#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  > Thailands Zoos and Animals >  >  Two new lodgers.

## withnallstoke

Last week i walked out of my house, face first into what appeared to be cobwebs and bits of leaves hanging off a makeshift hook. When i came back, the cobweb collection seemed to have grown a bit, but i couldn't really tell as it was getting dark. The next day i was having an early mornring brew outside, and the mystery of the cobwebs was revealed.

First piccie is during the 2nd day, the cobwebby stuff is in the foreground.




Check out the motorbike mirror. One of the two new lodgers taking time out from housebuilding duties.




I sat about a foot away whilst these two very small birds worked most of the day to beef up their nest. Great entertainment, and they took no notice of me.




They actually spend very little time on the nest. They fly up, land, deposit their stuff in about a second, then fly off again. Very difficult to get decent shots as their wingbeat is really quick.




This is the nest after 5 days of building. Seems like the cobwebs were just used for the first couple of days as a binding for the heavier bits.



Blurry, but it gives you an idea of the structure.




The birds don't seem at all phased by much. They carried on even when the bloody local campaign wagon came by, blasting out relly loud music.







So, they've been at it for 5 or 6 days now, and i can see the nest taking shape. They have designed a small round hole for access into the nest.

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## withnallstoke

The birds are no bigger than 3 inches, and the nest is about 15 inches long.
They fly in a similar fashion to hummingbirds, and after looking on the net, they would appear to be some sort of sunbird. If anyone knows for sure, please feel free to enlighten me. I will keep my eye on the nest, literrally, as it hangs right outside the front door. Bit concerned though that it's way to close to the floor to be safe from the local cats.

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## jandajoy

Beautiful. Thanks.

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## somtamslap

I bloody well hope your charging them rent..it's not like it's a they've moved in inconspicuously..

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## slimboyfat

Nice pics. Stoke has changed since last I was there. 

In fact I have never been there, but I once saw Stoke lose away to Bournemouth

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## JoeMoer

Hard grafters.

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## somtamslap

> Hard grafters


 Undoubtedly..but it's all about the liberty take here..fucking gypo's..

Get the mossie zapper out, withnall..

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## withnallstoke

> Hard grafters.


They are when they start. I sit outside with a brew around 0630, and a whole variety of birds are up and about, but these two don't arrive till at least an hour later, and spend the first ten minutes grooming on the bike mirrors. Must be Thai birds.

Here's one i missed.

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## chassamui

You were obviously very patient with the photography. Well done mate and thanks for sharing.

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## withnallstoke

> You were obviously very patient with the photography.


Down more to luck than judgement with a point and shoot, and as these birds are so quick, the few photos you see here are from over a 100 taken, most of which had no bird in them.

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## billy the kid

nature lover.  great that the birds are not afraid of people.  remember in some places ,if there was a bird on the walkway ,i would be the one to have to, side step.

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## Happyman

They are definately sunbirds or spiderpeckers - Do they continuously chirp in little squeaks ?

Will scan and post the relevant pages from my 'twitchers' book to help you identify them  :Smile:

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## StrontiumDog

Great photos, thanks for posting. I love threads like this. Cheers!

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## Peta

wow!!!

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## panama hat

Lovely . . . I thought the thread wild be about in-laws invading

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## Deris

Very cool, can't wait to see more.

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## withnallstoke

> Will scan and post the relevant pages from my 'twitchers' book to help you identify them


Much appreciated. Thanks in advance.







> I thought the thread wild be about in-laws invading


Never met them in six years, and no intention of changing thet for another six.




This morning, i think i have been witness to a bit of a domestic. The male(who has a dark blue patch above the yellow, and has yet evaded capture on film) arrived about half seven and seemed to attack the nest at random, pulling bits off and dropping them on the floor.




The female arrived with a white feather in her beak, and buzzed around the nest for a while before sitting on a nearby branch and making a persistent noise.





When the male arrived, she attacked him, and they had a quick ruck (think that's how you spell it).


........

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## panama hat

Clearly the male went out on a lau kau binge

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## StrontiumDog

Or he's been plucking someone else's plumage ......

