Crafty Crows

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

This is unbelievable! I keep a permanent baiting station going on here. For birds in general. Just forms a conveniently focused little window on most of what goes on around here.

I've used 'Bird Seed' for years now. Had all sorts out there. This year I finally started getting corvids steadily. Crows, rooks, jackdaws, magpies. The rooks especially can come in small flocks. Anything up to ten or a dozen out there at one time. They hit the bird seed hard.

Then, recently, I had a brain storm and decided to up the ante. I bought a ton of frozen, day old chicks. I started putting a couple of those out there as well.

Interesting. The rooks studiously ignored them. The crows ate them, or carried them off. Haven't really seen any jackdaws lately. And, I think the crows were beating the local pair of magpies to it. Then, there's the fox.

It was spotting the fox, quite by chance, that led me to putting the Trail Cam out there, to record just who's doing what. My cam is smothered in Real Tree tape and I strapped it to a fence post, six to eight foot from the chicks.

And that was, practically, the last I saw of Any fukking corvids out there!!!

Couple of hours ago, I put two chicks down. Nothing! There's a ton of seed, being hammered by a ton of small birds. Not a rook to be seen ~ except a hundred odd yards away. No other corvids. WTF?!

I checked: Birds can see Ultra Violet. But, not Infra Red.

So, it's this little box, strapped to a fence post?! The fukkers have seen that and thought; " Uh, uhh. Nice try, Karl Marx. Not today. "

Anybody got a better idea?

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Okay. I had half a dozen rooks bouncing around out there. Completely ignoring the chicks. Happily taking the seed. Chicks were still there as darkness fell.

I believe the cam's set to operate through the night. No one's been near it. In the morning, obviously, the chicks will be gone. I'll check the cam.

Wonder what we'll have?

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

12 hours ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Wonder what we'll have?

Wonder no more!

There go the chicks!

 

Then comes Billy Come Lately:

 

And, finally, with the morning light:

 

Now; I'm curious as to why that fox took those chicks. I.e, it didn't eat them. Wrong time of year for cubs. What do you suppose that was all about?

[Arry 26,600]

Fox is storing them mate imo, will bury them. I've found corvids I've shot buried in the plough with a wing flapping above ground in the wind.

Cheers Arry

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Never knew they did that! Thanks!

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Oh and, incidentally; Obviously, I've brought the camera in? Put two more chicks out. And have just watched a fukking crow come and hack one to bits!

Fukkers genuinely Do appear to be spooked by the presence of the camera! How crafty's that?!

[Arry 26,600]

Very clever Birds. They would rip net bags of peanuts apart, so I hung the net bags on about a foot of string. I watch as a Crow lifted the string put a foot on it then repeated the process till he had the bag. Smart birds indeed.

I saw a bit of film where Crows would carry I think it was Walnuts out onto the road and wait till traffic smashed them then feed on them.

Cheers Arry

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Gotta fukking Love crows, Arry! More brains than enough people posting on THL!

Less than a decade back, I was living hell for crows, here. And I'd be Damn lucky to get within 200 yards of one.

Then, I got over it. Retired. Hung up the rifle and leave shit alone.

Today? After writing that last post? I saw a crow sitting in a small tree, fifteen yards away. I went out there, four chicks on a tray. I'd closed half the distance before he took off. Landing, in clear sight, about the same distance again, away on the meadow.

I actually made a point of holding each chick up, in plain view, and calling, " Chicks, crows! Here's your dinner! " as I dropped them on the ground.

I've adopted a similar plan when feeding seed to the smaller birds. I scoop their seed in a big tin. I take it out there and pour it onto their usual spot. Then, I come back drumming my fingers on the bottom of the empty tin. Calling " Birds! Come on birds! ". Fukkers are peppering the hedges before I'm even fifteen foot away.

How long before these crows recognise I'm a harmless ally?

I love this shit!

[Arry 26,600]

I whistle the same notes to the birds as I do too the ferrets. The Black Birds will come and feed on top of the ferret hutch ( they love raisins). Robins and black birds come out of the hedge when I open the green house, the bird food is inside. Its fascinating Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws will sit in a Oak tree that 30 yard up the garden. This would have never happened when I was a kid. We have become more affluent now and buy seed etc, would have just been stale bread when I was a young'un we had no extra money for the birds then. The birds have learnt the gardens that look after them. I get loads of Green finches and Gold finches they love the sunflower hearts. Great to see them even though they are eating me out of house and home Lol.

Cheers Arry

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Raisins? I used to live where there was a green grocers shop. Kept flat boxes or raisins, pretty well stuck together in a slab (Thinking about it? I knew another place, hundreds of miles away. Same thing. They must just come like that. Leached fructose, I guess?)

