Watching the birds

Tags

Birds, Cat, Talking

I am flat down on the floor taking some photos near the window. I hear the cat coming down the stairs behind me. And, boy, I am overwhelmed by the intelligence of that! 😉  Let me tell you:

She sat down by her bowl to eat. I called her over. She answered a weak “Mah” but didn’t move away from the bowl. I tried again “come over here and have a look. I know you’ll like it”. She answered again, the polite cat that she is, but refused to believe that what I saw outside the window was more interesting than the contents of her bowl. That is when I realised I had to try her language: “Bidgies!”, I said. That got her running. She was by my side in no time!

Our cat is not the cuddly type, she sleeps in my lap about four times a year, but she does let people pet her, if she’s in the mood. But, at least we have long meaningful conversations. This is what followed: I look out the window, repeat the word ‘bidgies’ and say something that sounds like a guttural, open-unrounded-back-vowel version of ‘craw craw craw’. The cat turns to me, repeats the sound and looks out at the birds. She then repeats the sound while looking at the birds. After a while she goes quiet. She gently turns her head to look at me. I look back and our eyes meet. Her eyelids gently close as she blinks at me. She opens her eyes, I blink back, she blinks a second time and turns to watch the birds again. “You’re quite alright at times”, I admit to her. “Mah”, she answers.

And that is the entertainment for days when getting up from the floor results in headaches and dizziness. I remained on the floor for some time, which instead of a headache, gave me a few nice shots of the cat and a few herbs we’ve just planted that I would like to show you. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

The birds have been fed

Tags

Bird food, Birds, Winter

No, I haven’t picked up on British slang, so I’m not talking about the girls in London. Son was ill last week and had to stay home from kindergarten. Trying to be a good parent I also kept him home for a day after he was fever-free, which of course meant dealing with a two-year-old who’s bouncing off the walls. So we made bird-food.

Making bird food is very easy. It might not be cheaper than getting it at the supermarket, nor is it any easier. But it does give that fulfilling feeling of having done something good for someone. Son is also very happy seeing the bird feed off the food that he had made (almost) all by himself, cause it is indeed very easy to do.

We melted a block of coconut fat, added nuts, rolled oats, and dried fruits. We took two small sticks, bound them together to form an x, and tied a string to the x. The x was places in the bottom of a plastic cup (the cup is likely not to survive,

so don’t use something you care about) with the string hanging out. The goo was then poured into plastic cups and left somewhere cold over night.

I assume that heating the cup slightly will cause the the bird food to let go and come loose, but I didn’t bother with that and instead peeled the cup off. The string is then used to tie the food to branches in a tree or somewhere similar. Quite pretty and also very good for the wee birdies.

Don’t forget the wee birdies

Tags

Birds, Bullfinch, Feeding Birds, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Robin, Winter

The weather wizards predict cold days to come in this area. It’s already freezing outside and two layers of clothes is a minimum these days. Son and I were out walking with a friend of mine and her two kids earlier today, I had forgotten an extra layer under my trousers, and my thighs were still cold hours after we had come home . I’ll do my best to remember those wool tights next time I’m venturing outside.

Værets spåmenn har meldt kulderekorder flere plasser i landet i dagene som kommer, her hvor jeg bor har de bare meldt kaldt vær, men skikkelig kaldt i forhold til hva jeg er vant til. Det skal bli kaldere, og jeg synes allerede det er kaldt nok. To lag med klær er et minimum når en beveger seg ute. Sønn og jeg var ute med en venninne av meg og hennes barn, og jeg hadde selvfølgelig ignorert min egen regel. Og etter to timer innendørs var låra mine fremdeles røde og kalde. Ullundertøyet skal ikke glemmes i morgen!

Luckily for me, when I came home I could sit down and relax for an hour, with a huge cup of warm tea and a lambskin on the chair. That was just after I had put a cauliflower to tender in a pot of boiling water and to make sure I’d have soup on the table a little later. And though my thighs didn’t warm up immediately, I really can’t complain. While I was sitting there, about a dozen small birds flew back and forth outside the window, eating from some bird food we put up last week; robins, bullfinches, house sparrows and great tits visited. The cat went crazy next to me, chattering and showing her teeth, desperately wanting to munch on one of those wee cuties. She doesn’t want to go outside these days though, so they are in no danger.

Heldigivs kunne jeg sette meg ned på et lammeskinn og slappe av med en stor kopp te etter jeg kom jeg, ja, etter jeg hadde satt et blomkål til kok så jeg kunne ha ferdig suppe til Sønn våknet fra kvilen sin. Og selv om låra mine ikke ville tilpasse seg innendørstemperaturen med en gang, så kan jeg ikke klage. Mens jeg satt der i dag, kom rundt et dusin fugler for å spise av maten vi hang ut i forrige uke; rødstruper, dompapper, kjøttmeiser og gråspurver. Katten ble nesten gal, der hun satt og knitret ved siden av meg, mens hun sikkert drømte om å sette tennene i en liten meis eller spurv. Hun går nesten ikke ut for tiden, så de er trygge fra henne i hvertfall.

But my point with this post is; don’t forget the wee birds during the winter months. The last winter was so cold here that many of the birds froze to death. They need more fat than they can get on their own. The fat works as insulation for the birds and keeps them from freezing. So feed them. Nuts, fat and seeds being the main ingredients. Buy at the store or make yourself, as long as you remember to FEED THE BIRDS!

Men, poenget mitt med denne posten er: Ikke glem å mate småfuglene nå om vinteren! I fjor var det så kald at mange fugler frød i hjel. De trenger mere fett enn de klarer å finne selv. Fettet virker som isolasjon for disse små dyra, og de trenger masse av det. Så mat dem! Nøtter, fett og frø er hovedingredienser. Kjøp på butikken, eller lag selv, men uansett, MAT FUGLENE!

Helt enkel og grei fuglemater fra Europris

Images of the birds are from:

Bullfinch: http-//www.dwhansen.net/bilder/fugler/dompap

HouseSparrow: http-//www.sialis.org/images/81533330female_house_sparro

Robin: http-//oslocarmelita.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive

GreatTit: http-//www.photosight.org/up/2007/01/13/51272