Books by Ian Rogers
Books by Ian Rogers
My wife and I try maintain as wildlife-friendly a garden as is compatible with very little work. The rear garden, overlooked by the kitchen window, is about the size of two tennis courts, end to end. It is mostly grass, a bit shaggy at the moment. We have a 30ft/10m plum tree, two smaller apple trees, a beech hedge up the long left side, a box hedge up the opposite side with a series of shrubs in front of it. We have a bird feeder full of peanuts hanging in the lower branches of the plum tree (visited by a Great Spotted Woodpecker before Christmas), a bird table about 9m away from the kitchen window on the mid-line of the garden and bird bath, slightly raised off the grass, about 2m closer. We do put out food on the ground and on the bird table but not very regularly. Starlings visit in flocks , in season, to pull leather jackets out of the lawn. A Green Woodpecker visits to feed on the yellow meadow ants that throw up humps in the lawn that I have to level.
On January 4th 2021, after several days of cold, frosty weather, there was a thaw and I was delighted to see a range of our common visitors all within about an hour; hungry and happily feeding. Here’s the list.
4 Goldfinches taking seeds off the lavender
One Redwing. (Could this be the one that was in my fruit cage eating my red currants one July?)
Also a Grey Squirrel.
Today, the 5th, There have been fewer visitors but more drama. I saw the Blackbirds, Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Redwing, Goldfinches, Wood Pigeons (3) AND a Sparrow Hawk just under a shrub, plucking a recently killed Blackbird! Wow. And a little later, a Wren was hopping round the herbs beneath the lavender bush.
When I can find them I’ll post some pictures - probably on Whatsapp if I can revive it.
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