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## graym

Great thread; thanks Withnall - Amazing to have it all unfolding right outside your front door. 

PS - Could they be Bargirl birds possibly? They have been known to nest in farang houses...

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## Norton

> They are definately sunbirds or spiderpeckers


Most likely sunbirds based on the nest.

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## Happyman

Bloody scanner won't scan unless the lid is closed and the book is too thick !!
Will photograph the pages and try that way when I get home later tonight.

 :Smile:

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## patsycat

Great!!  I hope this thread shall progress until we see little birdy beaks peaking out of the nest,  hope you don't have cats.

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## Gipsy

Your 'visitors' look like Nectarinia jugularis, the olive-backed (or yellow-breasted, yellow-bellied) sunbird. Common resident in Thailand, but nice to have the nesting that close....

From Wikipedia: 

The birds mate between the months of April and August. Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end.
 After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take a further week to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation. After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later. 




Male



Female

Images by Lip Kee Yap │ Singapore Botanic Gardens │  OzAnimals - Australian Wildlife

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## patsycat

I would love to be able to sit and watch them...

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## withnallstoke

One of the chicks was looking decidedly unhealthy, so they needed naming whilst they were both still alive.

There was precedent with Dave and Dave, but with the Crufts dog show being on i thought it might be good to have slightly posher names.

Welcome to "Singalongamax Crackwhore IV" and "Poison".

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## withnallstoke

The nest was so bollocksed that mum could no longer fit inside it, so she took to perching on the clothes line.



One morning, Poison was gone without trace - probably fell out of the nest and got gobbled up by the ants.

Luckily though, young Singalongamax Crackwhore IV was proving a tougher little bastard than his ill fated brother, and grew in size quite quickly over the next few days.

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## withnallstoke

What a handsome chap.

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## withnallstoke

Some zoomed in shots.

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## withnallstoke

This is our hero early yesterday morning, after a night on the piss listening to The Ramones.




If you look at the same photo zoomed out, you can see just how knackered the nest is.

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## withnallstoke

And now we have a crisis, but first, a coffee break.  :Smile:

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## withnallstoke

This morning, before dawn cracked, i went outside for my early brew, and was greeted by a lot of chirping.

Poor little bastard had fell out of the nest.






Young Singalong was trapped upside down on the outside of the nest.

His foot was stuck.



I managed to free him and put him back in the nest, but within a minute he was out again.

So i've done some running repairs to the nest.

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## Bower

Good man ! You are a gentleman and a scholar ......ish

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## withnallstoke

> You are a gentleman and a scholar


Wait till you see the photos of the repairs.

 :rofl:

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## BaitongBoy

Fooking hell, withnall...Get the bint some birth control...

Anyway, I hope Singalong makes it to the airshow...

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## withnallstoke

So after much thought regarding suitable materials for bird nest renovation, a solution was applied, and here we see a young Singalongamax Crackwhore IV relaxing in his new mansion.

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## withnallstoke

Early evening mum came back, and after a bit of arse jiggling managed to get into the mansion to keep Singalong snug and warm for the night.

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## withnallstoke

This morning however, a different picture of mansionly bliss.

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## withnallstoke

A temporary fix was put in place - the missus had been busy all night working on a permanent solution.

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## withnallstoke

*The Final Solution.

*






 :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## withnallstoke

The last couple of hours have been interesting.

Both parents have been returning to the nest, and on mums last visit she went into the nest and went a bit mental for a few minutes.

Don't think she liked the decor, so she made a few adjustments.

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## misskit

Their new home is excellent! Good on you.

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## Dillinger

All those years sniffing around bingo halls and crochet clubs has served you well, withnall  :Smile:

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## withnallstoke

> Their new home is excellent!





> All those years sniffing around bingo halls and crochet clubs has served you well,


The wife did the crocheting and nest condom fitting.

I merely took photos.

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## charleyboy

Be interesting to see if they come back and nest again!

Tell the missus, she's a good un.

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## withnallstoke

> Tell the missus, she's a good un.


