This week I have added a new bird feeding station to the garden which is in addition to the other feeders and the bird table that I already have in place. Soon filling up all the feeders at the different feeding locations will be a fulltime occupation. I’ve actually had the feeding station for some time but thought the pole was much shorter than it is, which might have made the feeding birds more vulnerable, not that I have many cats coming into the garden and my own cat is a house cat, so watches activity in the garden from indoors. I erected the new feeders at the weekend and within an hour a robin had found the tray with the mealworms and later that day the starlings found the peanuts and the mealworms. My picture this week is of the new feeding station but with no birds feeding.
By the following day one of the collared doves had worked out that it could sit in a branch in the cobnut tree and reach the lower port on the seed feeder. It has been trying to take food from the other seed feeder but could only just reach the top port and is unable to bend down to the lower one. It has since brought its mate along and yesterday they were sitting side by side taking it in turns to peck at the port. Since then the blue tits and great tits have found the peanut feeder although they haven’t tried the fat balls yet as far as I know, and of course the magpies have found the food tray, as have the wood pigeons and unfortunately a few feral pigeons. It doesn’t take long for word to get around, but I was hoping perhaps the siting of the new feeders would help the smaller birds to get a good portion of food. When the cobnut comes into leaf that may be the case. The crows have not yet tried it but would probably find the branches too flimsy to land on.
Bird activity has been high all week including bird bathing. The male and female blackbirds have been coming at various times of the day as have the robins, with special piles of mealworms placed for both. I have seen the two jackdaws sitting beside the chimney pot around dusk and then disappearing inside, so I think they’re certainly nesting there again this year. The sparrows and other smaller birds may also appreciate less competition at some of the feeders, as the starlings might go to the new one and leave them to enjoy some of the food from the main feeder and now there are more feeders to go round.
As I’m writing it is yet another blustery day but there has been some welcome sunshine again this past week and I have seen plenty of insects out in the garden. I’m leaving any dandelions in the garden, as it’s been said that they are an early source of food for bumblebees. There’s been at least one squirrel here most days, but they’re not coming as often to the original peanut feeder, as it is not dropping as quickly, but they too have found the new one, but had difficulty perching.
I’ve seen a fox go through the garden on a couple of occasions, once early in the morning and then late afternoon, so there is at least one still coming from time to time.
Written by Margaret Emerson
