Missing birds

[Dabbit]

Has anyone else noticed a lack of garden birds about? Despite our feeders being full there has been literally no garden birds in our garden at all with the excpetion of two ring neck doves. I wondered about this and looked into it and found that in fact because of the unusually mild weather there have been more than ample berries on the trees to keep the birds happy with no need for them to come into the garden. A good thing I know but I do miss them fluttering around in the bird bath and on the feeder...

[Mark]

I guess it varies from location to location. I've noticed around here that some birds that normally will have flown south for the winter are lingering longer. That's a bad thing, because we recently had a spell with several days below freezing and I'm afraid there was probably a high attrition rate amongst the hangers-on.

[Dabbit]

Well they have now come back in their droves! Not sure whether it has anything to do with it being winter and stuff now, but by do they like their fat balls!

[Mark]

Er, is that something that the birds are eating? Balls of fat?

[Dabbit]

Yes Mark you can buy them premade or just get a packet of lard and roll into balls (or waste fat from joints of meat etc) and then roll it in bird seed and put out for the birds

[Mark]

Oh, I see. Sounds similar to the 'suet' cakes they sell over here. I use those too, only they are in square shapes rather than balls.

[Dabbit]

We do have square ones too but mostly they are ball shaped. I guess it might be helpful if we both spoke the same language LOL

[Mark]

You're right, Dabbit. Reminds me of the time I went to a drug store in London to buy what you call 'cotton wool'. However, I got a strange look from the pharmacist when I asked for it using the term used over here. The next time I knew to ask if they had 'cotton wool' instead of 'cotton balls'.

[Dabbit]

We generally say cotton wool balls here so cotton balls might have been a little like too much thinking for some Mark. I went along the strand one day and visited several shops and not one person was English who served me, better still they could hardly understand what we were saying

[Maria]

Now my comment has nothing to do with birds or the feeding of birds but more to do with language or dialects. When I first moved to Rhode Island (for those non USA people) which is located in the northeast section called New England, I had a very southern accent. Now many people in this region have definite strange sounding accents. All this to say I was working in a bank for a VP screened his callers. Many people would come in and I couldn't understand them. I was the joke of the floor because I would have to excuse myself and run get another person to talk to the visitor. Now not all the visitors spoke 'funny' but those that I couldn't understand I initially thought they were speaking a foreign language. I have adjusted and am pretty much able to understand the accents now.

However, each time I have visited England, I have had to listen very hard to correctly understanding what is being said. After a few weeks, I am fine.

So all this to say. . . WHAT are you TALKING ABOUT! ;D

[Mark]

Er,....uh....'missing birds'?