2/4/3008 – 3/4/2008

First an update on the saga of the broken leg. I was back at the Orthopaedic Fracture Clinic on Wednesday. Leg was X-rayed and the news was good, the fracture was still is good position. However the Doc said with this type of injury there is always a danger of ligament damage as well so he doesn’t want any weight put on the leg until the next Clinic appointment. (3 weeks time) Apparently the bone can heal but the ankle can still be weak if the ligaments have been ruptured/torn. They take longer to heal. At the next Clinic Appointment the plaster will be removed, the leg X-rayed again and see how things look then. Hopefully the ligaments haven’t been damage and the plaster remains off and I get Physio. Will keep you posted. Everyday tasks, taken for granted, are difficult and at times quite an ordeal.

On the bird front, things have been quite the last few days other than what has been a result of putting some bread out. I feed the usual foods, mixed seed, peanuts, sunflower seeds (black), cheese and occasionally dried mealworms. I decided to put bread out one day for no apparent reason other than it was lying on the kitchen worktop. I didn’t notice anything unusual. OK there were more Starlings than I normally get feeding but that isn’t a problem. I probably didn’t see the whole story when as I was still at work then and not on sick leave.

I usually put out the bread on the front lawn, under and around the bird table and rubbed between the hands to make it fine and crumbly. There are some larger pieces though. The first bird in is usually Bert the Blackie followed by the Chaffies and Sparrows. I was sitting with my back to the window reading a book when I caught a reflection in my reading glasses. I looked round the best I could but nothing was apparent, as I couldn’t see all the lawn. Suddenly out of the sky, black shapes descended onto the lawn. I changed position the best I could to get a better view and low and behold, there squabbling and fighting over the bread were Rooks and Jackdaws. There is a Rookery thirty yards away but they have never came into the garden before. They must be attracted by the larger pieces of bread, they have venture onto the bird table and all other birds disappear when they come. Another couple of unwelcome visitors were two seagulls, well Herring Gulls, slate grey back and red spot near the tip of the yellow bill. Both swooped down, grabbed a piece of bread and made off. I want to get a pic of the Rooks and Jackdaws. Once I have a picture I will stop feeding the bread. I don’t want it getting hard and creating danger for chicks in the nest. Fortunately the weather is damp here so the bread doesn't get time to ge hard.

There has been the usual assortment of visitors over the last few days. Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, House Sparrows, Dunnocks, the occasional Wren, Blackbirds (male & female) Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, and of course Starlings. I haven’t seen the Siskins for about eight weeks and the solitary Goldfinch hasn’t been since Ne’erday (well I think I saw it then). There is still hope as the Greenfinches are back after a short absence. I can only hope. Well that’s all for today, back to trying to get a picture of the Rooks and Jackdaws.