Blackbirds and other assorted birds - in-flight dining

Blackbirds come at first light and line up outside the patio windows. If service is not forthcoming then they chirrup, squawk and make a real commotion until the patio door is opened and kibbles and raisins are thrown out for them. Then it’s a free-for-all as they squabble and fight for the food, even if there is enough to go round. 

We have regular diners who come year after year, then bring their young families for a feed. Springtime is peak time for family dining; it’s like Heathrow airport as they all come flying in, lining up to land on the patio. 

If the patio doors are opened, they are so tame that they come into the house looking for stray kibble on the carpet. Some are so bold that they fly through the kitchen door, hop across the floor then help themselves to cat food from the feeding station. 

The two large ceramic bowls of water on the patio are a great spa for them to queue up next to, waiting their turn, before diving in for a good splash round and a bath. Cats love drinking blackbird flavoured water with feathers floating in it. They would rather drink this than the fresh water which is put out for them. 

There are also bird feeders throughout the garden with tubes full of seeds and fatballs which are strung about the ancient hedgerow encouraging sparrows, dunnocks, magpies and wood pigeons 

The wood pigeons also come right up to the patio windows for food, they are quite tame and very fat. In fact, they border on obese, so much so that they almost look like chickens. There are two, in particular, who will come and beg for seeds - Wuddy Puddy and Koo Stark, they spend all day just waddling round the garden. I don’t think they have a nest to go to! 

We also have a sparrow hawk who is getting quite tame. He, too, comes up to the Leylandii by the patio and eyes up the little fat sparrows. 
The sparrow hawk is not really a welcome customer here at Tom Cat Towers fine dining experience!

More soon, love Dumpty

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