BRITAIN IS A NATION OF BIRD LOVERS
It's thought that about half of UK households feed 50-60 thousand tonnes of bird food to their garden birds each year ! I myself am a bird lover and have been trying to create the perfect garden bird cushioned lap tray since I first started designing lap trays in 2016. But, with 632 species on the British Bird List, how could I pick just 13 from all the exquisite options to fit onto a single bean bag lap tray top ?
THE CONFUSED CARDINAL OR AN ELEGANT WAXWING ?
Native Robins, Blackbirds and Blue Tits were obvious inclusions, but when it came to the final few spots to fill, I couldn't decide between a Red Cardinal which added an extra splash of colour or the uber elegant Waxwing.
LONDON UK or LONDON ONTARIO ?
Although one thinks of Northern CARDINAL as American, (it's the official bird of 7 States), I got confused when I read that they were common in London gardens all year-round. By the time I figured out that it was London, Ontario, Canada that was being referred to, I was already loving the look of this red beauty in my latest cushion tray design and was loath to part with him. And, although I live in the UK, I do sell a lot of lap trays internationally to both the US and Canada.
WAXWING WINTERS
The currently trending WAXWING has had a lot of press recently, having been featured on local BBC NEWS Channels since November 2023, on BBC's Winter Watch in January and on The One Show in February 2024. They migrate south from Scandinavia and Russia when food is scarce in harsher winters. Their favourites berries are Rowan, Holly, Cotoneaster and Hawthorne. In some years, there can be flocks of hundreds of birds in an influx called an irruption. These are known as 'waxwing winters' and this has been one of them, with them being spotted all the way from Scotland to down south in Cornwall !
WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
As I was unable to make up my mind, I decided to let you the buyer choose for yourself and now offer both the WAXWING and the CARDINAL versions of padded tray designs as options. All look gorgeous in the 4 available frame colours, so you can choose the perfect match to suite your unique home decor scheme.
THE WOODLAND BIRD LAP TRAY
The design process is always evolving, and as there were so many gorgeous birds I hadn't had space for, another tray design was inevitable. This next collection of WOODLAND BIRDS includes Owls, Woodpeckers and the distinctive Nuthatch, a hole-nesting bird that takes up last year’s woodpecker nest cavities to raise it’s young.
THE LARGE LAPTOP DESK SIZE
Lap trays with cushions are not just for eating off, all 3 bird designs will soon be available in our extra wide laptop lap tray size, which has space to use a mouse to the side of your computer. If you'd like to share your opinion on which 3 extra birds you think should be added, I'd love to hear from you. Just call Suzanne on 07786 271864 or email me at suzanne@trovetrays.com.