:)DO NOT IT COULD KILL THEM!!SNOW TODAY !!! ice road trucker photo
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TYREMAN
Watched a show about Yellowstone last night. A guy was sawing the 6 feet of snow on his roof into manageable slabs and chucking them off!
We've had -11 for a couple of nights and it's not got above -5 in 3 days! We're 1/2 mile from the sea in Colwyn Bay and it's only snowed here 3 or 4 times in a bout 20 years!
We've had -11 for a couple of nights and it's not got above -5 in 3 days! We're 1/2 mile from the sea in Colwyn Bay and it's only snowed here 3 or 4 times in a bout 20 years!
No-one will believe you...
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TYREMAN
Its a BIG FAT NO! answered my own question,do not give them Turkey fat it can kill them.Here is a useful guide from the RSPB on what scraps they can eat,like many i heard fat was good and have been miss informed
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/266511-big-fat-no-for-birds
Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat – but that fat isn’t suitable for everyone.
The RSPB is warning that cooked turkey fat is extremely dangerous to birds and could even kill them.
Many people put the leftover contents of Christmas dinner roasting tins outside for birds, wrongly believing it’s as beneficial to them as other fats like lard and suet.
They pour the fat onto bird tables or mix it with seed thinking it will give them an energy boost and provide them with the nutrients they need.
But cooked turkey fat is completely unsuitable for birds for several reasons:
· It stays soft even when cooled, meaning it could smear onto birds’ feathers and ruin water proofing and insulating qualities
· The softness of turkey fat means its not practical to make popular ‘bird cake’ where its mixed with seeds, as it will not harden to hold its shape
· Many people rub turkey joints liberally with salt to crisp the skin and high levels of salt are toxic to birds
· The fat in roasting tins can’t be separated from other leftover liquids like meat juices. This concoction can go rancid quickly, and form an ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria
Birds are prone to bacterial infections at this time of year as their defences and energy levels are low because of the cold.
Kirsi Peck, RSPB Wildlife Adviser, says: “Please, please don’t use fat from roasting tins to feed garden birds. It’s great that so many people want to try and give birds extra treats but in this case you could be killing them with kindness.
“The juices mixed in roasting tins will go off very quickly and could cause disease on bird tables. Birds are very susceptible to them at this time of year.
“Turkey fat could also damage birds’ feathers and during winter they need to be in tip top condition to help keep them warm.
“But don’t let this put you off feeding garden birds – there are loads of leftovers that are suitable.”
The RSPB recommends Christmas scraps like Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pastry crumbs and biscuit crumbs. Other suitable leftovers include mild grated cheese, cooked or uncooked rice, dry porridge oats, cooked potatoes and fruit.
The cooking juices from all other meats as well as turkey are equally as unsuitable for feeding to garden birds.
The RSPB recommends that the best way to dispose of meat fat is to leave it to cool down and put it in the bin, not pour it down the sink.
To shop for RSPB bird care products including suet balls and feeders, visit www.rspbshop.co.uk
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/266511-big-fat-no-for-birds
Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat – but that fat isn’t suitable for everyone.
The RSPB is warning that cooked turkey fat is extremely dangerous to birds and could even kill them.
Many people put the leftover contents of Christmas dinner roasting tins outside for birds, wrongly believing it’s as beneficial to them as other fats like lard and suet.
They pour the fat onto bird tables or mix it with seed thinking it will give them an energy boost and provide them with the nutrients they need.
But cooked turkey fat is completely unsuitable for birds for several reasons:
· It stays soft even when cooled, meaning it could smear onto birds’ feathers and ruin water proofing and insulating qualities
· The softness of turkey fat means its not practical to make popular ‘bird cake’ where its mixed with seeds, as it will not harden to hold its shape
· Many people rub turkey joints liberally with salt to crisp the skin and high levels of salt are toxic to birds
· The fat in roasting tins can’t be separated from other leftover liquids like meat juices. This concoction can go rancid quickly, and form an ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria
Birds are prone to bacterial infections at this time of year as their defences and energy levels are low because of the cold.
Kirsi Peck, RSPB Wildlife Adviser, says: “Please, please don’t use fat from roasting tins to feed garden birds. It’s great that so many people want to try and give birds extra treats but in this case you could be killing them with kindness.
“The juices mixed in roasting tins will go off very quickly and could cause disease on bird tables. Birds are very susceptible to them at this time of year.
“Turkey fat could also damage birds’ feathers and during winter they need to be in tip top condition to help keep them warm.
“But don’t let this put you off feeding garden birds – there are loads of leftovers that are suitable.”
The RSPB recommends Christmas scraps like Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pastry crumbs and biscuit crumbs. Other suitable leftovers include mild grated cheese, cooked or uncooked rice, dry porridge oats, cooked potatoes and fruit.
