Big Garden Bird Watch 2012

I have done the 2012 RSPB's Big Garden Bird watch.I sat for an hour recording what birds landed in the garden.I was surprised by the change in numbers of different birds.The Starling in this photo never flew in during the hour.I wander if the birds know when you are sat counting them.I never saw my Woodpecker,Siskin,Sparrowhawk,or Nuthatch.They are the exotic rare birds I have seen occasionally in the garden.This pair of Goldfinches arrived after the hour.There was a solitary Goldfinch on the nijer seeds during my hour.My surprise visitor was a Green finch.He landed on the Ceanothus briefly before flying off.
House Sparrows topped my list.Followed by Great Tits,Blue Tits, and Blackbirds.I saw single Goldfinch,Robin,Dunnock,Collared Dove,and my green finch. I like how the food and water I put out always attracts the birds in.Its great now I have big wide windows to look out of into the garden.
I looked back today at the Blog and found I bought my bird table in 2007.It is five years old now,and showing signs of its age.I will need to replace it soon,and will look for a new birdbath.Mine is made of plastic resin but has broken on one side.
I have been a big fan of the RSPB's bird count.The results will be collated and revealed at the end of March.I wander what effect the warm winter will have had.I know I will have contributed some data about the health and numbers of all UK birds.

Birds,Seeds,And Dreams

The conservatory is finally finished.This was the outside view from the garden.The sparkling lights have been moved out into it.There is a nice wooden floor now,and the radiator keeps it warm.I have some where to sit comfortably and look out at the garden and the birds.The bird table took a battering in the high winds.The House Sparrows flew down to eat some of the seeds on offer.They were very close to the window.I can hear these birds daily chattering away in the neighbours hedge.They are very vocal,and very gregarious birds.If one comes to feed whole family's of related birds come to join in.They are comical to watch too.The Collared Doves are our most frequent visitors.They are in the garden daily feeding on the bird food,or drinking out of the bird bath.

Next weekend is the RSPB's big garden bird watch.Counting all the birds in your garden over a period of one hour.I will do it next Sunday when I'm not working.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

With new windows to look out I felt inspired to go out into the garden.I continued the clean up of the pots and planters.I went to the pond today to try and sort out the Norfolk grass.It was covered in pond weed!The warm winter and sunny days had caused a boom in its growth.I cleared the debris on top and removed the majority of the pond weed.I have grown some oxygenating plant in the greenhouse which I put back into the pond.I even spied a Newt diving into the murky depths.The Norfolk Reed needs splitting and tougher pots to keep it from breaking out.It is sat in the greenhouse currently.

I sowed more seeds into the wildflower area around the pond.It has a wild charm being left to its own devices.I previously removed the Teasel which was too big for the area.The Frogs enjoy hiding under the plants when they sunbathe.

I went through all my seeds today and chucked out all the out of date ones,and wrote a list of what was left.There were over thirty packets of flower seeds in date still.

The Vegetable seed tin was decimated down to four packets only.Last year I had poor germination rates.It occurred to me afterwards I was sowing with old and mostly out of date seeds.My new years resolution was to use fresh seeds.

I went online this afternoon and ordered all my allotment seeds.I need to go to Wilkos to buy the seed Potatoes,Onions,Garlic,and Shallots.Everything else has been ordered online.

I also decided with me trying to grow Mushrooms,to keep the experimentation going.To that end I have ordered a Grape Vine to grow in the Greenhouse.I will also try to grow some Melons which I have never grown before.

I want to be experimental and try to grow new varieties,and new crops each year.My seeds list is all new ones.It keeps it interesting growing Vegetables and Soft Fruit.

The garden still needs tweaking in places,but im pleased how its advanced after a winter break.

Gales And Grapes

This was the allotment at the end of my four and a half hours there yesterday. I have dug along the path that divides my plot from the adjoining one. The two separate sections now meet. Its a case now of continuing to dig the plot, and eventually remove the covers that cover the middle section. They have done a good job of suppressing weed growth, and killing off the top layers of grasses. The first crops need planting once I'm off again. Maybe Sunday if its not raining. I also cleared the brambles, debris, and deadwood in the Gooseberry Bush that sits on the corner of the plot behind the Rhubarbs. It must be ten years old, and is laden with little red and white flower buds. If they all get germinated it will be a bumper crop of Gooseberries. I need to find some recipes to use them up. The weather today has turned to a howling gale. The garden is being buffeted by high winds and things were getting rolled around. The grey chairs, the Bird Table (again..it is top heavy), plastic pots, and a compost bin waiting for transport to the plot. I have gone out and tried to batten down the hatches. I placed bricks on the Apple Tree pot to stop it being blown over. I have moved the heavy bird feeders onto the static feeder. The Heron wind chime is now indoors away from the wind. I put the bird table against the fence so it is not as exposed. The sun is shining illuminating the leaves, twigs, and paper that is being blown around by the gusting winds. The photo is of the Muscari, or Grape Hyacinth. It looks beautiful and was back lit by the natural sunlight. It is fragrant too. These were growing under a Hebe bush. I dug them up and put them into a pot. I promptly forgot about them until I saw the pot this year with green leaves growing upwards. They are more compact than the Hyacinths. They were so heavy that the pink flower spikes have collapsed onto the sunken border. The smell of the pink Hyacinths on an evening is delicious.