 :tumbs:

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## thailazer

Rescue knitting.  Now that is cool!

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## Dillinger

that nest looks like it was engineered to double up as a willy and nutsack warmer.

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## patsycat

How nice!!  Made me smile!!

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## withnallstoke

> Rescue knitting. Now that is cool!





> How nice!! Made me smile!!


Thanks folks (it's crochet, but hey ho)  :Smile: 






> that nest looks like it was engineered to double up as a willy and nutsack warmer.


I'll try it out once the lodger has left.

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## somtamslap

That loose crochet pattern could also be used to snare unsuspecting jungle fauna.

Trust me, behind every charitable act there's an underlying evil. Withnall you terrible bastard.

Good work by the mrs though....  :Smile:

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## somtamslap

How long did it take to bosh up that mock nest?

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## withnallstoke

She did it overnight, whilst i was sparked out on the sofa.

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## somtamslap

The mrs, being a fellow Dr Dolittle type, is suitably impressed.

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## robuzo

> That loose crochet pattern could also be used to snare unsuspecting jungle fauna.
> 
> Trust me, behind every charitable act there's an underlying evil. Withnall you terrible bastard.


You see right through his little scheme, don't you?

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## withnallstoke

Busted.  :La:

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## robuzo

Like the mother bird, you, too, have mouths to feed.

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## withnallstoke

*Great news.

*Mum has returned to the new mansion, and settled in for the night with young Singalongamax.

She looks a lot more comfortable than she has done these last few nights.

I don't think i'll risk a flash photo though, don't want to spook her.


 :Smile:  :Smile:

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## robuzo

Now that's she's experienced luxury she'll never go back to living in a regular nest.

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## withnallstoke

> Now that's she's experienced luxury she'll never go back to living in a regular nest.


Wait 'till tomorrow.

I might install a bathroom.

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## robuzo

^Start selling timeshares.

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## mingmong

/\ /\  That's a Pisser!

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## withnallstoke

I have just checked the mansion.

Mum is still in it.

I declare the rebuild a success.

 :Smile: 


Who'd have thought that with all the messing around with the nest and me manhandling the chick that the mothers bond to her young would prevail.

Hats off to dad as well - he continued feeding Singalong all day yesterday.

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## Dillinger

The common myna uses the nests of woodpeckers, parakeets, etc. and easily takes to nest boxes and Withnall wanksocks.  it has been recorded evicting the chicks of previously nesting pairs by holding them in the beak

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## withnallstoke

^ How dare you threaten me with a common myna.

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## robuzo

> Who'd have thought that with all the messing around with the nest and me manhandling the chick that the mothers bond to her young would prevail.


You are more or less family by now I expect. Auntie Withnall.

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## BaitongBoy

^Can trace his lineage back several generations, now...

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## ltnt

This one didn't make it...hit my wall I suppose...Looks like a big hummingbird.

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## withnallstoke

Shame that.

She is a mature female (long beak, long tail).

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## Dillinger

you'd think the females would have the shorter tail, to stop the chaffinch :Smile:

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## ltnt

Yea, I can't control nature.  I suppose she was chasing a bug and thought the window was open reflection of herself...lots of baby chicks falling out of nests around here.  They have nested on my roof top and the fall is about 11 meters.  No chance of survival.

Didn't realize it Wither's, this bird is the same species as yours.  Sorry about that.  No harm intended.

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## withnallstoke

> you'd think the females would have the shorter tail, to stop the chaffinch

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## Neverna

> This one didn't make it...hit my wall I suppose...Looks like a big hummingbird.


If it's in Asia, it's not a hummingbird. It looks a bit like a female olive-backed sunbird but it's probably, due to its very long beak, a little spiderhunter.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_spiderhunter


.

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## ltnt

Spider Hunter?  No spiders here, the gecko's have them rounded up.  The liquid that came out was clear not blood red...Lizards are in mating season around here now as well..all puffed up red bellies, making head gestures and the ladies lying dormant waiting for his pounce...

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## Neverna

Spiderhunter is just the name (latin: _arachnothera longirostra_). They feed on nectar and small invertebrates, not just spiders.

