Guess who's coming to dinner

[basketbob]

Our bird table is very highly populated at the moment with all the snow about.We've had a real selection of diners, and surprisingly, the neighbour's b***** cats are leaving them alone.

half a dozen Blackbirds in constant attendance
4 Robins, barely tolerating each other's presence
a flock of long-tailed tits
Blue tits
Great tits
Dunnocks
Wrens
Jay
Collared doves
Wood pigeon
Greater spotted woodpecker (a rare treat)
Bullfinch
Spadgers
Starlings
Thrush

Who's dining at your table?

[mandaluyongsam]

Same line-up here Bob plus crows, green woodpeckers, ring-necked parackeets and the occassional kestrel which takes care of rodents from next door's s*** of a shed better than any cat.

[tamsmith]

Our sightings of birds (the german name) at the bird feed in our garden:

Blackbird (Amsel)
Chaffinch (Buchfink)
Sparrow (Hausspatz)
Dunnocks (Heckenbraunelle)
Yellowhammer (Goldammer)
Bullfinch (Gimpel) increasing number of pairs
Serin (Girlitz) new to our area, must have to with the global warming, no joke!
Starling (Star) they come in gangs
Thrush (Drossel)
Robin (Rotkehlchen)
Blue Tit (Blaumeise)
Great Tit (Kohlmeise)
Willow Tit (Weidenmeise)
Goldfinch (Stieglitz)
Crested Tit (Haubenmeise)
Wren (Zaunkönig)
Hawfinch (Kernbeißer )
Long-tailed Tit (Schwanzmeise) rare but when they come, then in pairs.
Green Woodpecker (Grünspecht)

Otherwise to be found in the garden in winter:
Magpie (Elster)
Jay (Eichelhäher) usually in groups
Jackdaw (Dohle) occational visitor
Raven (Kolkrabe) very shy and cautious bird

Being out in the country next to the woods, there are several birds of prey around such as Kestrels, Bussards, Falcons and a vareiety of Owls.
Don't see them in the garden though!

Bob, it's not often to see more than one Robin at a time, as they are domain birds.

[jools]

I love the Woodpecker being a Grunspecht. Very apt.

I have most of what Bob has except for the Jays. I have felt so sorry for the birds that I've locked the cats indoors while I am at work, you will be pleased to know. They are old ones so don't want to go out in this weather, anyway. It gives the birds a chance to feed. But there is a hawk about, by the evidence in the garden. I can't protect them from that. How they have survived the cold I don't know.

Interesting about the robins. I have two who take turns - ish. there is nearly always one waiting in the wings - - sorry, couldn't resist.

What JRD calls an argh moment...

[tamsmith]

I love the Woodpecker being a Grunspecht. Very apt.

Yes Jools, German is modular, you can put words together to make up new words.

Grünspecht = Gruen (green) + Specht (Woodpecker)

good example:
Handschuh = hand shoe, a shoe for the hand!
Handschuhfach = compartment for putting your hand shoe (glove compartment in a car)

It's the grammer that gets difficult:

die Hand (gender female)
der Schuh (gender male)
das Fach (gender neuter)
and because Fach is the last part of the noun, the whole noun becomes neuter

das Handschuhfach

and plural is always female! so if uncertain, use the plural form

This changes of course, depending if nomative, dative, accusative or genative.

Tam

[basketbob]

Yes Jools, German is modular, you can put words together to make up new words.

Grünspecht = Gruen (green) + Specht (Woodpecker)

good example:
Handschuh = hand shoe, a shoe for the hand!
Handschuhfach = compartment for putting your hand shoe (glove compartment in a car)

It's the grammer that gets difficult:

die Hand (gender female)
der Schuh (gender male)
das Fach (gender neuter)
and because Fach is the last part of the noun, the whole noun becomes neuter

das Handschuhfach

and plural is always female! so if uncertain, use the plural form

This changes of course, depending if nomative, dative, accusative or genative.

Tam

And I thought Latin was bad enough.

[FaldingworthLive]

We have nothing other than snow.

Is there a snow tit?

[hippy-law]

I have a wilderness garden. I don't know what type of birds they are but they have made the whole area their domain let alone a table .

[jrdavis50]

We're having a real cold snap for Texas. High today was 29F, low tonight is 17F. Not supposed to get above freezing until Tuesday. This is NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN HERE!

On the birdfeeders, I have field sparrows, nuthatches, a couple of cardinals, pine warblers and some pilated woodpeckers eating the suet. Oh, and the fox squirrel.

[hippy-law]

Yup know how you feel JR I live in Plymouth we are not meant to get snow in plymouth!!! Yet we have had plenty and more is on the way. I have atcually turned the heating on normally I live on the priciple that you can always put an extra jumper on but not at the moment, oh no!!