Empty Nest Syndrome

Stop press!

The robin chicks have gone.  I just checked the nest box this lunchtime and it was empty.  So not exactly certain when it happened - they were 14 days since hatching on Friday.  On Saturday Simon went early to USA, I worked, the kids were at Kate's and then we were busy with the Grand National shenanegins that afternoon (I had 3rd and 4th).  On Sunday we drove to Shugborough (National Trust) to hand over the children to Grandma and Grandad for the week.

I've been observing the comings and goings from the bird feeders outside the kitchen window, and have seen a couple of robins taking bits and flying to the undergrowth/overgrowth of the left hand border.  Behind the beech tree, towards the overgrown snowdrops/daffodil greenery into the heavy ivy on the fence. I deduce therefore that's where the chicks are, but they're impossible to see, and so well hidden that even Roly couldn't find them if he wanted to.  So I'm confident about the success of the robin family, and wish them well.

Now what to do with the empty box/nest?...

Seems a little strange without them.... the robin chicks and the family!  I'm here on my ownsome - well, just me, Roly, the hens and our lodger.  I think I might like it at first, we'll see how it goes.  Simon's back on Thursday and then we're up north to collect the children after work on Saturday...

I can't keep up with the pace of life these days.  We do soooo much, and there's so little time left to think about it all, never mind write about it all...

We went to the local point-to-point at Lockinge on Easter Monday.  Cold wind, but we got there early as our family tradition now dictates and walked the course with Roly (dalmation) and Phoebe's friend-to-be from her new school, when she starts in September (in as much as, Phoebe made a friend called Eleanor at the school taster day and exam day, and wanted to meet up so we suggested the point-to-point). It's a lovely way to start a 'country' day and gives a deserved appetite for the picnic we (I) pack!

Unfortunately the weather was a dampner, as the hillside was only half full of parked cars - it's been reported in past years that it attracts up to 10,000 attendees - it's one of the largest point-to-points in the country we understand.  The ground was good so the racing fared well - we missed the first race, then there was a couple of 4 horse races followed by couple of 5 horse races, and we left before the last and pony club races.  And it's the people watching that's so much part of the enjoyment, as much as the racing, and even though the weather was bracing, a good time was had.

More to report, there's so much goes on in the Easter holidays - we joined the National Trust, went to Farmer Gows, saw The Pirates and The Scientists have An Adventure (Aardman's latest film), served tea the local half-marathon, and I've had a WI meeting as well.  On all that next time - I've to get ready for work, and the washing needs to be taken in.

Thanks for reading, keep it sweet! Kat

Easter chicks... really!

Happy Easter, early this year!

Our children were out and about around the garden this morning, early, 7.30am, collecting Easter Eggs left by the bunny...  so it's been a long day.

I have been observing the progress of the robin and her chicks.  They're now 9 days old, and it's very difficult to take a photo of them.

For the past few days the parent has been mostly absent, in as much as there's less room for parent to sit as the chicks are growing larger, and as the chicks are growing larger, the parent has to keep them fed.... I did get a shot of Robin with beak full of something wholesome:

yum yum, what's that then Mum?

When I looked at this next image on my compact digital camera (Panasonic Lumix), I thought I'd not got anything  exciting, but it seems I was wrong...  lovely fluff and baby robin beaks - honest.

Well, as the parent is now often 'away' (busy foraging), I noticed that they're responding wide-mouthed when the kitchen door bangs (!) and also sometimes if I make a 'tch tut tch' sound.  Which was how I managed to get this shot:

So, sorry for the blurr, but I didn't hang around to get the photo this morning, and I'm very careful to beat the retreat after inspection!  Happy to confirm that on Friday this week (1 week since hatching) we did observe 5 beaks, which indicates they're all still thriving, and that they must be keeping each other warm. I assume the parent still keeps them warm at night as the temperature does drop somewhat.

I'll tell you all more about our new hens as well next time.  Need to take and upload photos of them first!

TTFN  thanks for reading and keep it sweet!  Kat

Spring chicks!

OK, this isn't a photo of spring chicks.  I've tried to insert it in the appropriate place in the story, but it insists on popping up here. Sorry.  Do read on for explanation!

This is where the blog begins.  They're here.  Hurrah!!!

The robin eggs have hatched.  We discovered them around 5pm on Friday 30th March.  We've only seen 3 that we dare look at, as being very careful not to disturb by our presence!  The parent bird (seems alarmingly solitary, but then all robins look the same don't they? or is that 'robinist'?) still sits on them quite a long time in between feeds, but 2 days since hatch-day and there's still a parent and still chicks (not sure how many).  Photographs that I've tried to take so far haven't come out, as chicks still low down in the nest, and the nest is positioned so as to be very protected under the shelf.

When we get piccys I''ll let you know!

On another bird front, my hens have a new hen house.  I'd been getting fed-up with the ark. It was 5 yrs old, and although still sound/solid, had a few leaks here and there that this winter I covered up with a tarpaulin.  This made cleaning the hen house a bind, but kept the birds dry.  I was also worried about mites for the coming season, and the house was too big as it was designed for 6-8 birds, and I only ever intended to keep 3-4. (The hen-house was a house-warming present from my dad when we moved here - thanks Dad!).

So I'd done a little research on 'tinternet, and instead of a fashionable 'egglu' from 'omlet', I found a couple of suppliers of recycled plastic housing.  One in particular took my fancy as they were established to help farmers recycle their plastics, so there's a rural theme going there.  I've plumped for a maxi hen loft from Solway Recycling.  Downside was they're in Scotland, so the eco value of recycling is lost  somewhat in the transportation impact.

Anyhow, the house arrived safely last Monday, and I locked up the old house and strawed the nesting boxes and laid newspaper and wood-shavings for the roosting area.  Perfect. The size is just right, and the plastic is more portable (hope it doesn't encourage thieves...) so easier for me to move around and clean out.  However, you can lead a hen to the hen-house, but you can't make it roost.   It took 3 nights of me chasing the hens around the old house, catching them, and thrusting the into new abode before they 'got it'.

What to do with the old house?  Well there's the beauty of 'freecycle'.  I advertised it in as honest a fashion as possible, and had 5 potential takers.  The first turned out to be a time-waster, but the second was delighted and managed to arrange collection the next day.  This was a bit of a pallaver, as     we needed to lift the 6ft x 4ft x 4ft ark over the wire fencing surrounding the hen's enclosure and then over the post and rail fence at the end of the garden, and finally, onto the roofbars of the volvo estate.  See start of this blog!

The old and the new hen houses!

Better go now, getting dark outside, and another frost likely.  The last week's unseasonally warm weather has brought the forsythia out quite gloriously, the colour contrast with the skies this week has been very eye-catching...

So a new month, and my new hours at the library start tomorrow - next 6 months will see me at the library Mon 2-7; Tues 10-12 & 2-5; Thur 2-5; Fri 2-5 and Sat 9.30-12.30. This will be interesting as we start Easter school holidays as well.  I may well be worn out next blog. Think kindly of me if I make too many mistakes!

Thanks for reading,  enjoy the spring, enjoy the weather, enjoy the holidays, enjoy life and keep it sweet. :)  Kat