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## withnallstoke

Back to business.


Young Simgalongamax Crackwhore IV is doing well.
Both parents are feeding him/her, and he is starting to look a little less bald every day.

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## withnallstoke



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## withnallstoke



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## ltnt

Nice one's and the Hilton abode is faring well.

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## BaitongBoy

^Yes, it would hold a hundred pound halibut with ease...Well done that missus...

Looks smashing...

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## withnallstoke

> Nice one's and the Hilton abode is faring well.







> .Well done that missus...  Looks smashing.


Yup indeedy.

She bin done good on the nest.

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## withnallstoke

*Notice anything missing ?*

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## withnallstoke

Here's a clue.

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## charleyboy

Shit and flown!

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## ltnt

I suppose now the feathered slut is looking for a new ATM to fill the nest again?

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## withnallstoke

*Singalongs First Great Adventure*.


Yesterday morning (Saturday 21st March) young but stout of heart Singalongamax Crackwhore IV was getting a bit fidgety in the confines of the nest.
He decided to perch on the edge and have a closer look at the world.

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## withnallstoke



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## withnallstoke

He liked what he saw, and decided to check out the outside of his mansion for the first time.

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## withnallstoke

And so our rather young and still a bit bald adventurer took to the skies.

With a "tally ho" he leapt forth and beat his wings in gay abandonment of a life tied to this solid earth.........................































......................and promptly crash landed onto the ground.












Embarressed and bewildered, young Singalong simply stood there.

For ages.







Until he was plucked from the ground (there are lots of cats around here) and placed into a nearby bush.












He stayed here being fed by his parents, until it was time for sleepimg at dusk.

Mum tried to coax him back into the nest, but he couldn't quite get any height into his attempts at flying, so he ended up repeatedly landing on the floor.

Once again a human hand intervened and plonked him into the nest, where he was joined by mum for a good nights rest.

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## withnallstoke

This morning, a rather subdued Singalong stayed firmly within the nest, wearing his best "i like it in here and i promise to be a good boy" expression.











Untill an hour ago, when he decided to sit on the nest edge again.

I feel another adventure awaits.   :Smile:  :Smile:

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## BaitongBoy

Good luck, little fella...Strike one...

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## withnallstoke

> Good luck, little fella...Strike one.


Me or the bird?  :Smile:

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## BaitongBoy

Heh...May you both live in interesting times...

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## somtamslap

> This morning, a rather subdued Singalong stayed firmly within the nest, wearing his best "i like it in here and i promise to be a good boy" expression.




 :smiley laughing:  The recalcitrant little oik looks like he got a right bollocking from mater.

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## thailazer

Have seen some great photos of cute chicks on TD, but those take the cake!

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## withnallstoke

> The recalcitrant little oik looks like he got a right bollocking from mater.


Doesn't he just.






> Have seen some great photos of cute chicks on TD


Boooooo.



When mum has chicks to take care of, she usually shepherds them into the nest just before sunset.
As this afternoon wore on, i was happy to see Singalong staying in the nest, but sure as eggs is eggs, about 6 o' clock he decided to make a dash for it. 
With predictable results.

Straight onto the deck again, causing both its parents to come flying in to try and encourage his return to the nest.
It was no use, he can't fly, so i picked him up again and put him back in the nest, and again mum flew right in beside him.

He's on his own tomorrow.

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## BaitongBoy

Strike two...

Come on Singalong...

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## ltnt

Is he on your diet Withers...?

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## withnallstoke

*Singalongs Next Great Adventure.

*Bright and early this morning, young master "I'm too sexy for this nest" Singalong decided to have another adventure.



"First off, i'll just check to see if mums around".





"Coast looks clear."





"Get a little bit higher first".

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## withnallstoke

"What are you looking at?

I knew i could make it".




"I'll just rest here a bit and get my breath back".

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## withnallstoke

I sense another rescue mission later on.

 :Smile:

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## withnallstoke

I was right.

The silly little sod has just fluttered across the road, under a gate, and into next doors drive.

Que withnall....

