Siskin Suprise

These Teasels and Dried Verbena bonarensis are still striking in the sunken border. They were crushed under the snow, then frozen night after night. They have survived and are very architectural in shape and form together.
These need cutting down and the winter debris in the sunken border cleared ready for the spring bulbs.
I have spent the day watching nature programmes on the BBC i player.
The first was called Human Planet looking at how people have adopted to various environments around the world. The BBC filmed for three years all around the globe, with many indigenous peoples.
The second program was a Natural World Special about the Mesopotamian Marshes in Southern Iraq. These were originally thought to be the inspiration for the Garden of Eden. The former dictator Saddam Hussain wanted to destroy the Indigenous Marsh Arab population. He built Canals and rivers that drained 12,000 km of marshland leaving it as an arid desert.
The BBC filmed an Iraqi mans quest to rebuild the lost marshlands. The Wildlife and Birds returned once it had been re flooded. The old buried seeds of the marsh Reeds survived a decade of dessication, and once the waters flooded the area they germinated. Filling the area back with its traditional plants. It shows how political decisions can decimate an area, and that areas can sometimes be brought back from the edge of extinction.
The garden today was full of birds flying to and from the feeders. The highlight today for me was two Siskins feeding below the Goldfinches. The bowl had mixed bird seed and the Siskins were tucking in. They have black and yellow stripey feathers, with olive green body's and tan undersides. I have not seen them at our Bird Feeders before today..
It is the RSPB's big garden bird count next weekend. I hope to have an hour in the morning to count the birds for their study. It provides a snapshot of bird numbers all across the UK.
The Spring Bulbs are starting to show themselves from the soil. The green cones are symbolic that Spring is approaching.