Anyway, yeah, the shop girls faces dropped when ever I walked in, about once a week, asking for a tenners worth of raisins. It was like they were at the coal face, hacking and digging away

Starlings would do a complete Hitchcock though. It just filled my heart to see so many, happy, birds.

Happens, I just ordered a fukk off ton of cheese, from a local travelling wholesaler. Have to buy a second grater now. Despise the thought of the stuff, myself. But, the little birds - wrens and robins - will go ape shit for the stuff. Got to look after their little needs too.

Remember " Swoop ", Arry? I used to go bust on my pocket money for a box of that! Probably the first, post war, lunacy to poke its head above the parapet. People actually paying good money to give shit to wild birds.

I absolutely Love this shit, now. Always have. Feeding birds has been a thing, with me, basically from birth. Just that I now no longer discriminate. I'll feed the crows. Foxes. Even the fukking rats that come out of the bank there. As long as they stay out there, away from me? Who cares?

Actually, thinking as I type; I might well grab a sack of that dreadful shit they call " Complete Dog Food ". I wouldn't let my own dogs anywhere near it, of course. But, a big, presoaked bowl full, left outside the gate every night. With the cam trained on it ...?

I dread dying Arry. I Hate the thought of it. Because, the day I don't rise from my pit? So many creatures will be disappointed. And I fukking hate the thought of that

Anyway, I expect some kunt will be along, presently. Complaining that " This isn't pest control!!! ". No, you kunt. This is what happens when we get older and retire. We go soft. Seen it all my life. Killers calming down.

Except for Mickey, of course. As his wife leans in to catch his last breathing words, she'll not be surprised to hear: " Rabbits! Juby Traps!!! "

[Arry 26,600]

May be the thread is not in the right place mate I don't know. But I'll bet there's  not many on here that are not fond of the birds. I take out the Rats that turn up from time to time and the Grey Squirrels that wreck my feeders. I don't know about feeding cheese would have thought it had too much salt in it, but then what do I know. I get all manner of birds in the garden mainly feed sunflower hearts probably the best food for attracting them and niger seed, fat balls and peanuts, raisins just for the Black birds. Buggers get on the window sill and look in when it gets cold Lol.

The hedge hogs come every night for left over ferret kibbles in a bowl under the hutch, slowing down a bit as it getting colder.

Cheers Arry

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

 

 

Fukk it, Arry. Sack of 'Dog Nuts' on todays shopping list then! That was last night. Cam hung directly on my gate! Dear little thing

Salt in cheese? Yeah. There is some, I believe? But, the RSPB recommend it anyway. Probably traces of salt in most scraps we feed the birds. Traces being the word though. And, it's not like they're caged up, being fed only cheese.

It's the robins, see? Them and the wrens. They don't like the seed, like the other birds do. Breaks my heart to think of them going without, while everyone else around here gets a feast off me.

[Arry 26,600]

Will try bit of cheese then usually give the Robin suet pellets. Used to work in a leisure park and drive around on a golf buggy where every I went the robin would turn up and feed off my hand. Turned out I was feeding about 6 different ones but they would all come up on my hand, they love the suet pellets.

Cheers Arry

[Squirrel_Basher 17,103]

Suet seed balls are the all round small bird food .See you’ve mastered the cams then Ken .Did you use the default setting or timer .

[Ken's Deputy 4,463]

Suet's a fantastic feed. Fukking expensive though! For decent stuff, anyway.

I used to make my own Beef Dripping based fat cakes. Especially wholesome when I packed them with food blendered peanut dust. But, other shit started taking the piss, so I sort of gave up on that aspect.

FD; My cam's a PITA, mate. It only goes as low as a ten second delay, on film. So, I'm lucky not to be doing a Greyman all over the place: Catching arse ends every time. You should also know that I crop my clips.

You see a fox, mooching about in plain view. I might have seen that fox. Then twenty seconds of fukk all. I promise you though; The moment I get a panther? I'll stick it up. It'll be as clear as all my stuff is. I won't tap the side of my nose and say; 'Sorry. I can't say / show you.'

Just slung four chicks over the gate. Into the random darkness. Too bust to fukk about with the cam, today. Tomorrow though I'll try to get a better angle on that sensor level. Found my latest stuff somewhat over exposed. Didn't you?

Tomorrow on in should be fascinating times though! Look - you'll never catch me out on bullshitting, because I simply don't fukking bullshit!

For The Little Birds

 

For the Foxes and Badgers

 

Just letting that shit soak, over night