"_Excuse me mister. Can i have me bird back please_"  :smiley laughing:

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## robuzo

Hope you get there before the cats do.

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## somtamslap

Young Singalong's an ungrateful little oik.

Tell the bastard thug bollocks next time he comes a cropper.

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## somtamslap

What you need is a Great British bird, withnall. 

Meet Cedric. 

You think this big fucker floundered around on the ground like a ponce in his youth? No, he was out instigating riots and shit.

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## BaitongBoy

It has a "trumpet," as well...

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## patsycat

He was gayly sailing around sitting on his mother's back.  Singing "there once was an ugly duckling".

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## withnallstoke

*Singalong buggers orf.

*Yesterday afternoon our young hero had had enough of being around*,* and decided to permanently buggar orf.Without so much as a by your leave, he posed for a couple of photos, flopped to the floor, and ran off under next doors gate again.

I can hear him this morning, so he's still ok, but he sounds like he's a few houses away now.

So, the last few photos of the little chap.

Good luck mate.  :Smile:

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## robuzo

^He'll be back when he needs something, a little pocket money or a place to lie low for a few days.

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## somtamslap

Now that Singalong's fucked orf out of it, can you start a thread about the ladyboys you invited to stay in the spare room?

Two new todgers.

Take it away, withnall.

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## Dillinger

After you've done that Withnall, can you recant the tale of the Slappers ma in law and friend menage a betlenut bellend trois?

Two old codgers

cheers

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## Kurgen

and don't forget the building thread 

2 Thai bodgers

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## withnallstoke

I don't know.

How about  Three soap dodgers.

Ya bastards.

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## withnallstoke

What shall i do without the birds?
I've been on walkabout, collecting turds.
Shall i polish them and post a pic?
Will that get me locked up in the nick?

 :kma:

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## Kurgen

polish birds can be quite nice

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## BaitongBoy

I do not 
like them, 
Sam-I-am.

Could you, would you, 
with a goat?

I would not, 
could not.
with a goat! 

-Green Eggs and Ham, Dr Seuss

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## ltnt

Do a building thread on "Bird Houses."

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## patsycat

Is he ok?

I know from experience that cats are bastards and they play with little birds who can't fly but don't kill them.  And they go back the next day to play again.

Sad, but that is the way life goes on.

And then the cat looks at you, like it was all your fault that the bird happened to be there.

Wosn't me. With feathers hanging out of its mouth.  Or, even here, a lizards tail.

Nah, never me.  What's for tea.

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## withnallstoke

Two possible additions to the sunbird nation.
Young mum is attempting 2 egg incubation.
As a gesture to show my full appreciation,
I'm off to the bog for some self masturbation.









So that's my mornings sorted for a while.

She's been sitting on the pair of eggs since 19/11/15.

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## Dillinger

> She's been sitting on the pair of eggs since 19/11/15.


You're more bird perver than watcher :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

Is Stoker back?

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## BaitongBoy

^ From the bog?...

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## withnallstoke

I am now.

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## thailazer

Is that a new nest or did they remodel the old one?

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## withnallstoke

^ It's a brand new one, built about 2 metres along from the one the missus made.


*The not Daves have arrived.

*Yet another pair have hatched and seem to be doing ok despite the fact that this time the father has taken no part whatsoever in helping out with the feeding of the little ones.
To be fair to him, i would rather be knocking back the Lao Kao down the shop than trying to satiate these hungry squawking little barsterds.

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## withnallstoke

This photo of my (grubby, but manly) fingers show that the birds head is about the same size as a fingernail.

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## withnallstoke

Geezer on the left looks a bit "tasty".





"When i gets out of here, i is gonna shit on all of youse".

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## withnallstoke

"Where's us tea mum?"

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## withnallstoke



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## withnallstoke

Any suggestions for SUITABLE names?  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 



 :rofl:

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## misskit

Has Wing and A Prayer been taken?

This kind of bird hangs out in the flowering bushes around here. Funny that I've never seen a nest.

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## withnallstoke

> Has Wing and A Prayer been taken?


