Jay

[Pol]

Jays are visiting the garden again after a 2 year absence.

Pol

[Autumn]

Re: Jay

Beautiful bird and photographs Pol. You and David must be quite excited.

[Pol]

Re: Jay

Beautiful bird and photographs Pol. You and David must be quite excited.

We've been having a lot of problems with cats belonging to a new neighbour along the road, so we've been working at driving them out as well as rearranging things to try to get more of the wildlife coming again.

So it would be fair to say we're pleased and relieved we're starting to see some of the old visitors coming back!

Pol

[rogleale]

Re: Jay

We have two pairs in the garden every day. They are very wary, and now one of them has learned that the Bluetit food is tasty!

Roger

[Julia]

Re: Jay

We are having problems with a male cat who has the nerve to come into the house via the cat flap. Being 'complete' he also makes a horrible noise. Our two older, female cats just look at him from round the side of the door - useless

Any suggestions how to keep him out?
Julia

[Ian]

Re: Jay

We've been having a lot of problems with cats belonging to a new neighbour along the road, so we've been working at driving them out as well as rearranging things to try to get more of the wildlife coming again.

So it would be fair to say we're pleased and relieved we're starting to see some of the old visitors coming back!

Pol

Neighbours' cats - aaargh!

There are at least three which seem to find our house the best place to yowl at each other each night. Two will actually come into the house through our cats' cat flaps. Our two are neutered females, so they aren't particularly territorial outside (and they're the classic scaredy-cats!) but if one of the others comes in there can be a lot hissing and growling and if the yowling outside hasn't woken us up, the fight inside usually does!

Presumably the others are un-neutered. Julia has considered doing the job herself...

Ian

[Pol]

Re: Jay

We have two pairs in the garden every day. They are very wary, and now one of them has learned that the Bluetit food is tasty!

Roger

LOL Yours is a real 'character' shot, as was the recent Jay shot from Pops.

We've had them coming and going from the bird tables in the past but never seen one going after the fat as far as I can remember .......... always heading straight for peanuts.

The one(s) we've been getting recently seem to be more confident and quite happy to repeatedly swoop up and down from the Oak tree even though we're sitting fairly near. The one you see in my shots actually stayed and took peanuts I'd thrown especially for him having spotted him arrive and perch in a fairly large Viburnum. I threw the nuts just below the bush and he wasn't at all spooked - just hopped down and took them!!

My favourite Jay photo ever is the 3rd one down on THIS webpage from Nigel Blake I'd be thrilled if I could manage to get a facial close-up like that but I mainly just enjoy watching them. The way they move over the ground, grabbing peanuts as they go, can be very amusing imo.

Pol

[Pops]

Re: Jay

Well done Pol. They are superb.
Don't know wether to thank you or curse you for that link. I feel sick as a parrot after viewing those shots.

[Pol]

Re: Jay

We are having problems with a male cat who has the nerve to come into the house via the cat flap. Being 'complete' he also makes a horrible noise. Our two older, female cats just look at him from round the side of the door - useless

Any suggestions how to keep him out?
Julia

I've never owned cats, only dogs so I've no idea what to suggest. To be honest, I'm not really a 'cat person' and tend to be very intolerant of them spoiling our enjoyment of the garden - so we spray them with water using water guns, hosepipe, jugs of water or whatever comes to hand.

There's a delightful cat that belongs to someone nearby and we don't mind her at all. She sleeps on the shed roof most days, answers with a 'miaow' whenever we acknowledge her, is very welcome if she wants to come into the house and she's never chased birds. Her owner has 4 cats, all of them were from a rescue centre. She cares for them extremely well and none of her cats have ever caused a problem. The new people aren't ideal pet owners imho. They leave the cats outside almost all the time, have no cat flaps and seem to assume their damn cats have the right to wander anywhere and everywhere and they were gradually taking over the territory from the nice cats (Cedric and Augustus)

So - we decided to help Cedric and Augustus reclaim the territory. We placed electronic cat scarers arond the fences and gates, made sure Cedric and 'Gussy' got used to them, allowed ced and gussy to soak up the sun in the greenhouse .. then started 'water-bombing and spraying' any other cat that dared come onto the property.

We've also had problems with the nightime howling and yowling on and around the back lawn and patio ..... so I sling large jugs of water from an upstairs window over the cats that do it. we also have security light and any cat that's daft enough to get close enough to trigger them end up with having water slung at it from the nearest window.

Pol

[Pol]

Re: Jay

Well done Pol. They are superb.
Don't know wether to thank you or curse you for that link. I feel sick as a parrot after viewing those shots.

I know exactly what you mean.

He's a superb photographer, teaches and holds workshops long with Andy Bright and other Birding pros, or certainly has done. Therefore I try not to feel too bad about his standards compared to mine .. I just gaze at his work in awe and continue to aspire, but know I'm never likely to get owt quite like that third one down but one can dream, eh.


Pol