years there were quite a number on our bird feeders. I don't really know why this should be - perhaps the birds didn't like the food, or didn't need it. However, the lack of birds has persisted up to now, and it is getting cold now so there should be interest by the local bird population.

I suspect that cats have been visiting quite frequently, and this has deterred the birds. I am hoping to change this state of affairs over the next few weeks.

One thing I don't know is whether the repeller devices might also deter birds, so they might need to be sited at low level (which they are) and pointing in directions which will deter cats but not birds.

[Richard Tarleton]

Hi Dave, the RSPB endorses ultrasonic deterrents so presumably they're OK.

OT, I have re-installed the Pest-bye sonic rat and mouse deterrent (4th from top here) for the winter under the bonnet of my car - I noticed in the nick of time that field mice were once again bringing seeds into the engine area and there were already tiny toothmarks on the turbo air intake (they cost me a new one not long after the car was new, before I got wise to it). The other part of my twin-track approach is to sprinkle the engine area liberally with pure peppermint oil which mice hate. Marketed for aromatherapy you can only get this online these days, pharmacies aren't allowed to sell it.

[Vox Humana]

In recent months fewer birds have been visiting our garden, whereas in previous years there were quite a number on our bird feeders. I don't really know why this should be

I have noticed the same and think the mild weather is probably to blame. The migrants will have moved on. Natural food will not be too hard to find yet and the birds will not have felt the imperative to lay down fat against the cold. It's been much colder these last two days and suddenly my feeders are brimming over with Goldfinches.

Another possible reason for lack of birds is the quality of the food. With peanuts and sunflower seeds especially it is important for them to have a decent oil content. Some cheap supplies are rather low in this respect. For the birds, this is rather like eating wood and, understandably, they don't think much of it.

[Don Petter]

Those pheasants! In a downpour, a gale, or a snowstorm, I go out every morning to feed them before my own breakfast. When they have chicks, I (almost) stand guard to keep away neighbour’s cats and the sparrow hawk. And what do they do to thank me for all this? They went and pecked an enormous hole in my best Savoy cabbage. Not just one but three (three cabbages not three holes)!!!

Being reminded by a recent reference to his death in 2010, I have been re-reading some of Martin Gardner's books of puzzles, so I am well limbered up for this sort of conundrum.

So we have an unknown number of pheasants, three damaged cabbages, and only one hole. How can that be?

I suggest that the three cabbages were growing in a line, close together, and that the pheasants, perhaps in relays and inspired by Crossrail, tunnelled from the near face of cabbage A through via cabbage B to the far face of cabbage C. Am I right?

(I do have slight doubts, given the average girth of a pheasant, as to the size of cabbages needed to allow this solution.)

[gradus]

Having had a car immobilised by field mice chewing through the wiring whilst the car was left parked at an airport for two weeks, I see the point of deterring them from entering the engine compartment. It took the breakdown man a couple of hours to find the problem and he had to resort to hot wiring to get us going.

[Don Petter]

Having had a car immobilised by field mice chewing through the wiring whilst the car was left parked at an airport for two weeks, I see the point of deterring them from entering the engine compartment. It took the breakdown man a couple of hours to find the problem and he had to resort to hot wiring to get us going.

I have had them chew partly through a rubber petrol pipe in the engine compartment of a little-used (aka 'cherished') car in the garage.

[doversoul1]

Being reminded by a recent reference to his death in 2010, I have been re-reading some of Martin Gardner's books of puzzles, so I am well limbered up for this sort of conundrum.

So we have an unknown number of pheasants, three damaged cabbages, and only one hole. How can that be?

I suggest that the three cabbages were growing in a line, close together, and that the pheasants, perhaps in relays and inspired by Crossrail, tunnelled from the near face of cabbage A through via cabbage B to the far face of cabbage C. Am I right?

(I do have slight doubts, given the average girth of a pheasant, as to the size of cabbages needed to allow this solution.)

My apologies, Don. I didn’t make it clear. No, there is no puzzle whatsoever.

There are four cocks, at least eight hens, and three chicks. The chicks are not exactly fluffy stage but far from fully grown; two are just beginning to show cock’s plumage. The weather has been mild enough so far but I don’t know if they’ll survive the winter.

Anyway, these are the pheasants, and there are three damaged cabbages, amongst some two dozens in a patch. Each of the three damaged cabbages had a large hole the size of a cereal bowl neatly pecked out from the top. I have often seen the pheasants in the cabbage patch. When I do, I open the kitchen window and shout at them. They look at me and nod in acknowledgement….

[Don Petter]

Anyway, these are the pheasants, and there are three damaged cabbages, amongst some two dozens in a patch. Each of the three damaged cabbages had a large hole the size of a cereal bowl neatly pecked out from the top. I have often seen the pheasants in the cabbage patch. When I do, I open the kitchen window and shout at them. They look at me and nod in acknowledgement….

Thanks for the real, if a little disappointing, explanation.

We usually have one cock pheasant around, which is nice to see. There is nothing knowingly edible to humans in our patch (we long ago renamed 'garden' as 'nature reserve') so I don't have to shout at him.

[Richard Tarleton]

When I do, I open the kitchen window and shout at them.

I think you need to change one vowel here dover.

[Padraig]

I think you need to change one vowel here dover.

If you're changing vowels, save me the hen tail-feathers please.