One of the rarer sightings in my garden this week was of a pair of goldfinches. They came into one of the flower beds and seemed to be taking seeds from flower heads and probably also some insects. They stayed for quite a while and I tried to grab a picture through the window, knowing they'd fly off if I went outside, but unfortunately the pictures were no good. Later in the afternoon I saw them in the apple tree at the side of my house with a youngster, who they were obviously feeding. They tend to be in my front garden more than at the back which partly explains the lack of sightings.
There has been some sharing of the food sources over the last week with feral pigeons on one of the suet squares being joined by either starlings, because the other suet square had all been eaten, or, by some of the sparrows. The sparrows have been in the flowerbeds foraging and as one outside my dining room window is rather overgrown now with seeding grass, which is not supposed to be there, some plants that should be and so on, they obviously have something to attract them. I grabbed a picture of one of them on some dried sedum flowers from last year, which I left in case the birds wanted them.
The jackdaws, magpies and even the crows have been enjoying the suet balls and going in the seed feeder tray to have some meal worms or seed from there as well. The collared doves and the woodpigeons are also helping themselves to seed from the feeders particularly the newer one. I think the birds are pleased that there has been some rain over the last couple of days as we've had three completely dry weeks here in Kent. The starlings this morning are pecking away on the lawn which I cut on Tuesday, so I'm assuming that some of the bugs and grubs that they like have come nearer to the surface. A pair of wood pigeons is also wandering around on the lawn I assume also looking for things to eat.
One of the squirrels had been very busy over the last few days taking nuts again and burying one or two of them as well, so I wonder if they now also have some youngsters and are taking them peanuts to feed. I've seen a fox come through the garden on a couple of occasions and even saw him running along a side road towards my house the other evening and then getting home just after dusk yesterday, I had my first sighting this year of a bat flying around the garden.
The insects have also been busy on the brighter days on a wide range of flowers and although I mentioned that I'd cut my two lawns, the one at the side of the house is more shaded and in places where there either dandelions or daisies growing, I have left the flowers. I don't really want to leave my grass completely uncut, no mow May, as the expanse of it means it then becomes too difficult to cut with the mower. I think my garden has plenty of flowers for the insects and the birds and hopefully they approve.
Written by Margaret Emerson
