Bird City

I haven't had much time to post the past week as I have been preparing for the Creative Fibre Festival here in Napier next week. Spent two weeks of evenings going through fibre I bought from a lady early last year. Much of it was clipped and ungraded so I had to painstakingly go through every bag and pull out second cuts and webbing. Ended up with 9 ounces of first grade white and blue fibre.

After the disappointment of Cordelia's clutches not hatching I was surprised and pleased to hear cheeping in the hen house when I went out to feed the chickens late last Sunday afternoon. The same hen who produced one solo pullet late November had gone and done it again, hiding in the broken plastic rubbish bin that I have in their run. I quickly scrubbed out an outside rabbit hutch and then carried the bin, Nutmeg, her one chick and three eggs there. Unfortunately the eggs were already cold so I think she abandoned them as soon as the only survivor hatched out. This seems to be a pattern with Nutty. Anyway a week on the chick's first pin feathers are showing and their dull brown colour seems to indicate another pullet. Very lucky break!

Happened to glance out the window yesterday afternoon to see a strange beady eye looking through the wire fence from the next door paddock. At first I thought it was a stray hen but as it cautiously moved into the open I saw a female pheasant. When I first came out here in 1999 there was a beautiful male pheasant who would come and walk across my front lawn. Unfortunately he disappeared (I guess due to the farm dogs) so I hope the same fate doesn't happen to this little hen.

With the days closing in the bird life is increasing again with the end of their breeding season. Yesterday I saw my first male chaffinch of the year plus there is a bellbird that comes and sings in the trees along my driveway. The fantails are returning and one cheeky one comes in the rabbit shed with me. They are my favourite native bird as they're so full of personality.

The baby sparrow I raised a year ago has gone strangely silent over the past weeks. Finally I noticed he was sitting in the corner of his cage and wouldn't even move if I wanted to clean it out. Suddenly it occurred to me that the weeks of tearing his cage cover and collecting grass out of the dried flower arrangement next to him had a purpose- he was building a nest as he thinks he's sitting on eggs! He is still completely unafraid of my cats which is a huge worry and the reason why I was unable to release him as I had hoped. The other day Demelza was sitting up beside him and turned round when I told her off. Suddenly Tuppence saw his chance and began pulling the fur out of her tail- obviously to make a nice soft lining for his nest of invisible eggs. He used to be completely enamored of Gypsy who, as a kitten, would sit beside him. He was forever reaching through his cage and trying to kiss her while she would rub him. Unfortunately or fortunately depending what way you look at it, Gyps grew out of her fascination with the sparrow and now completely ignores him.