Farming Friends

Latin Name: Pica pica

Habitat: The magpie usually inhabits farmland, woodland, gardens, parks and scrubland.

Food: In the Winter the magpie will eat berries, fruit, nuts and grain, whilst in the Summer months the magpie will eat insects, snails, slugs, worms, small rodents, young birds and eggs.

Distribution: Commonly seen throughout Great Britain.

Nesting: The magpie nest is a large domed structure usually found in trees or a thick bush. The nest is made of sticks, twigs, roots and straw plastered with mud. The nest has an entrance hole at one side in the top half of the dome for ease of access.

Eggs: The magpie can lay 4 - 8 eggs during April - May. The eggs are a light greeny-blue colour with brown markings on the shell. The female incubates the eggs for 17-18 days.

Did You Know?

• The magpie is a thief as these birds are attracted to bright objects.
• Farmer’s view this beautiful bird as a pest.
• The call of the magpie is a harsh chattering and clacking sound.
• The magpie has a chirruping song.
• Magpie chicks are fully fledged 22-27 days after hatching out.
• Magpies form flocks, especially in the Winter.
• The magpie counting rhyme is believed by some to predict the future.

We see quite alot of magpies around our farm, I am sure the guinea fowl eggs are a good attraction!

Normally we feed wild birds during the Winter when food is in short supply for the bird population, however the Spring and Summer months can also bring cold and wet weather which can leave the birds with a food shortage.

In the Spring and Summer months birds need a high protein diet because they moult and breed, which requires more energy. It is therefore important to provide wild birds with a regular source of food in case their natural food sources are in short supply.

It is important to provide wild birds with the correct type of food. In the Spring and Summer months, birds can be fed;

• black sunflower seeds
• other seed mixtures
• mild grated cheese
• soaked raisins
• soft apple
• soft pear
• grapes

Avoid homemade fatballs in the Summer as the fat can melt and go rancid. Also avoid feeding wild birds loose peanuts.

Enjoy the wild birds that visit your garden and with regular feeding a wide variety of wild birds will be back to your garden time and time again. So happy birdwatching!

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.

Visit Bird Table News for more information on what to feed birds during the different seasons.

Preparation

• Cooked in a roasting tin for 3 hours in a hot aga.
• Cooked in a little water and own juices.
• Rubbed olive oil and salt onto skin to make the crackling.
• Served with roast potatoes (locally grown), butternut squash mash, home-grown carrots & leeks, runner beans and gravy made from the juices.

Verdict

• Meat was lean and tender.
• Succulent.
• Juicy but not fatty.
• Moist.
• Meat was easy to carve.
• When carved the meat was a light brown colour.
• Lightly seasoned and flavoured with the apricot stuffing.
• Crackling was crispy and not too fatty.
• Gravy was tasty because of juices from the meat.
• Produced 8 servings.

Comments

• “Value for money.” Sara @ Farming Friends.
• “Top quality pork both succulent and flavoursome. It left a pleasant taste in my mouth!” Lisa - a friend of Farming Friends.

I have found a really great website that provides expert advice and information about how to grow your own vegetables. Top Veg is a top site! It provides the vegetable gardener with all they need to know in order to grow fantastic vegetables.

The website features articles on;

• Reasons for growing vegetables.
• Where to buy vegetable seeds.
• When to plant and harvest different vegetables.
• Depth and distance when planting seeds.
• What to plant seeds in.
• How to maintain the greenhouse and vegetable plot.
• Preparing the soil for planting.
• Plot rotation.
• Pest control for the vegetable garden.
• How to store vegetables.

Other features include;

• Recipes using home grown vegetables.
• Reviews of vegetable gardening books and products.
• A vegetable gardening calendar.
• A question and answer page.
• A Top Veg tip of the month page.
• Vegetable & Herb Growing Cards.
• Podcast and online consultations.
• Name the tool competitions.

Top Veg is a Top Site for all your vegetable gardening needs, so don’t delay, visit today and armed with expert advice, get vegetable gardening!

This year I have successfully grown purple sprouting broccoli following the Top Veg growing advice. We are currently harvesting the broccoli on a daily basis and trying new and exciting ways to serve this delicious vegetable.

Last night we served the lightly steamed purple sprouting broccoli with pine nuts drizzled in melted butter and balsamic vinegar. Delicious!

Broccoli with Pine Nuts Starter

Ingredients

• A handful of Purple Sprouting Broccoli stems with small leaves left on - per person
• Butter
• Pine nuts
• Balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Wash the broccoli and then place in a pan with a small amount of water.
2. Put the lid on the pan and steam the broccoli for 3-5 minutes.
3. Whilst the broccoli is steaming, roast the pine nuts under the grill until lightly browned.
4. When the broccoli is cooked, drain the water from the pan and serve the broccoli on warmed plates.
5. Melt the butter and drizzle over the broccoli.
6. Drizzle over a small amount of balsamic vinegar.
7. Add the pine nuts.
8. Enjoy!

If you would like to have a go at growing purple sprouting broccoli then visit the Top Veg site for expert advice.

Ever wondered what a female guinea fowl sounds like? Well now’s your chance to hear one! Watch the video to see and hear the female guinea fowl call.

• Female guinea fowl can make 2 types of call.
• The 1 syllable call can also be made by the males and sounds like, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah……”
• This call is very loud and is usually made to frighten away predators.
• The 2 syllable call can only be made by the female and sounds like they are saying, “Come back, come back, come back.”
• This call is used to communicate with other guinea fowl and is sometimes made when one of the females has been separated from the group.

Latin Name: Parus caeruleus.

Description: Blue tits are smallish birds which have a yellow chest and a green back. Their wings are blue and white and they have a blue tail. Their faces are white with dark blue markings and a light blue crown.

Habitat: In woodlands, scrub, farmland, marshes, hedgerows and gardens.

Food: Insects are the main source of food and the chicks are fed caterpillars but they also eat seeds and nuts.

Distribution: The blue tit is commonly found in Great Britain.

Nesting: Nests are made in tree holes or nest boxes. The nest is made from feathers, moss, leaves, grass, wool and hair.

Eggs: They lay 7-14 white coloured eggs with spots on them in April - May. The female incubates the eggs for 13-15 days.

Did You Know?

• Blue tits are rarely seen on the ground.
• They are very acrobatic birds.
• Blue tit chicks leave their nest after 15-21 days of hatching.
• The call of the blue tit can be varied with buzzing sounds to a loud cry.
• The song of a blue tit is very trill and musical.

We have a nest box in our garden and every year blue tits hatch out in it. Last year I was lucky enough to witness the youngsters leaving the nest. It was an amazing sight. A blink of the eye and I could have missed it so there was no opportunity to grab the camera!

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops.