Well that’s August over and done with, always a quiet month as our birds use the abundance of natural food around at this time, add to that the fact that many of our lucky customers spend a few weeks “unwinding” with their children on holiday means Joe and I can catch up with other things, improving our web site, re-arranging the shop displays and sourcing new suppliers to get you better deals. On this note I would ask you to take the opportunity to compare our prices with our competitors, we really do offer you the very best deals we can get. For the whole of September we have come up with a super little enticement to ensure you spend some of your hard earned cash at Feathers, if you spend £20 in the shop we can give you a voucher which entitles you to 20% OFF a lunch for 2 in the Salehurst Halt, this super pub with a great reputation for home cooked meals is just 50 yards away in the village. Also this month we are offering 2 x 13kg bags of mixed birdseed for the unbelievable price of just £15.

Well, that’s the serious bit done with, I am again opening the shop on Bank Holiday Monday 10am - 4pm (29th): please try and pop in for a visit as I do get extremely grumpy if left alone for too long, many customers think I’m a miserable old git when they are only in the shop for a few minutes, imagine what it’s like for me having to put up with myself for hours at a time. I could tease you with a nice cuppa, and even go as far as a choccie biscuit, so do pop in this coming Monday.

Two shots of completely different birds from home - the tiny Wren and the magnificent Buzzard.

Feathers Photo Competition.

We are running a photo competition, SUBJECT... Birds! You can mail your entries to us, up to three per person, there are two prizes, a £20 voucher for one that is considered by Joe, me and one other to be the best picture, another £20 voucher for what Joe and I think is the most appealing shot (not necessarily judged on technical ability). All entries to be in by Sunday 11th October. Don’t feel shy about mailing your pictures, remember it’s not about winning... it’s about taking part. O.K. it is nice to win but you know what I mean.

I have bought myself another car, it is what is commonly known as..” An Old Heap” it has big wheels and a stainless steel window winder so I bought it. I am therefore selling my super little Ford KA, just 35000 miles, an 06 plate, very good condition The price... just £2250 ONO.

Allan

Birds of a Feather

It's been four months since we last added a new species to our list but I'm pleased to say this month we've finally added the 80th species! Though neither Allan or I saw them, a pair of Ravens were seen flying over the Nature Area on Sunday. My brother was in fact the one who heard then spotted the pair, managed a clear photo of this one being chased by a House Martin then rushed back to the shop to inform Allan who unfortunately never managed a sighting. These huge birds are still a rare sighting in Sussex, only once have I managed a glimpse of one as it flew over my head on a journey back from work, being mobbed by a number of Jackdaws and Carrion Crows, mere shadows of this giant bird.

As you can see the header for this months newsletter is a panoramic picture of our Nature Area. Over the past month I have spent a bit of time gardening so we now feel the Nature Area looks better than ever. With help from Emma and Monty from The Walled Nursery in Hawkhurst we now have 15 new wildlife attracting plants dotted around in the area which will hopefully self seed and shrub out next summer. We also took the opportunity to move many of the feeders around (after cleaning them, of course!) and added a new log feature at the back to hang the large Squirrel Buster on. Please do come and spend some time sitting in the hide, you will most likely find Allan already in there on his 8 hour lunch break.

You may also have noticed at the top of the newsletter I have added a little 'F' logo, that's right, Feathers have joined Facebook! For those of you who use Facebook already you can now follow us on there (simply click on the logo) for all the latest shop news, sightings and any pictures we like to share, plus you can share your own pictures with us, too!

Joe