The cooking juices from all other meats as well as turkey are equally as unsuitable for feeding to garden birds.
The RSPB recommends that the best way to dispose of meat fat is to leave it to cool down and put it in the bin, not pour it down the sink.
To shop for RSPB bird care products including suet balls and feeders, visit www.rspbshop.co.uk
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TYREMAN
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Anonymous
for Dave McB's amazing pics.-
Anonymous
Got to agree with Clivey on that Sparrow, looks like it has just been chucked 
But yes Tony, good info on what not to feed birds. I wouldn't fry bread as it would make it tough to eat for small birds. Beef dripping or suet is best.
My biggest concern this time of year is those dreaded fat balls in net bags. So many people innocently buy them in Homebase, B&Q, Focus etc, unaware of the danger of small birds becoming entangled in them, losing limbs and getting badly injured or even dying from stress, fear and exhaustion. The balls should be removed from the bags and put in a proper metal cage type feeder. The other problem is that birds like woodpeckers have a barbed tongue to help pull insects out of holes, and if you can imagine sticking your barbed tongue into a net bag and then trying to get it out again! Some manufacturers make them without nets and these are the only ones I buy. If you buy them with nets and take them off the manufacturers see that as a demand for netted balls rather than un-netted. I myself have been lobbying people like Gardman for a while but their attitude stinks -
"Gardman and its advisors, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), believe that the benefits of feeding fat balls in mesh bags far outweigh the very small number of incidents each year. "
To me that sounds more like a statement someone might use to justify animal experiments and not the type of thing I would expect to hear from people who make products for wildlife. There is absolutely no need for any to die when the simple solution is to remove the nets. Surely that would even save in costs and also less plastic to go in landfill when they are discarded... plus the fact that they can increase their sales by ensuring people buy a proper cage feeder for fat balls, rather than leaving it to choice.
It will take time but eventually the message will get across to the public. Our local Primary School had these dreaded nets hung up everywhere round the school. I bought them some cages and explained the hazards to the school governor, and hopefully all those kids will take the message back to their parents that net bags are BAD! No one wants to harm birds deliberately, Bananarama! me even I used to hang them out years ago till I learned of the danger they are to birds. The manufacturers just don't give adequate instruction or warning on them. It is a bit like the old plastic bag, safe enough till a child puts it over its head, then it becomes a killer too.
Rant over
But yes Tony, good info on what not to feed birds. I wouldn't fry bread as it would make it tough to eat for small birds. Beef dripping or suet is best.
My biggest concern this time of year is those dreaded fat balls in net bags. So many people innocently buy them in Homebase, B&Q, Focus etc, unaware of the danger of small birds becoming entangled in them, losing limbs and getting badly injured or even dying from stress, fear and exhaustion. The balls should be removed from the bags and put in a proper metal cage type feeder. The other problem is that birds like woodpeckers have a barbed tongue to help pull insects out of holes, and if you can imagine sticking your barbed tongue into a net bag and then trying to get it out again! Some manufacturers make them without nets and these are the only ones I buy. If you buy them with nets and take them off the manufacturers see that as a demand for netted balls rather than un-netted. I myself have been lobbying people like Gardman for a while but their attitude stinks -
"Gardman and its advisors, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), believe that the benefits of feeding fat balls in mesh bags far outweigh the very small number of incidents each year. "
To me that sounds more like a statement someone might use to justify animal experiments and not the type of thing I would expect to hear from people who make products for wildlife. There is absolutely no need for any to die when the simple solution is to remove the nets. Surely that would even save in costs and also less plastic to go in landfill when they are discarded... plus the fact that they can increase their sales by ensuring people buy a proper cage feeder for fat balls, rather than leaving it to choice.
It will take time but eventually the message will get across to the public. Our local Primary School had these dreaded nets hung up everywhere round the school. I bought them some cages and explained the hazards to the school governor, and hopefully all those kids will take the message back to their parents that net bags are BAD! No one wants to harm birds deliberately, Bananarama! me even I used to hang them out years ago till I learned of the danger they are to birds. The manufacturers just don't give adequate instruction or warning on them. It is a bit like the old plastic bag, safe enough till a child puts it over its head, then it becomes a killer too.
Rant over
Great pics the two Dave s 
Everytime i try to take some, the dog runs to the window and the birds fly off
Had a lovely green wood pecker feeding from the bowl under the hanging bird feeder, its there as the sparrows and blackbirds cant use the feeders very well
Everytime i try to take some, the dog runs to the window and the birds fly off
Had a lovely green wood pecker feeding from the bowl under the hanging bird feeder, its there as the sparrows and blackbirds cant use the feeders very well
ALL KILLER NO FILLER
Nostalgia, its not what it used to be.
Carbon footprint of a Saturn V
Nostalgia, its not what it used to be.
Carbon footprint of a Saturn V