Well, that's a start.
Cheers.  :Smile:

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## charleyboy

Great pics, Stokey.

Now, put your fookin' camera away and give them a bit of peace!

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## withnallstoke

Can anybody see this??

http://vid595.photobucket.com/albums...5/MVI_1141.mp4

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## panama hat

^ Very cool   :Smile: 

Beek and Shriek?

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## Neverna

Yes. Breakfast time for nok-noi and nok-lek.

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## withnallstoke

^^ Shooting into the sun, so lighting is crap.

Posted it to show how quick the feeding scenario is - making it pretty difficult to get feeding shots in focus, especially as the nest and its contents move around when mum lands.
Which is why i've taken thoudands of really shit photos.  :Smile:

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## BaitongBoy

Mutt and Jeff...

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## withnallstoke

So.

So far we have:-

Wing and A Prayer.
Beek and Shriek.
Mutt and Jeff.
Neitherdave and Nordave.

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## snakeeyes

*Stroller and Harrybarracuda , Birds of a feather flock together ,   
*

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## Neverna

> So.
> 
> So far we have:-
> 
> Wing and A Prayer.
> Beek and Shriek.
> Mutt and Jeff.
> Neitherdave and Nordave.


Hey, you missed my "nok-noi and nok-lek"!

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## withnallstoke

^

Awfully sorry old bean.  :Smile:

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## Dapper

Mustard Gullet 
And
Yellow Chin

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## Dapper

Big Bird
+
Yellow Submarine

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## OhOh

We have a couple of "red hot poker" bushes in the back. The birds come an drink nectar from the flowers at day break. They all look like female, i.e. no blue throat, olive top half and yellow stomachs. When they find some of the fruit has nectar they chirp to bring others. Last week I had a pair of them pirouetting around one another, amazing to watch whilst breakfasting.

If they only drink nectar is this what they feed their chicks?

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## Topper

Great thread!

Sai and Qua

Gin and Tonic

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## patsycat

Grumpy and Snooty.

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## snakeeyes

*^
AKA Stroller & Harrybarracuda , 

*

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## Bettyboo

> Grumpy and Snooty.


Terry and Patsy?  :Smile:

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## withnallstoke

> Great thread


Worst suggestion so far, but we'll include it anyway.

So :-

Wing and A Prayer.
Beek and Shriek.
Mutt and Jeff.
Neitherdave and Nordave.
nok-noi and nok-lek.
Mustard Gullet and Yellow Chin. 
Big Bird andYellow Submarine.
Stroller and Harrybarracuda.
Sai and Qua.
Gin and Tonic.
Grumpy and Snooty.
Terry and Patsy.
Great and Thread.

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## snakeeyes

*^
Is Stroller & Harrybarracuda  hot favourites at 1/2 , 
*

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## withnallstoke

^ Probably not.

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## snakeeyes

*^
Are you open to a bribe , 
*

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## withnallstoke

Certainly.

What did you have in mind?

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## snakeeyes

*As many GREENS as you want for ever , 
*

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## lom

Austin&Cooper

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## somtamslap

Slack-knacker and Baggy-bollocks.

Gay thread.

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## Neverna

Pecker and Johnson 

or

Pecker and Woody 

 :Smile:

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## BaitongBoy

I like Big Bird...I had a German Shepherd bitch by the same name, all 125 lbs of her...

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## patsycat

Lady Gaga and Prince

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## Bettyboo



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## nidhogg

Mutt and Jeff

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## Dillinger

> Any suggestions for SUITABLE names?


Ball tickler and Conan the Barbavrian

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## patsycat

Pinky and Perky

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## patsycat

> Originally Posted by patsycat
> 
> Grumpy and Snooty.
> 
> 
> Terry and Patsy?


I'm sorry, after seeing the size of his gaff.  That bird's nest looks rather opulent.

Count me out.  But the lurve is still there.

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## lom

No updates..
The cat got them?

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## somtamslap

The cat's a sodding rugby ball. There's no way that blob would be able to summon the energy to get anywhere near the nest. 

I'm calling buggery on this one.

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