I got an email today from the RSPB with the results of the Big Garden Bird count that I blogged about in April. Over 600,00 people took part counting over 2 million birds!

The Results are here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

I tried catching the Goldfinches in flight. I want to capture an image of them squabbling in midair. They yell at each other but go beak to beak. They do not touch however. Their hovering control is beautiful to watch. I will keep watching and trying to photograph Goldfinches in territorial disputes. I like this photo even though its slightly off centre. It captures some of the movement of these beautiful songfull birds.

The last photo is of a Greenfinch. He is a rare visitor to the feeders. He has a fondness for the sunflower hearts. These are regularly topped up in the hexagonal feeder. He has got sunflower hearts all over his beak.

The only birds brave enough to fly in the howling gales are the Goldfinches. For little birds they are very resilient feeding in snow, rain, or like today high winds.

The sun is shining outside now bathing the garden in a lovely light. The last day of March is here already.

Wild Garden Spirits

I have got up early today to do the RSPB's big garden bird count. It had dropped to below freezing overnight so the garden was coated in frost. All the water was frozen. I made me cups of coffee and replenished the bird feeders. The most popular bird food is the Sunflower hearts, followed by the seed mix in the bowls.
The one hour passed quite quickly. I tried to scan the garden to see all the birds flying in and out.
There were the common birds like the this House Sparrow. They may be brown but they have character and they are in the garden every day. I don't think that they migrate like the other species. They stay within a kilometer of the area where they were born.

Arriving fashionably late was this Nuthatch (just on the one hour mark). He fed on the mixed seed feeder then flew across to land on the fence. His feet help him to defy gravity and walk up a vertical plane. He was the twenty first bird I saw.
The full list was House Sparrows, Blackbirds, a Collared Dove, Goldfinches,a Great Tit,a Feral Pigeon, Robins, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, and the Nuthatch.
They are still flying in and out of the garden as I write this. I submitted my results to the RSPB's website. These will be collated after the weekend, and the figures for 2011 released in March. It shows how species are doing up and down the country and show a snapshot of the top ten Garden Birds.
An urban garden can bring Wildlife into it, with the addition of feeders. It is very meditative to watch the garden birds. They are like the wild spirits of the Urban Garden.

Winter Green Blues

As Rolf Harris says "can you guess what it is yet?"
As I wrote tidying the garden reveals all new growth on the plants. The majority of plants I used were perennials
They disappear into the ground level over winter but as the day length gets longer, and the sunshine much brighter they start growing in earnest.
The Roses have healthy red tips across all their branches where leafs will explode from.
The Spring Bulbs are peeking up through the soil now after being frozen in for a while.
The Sambuca nigra has velvety black buds that look like mini boa feathers. It is a handsome shrub with its black frond fern like leaves, and bubbling pink champagne flowers floating above them.
The plant I'm willing to grow is the Hanamellis or Witch Hazel. The flowers are strongly citrus scented and are bright orange. They glow around the branches, and are bright colours in the mostly green garden. I cant see any new growth on mine yet.
Spring Bulbs are a blessing for the riot of colour they can bring to a faded garden. They kick start the growing season and get you into the garden to see whats growing.
I planted a few more bulbs. The latest ones to be planted are called Ismene, or Spider Lily's. I also found them to be called Peruvian Daffodils. The white flowers have the trumpet like the ordinary Daffs, but spidery outer petals curving outwards.
The weekend is nearly here and I will do the RSPB's big bird count on Saturday. I hope the birds let me count them, and don't all stay in their roosts for the one hour that I'm counting..


The mystery leaves like a mini cabbage are from a rejuvenated Aquilegia. I have four plants from last year that never flowered. I hope they will this year. I love their natural shape with the spurs trailing behind the flower. There are two mixed ones, and two called Fruit And Nut...(chocolatey name). Apparently Native Americans used to use the plants as a condiment..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia
I have tomorrow off before two days of working. I hope you all have good green fingered weekends.