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Garden diary (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter digi-birder
- Start date
Katy Penland
Well-known member
Wow, your garden is really taking shape, Diane! Very, very pretty. And congrats on your burgeoning garden list! Sorry if you've already said, but where is your nestbox located (I tried to find it in your latest pix)?
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
WOW...the garden is really coming along now...looks great!
We'll be movng house soon, within the next month or two, so I'm hoping we find somewhere with a garden so I can get stuck in with gardening again. Really miss having my own place. :-C
But, failing that, I've got plans for an allotment!
I just have a need to get my hands into soil - and there's a limit to how many houseplants can be fitted into one house!!!
Will be interesting to see how your garden progresses....and a bit of decking at the bottom would be nice - somewhere to chill out at the end of a long day.
GILL
We'll be movng house soon, within the next month or two, so I'm hoping we find somewhere with a garden so I can get stuck in with gardening again. Really miss having my own place. :-C
But, failing that, I've got plans for an allotment!
I just have a need to get my hands into soil - and there's a limit to how many houseplants can be fitted into one house!!! Will be interesting to see how your garden progresses....and a bit of decking at the bottom would be nice - somewhere to chill out at the end of a long day.
GILL
I am really enjoying this thread! I only have a small paved yard, I manage to attract goldfinches, blue and great tits, a blackbird, and this weekend I have seen a dunnock and 1 male house sparrow! It is good to hear what birds you are already attracting into your new garden, please keep us informed of further developments!
digi-birder
Well-known member
Katy Penland said:
The nest box being used by the Blue Tits is on the right hand fence, a little way in front of the shed. There is a second nest box a little nearer to the house, put up for the Great Tits, but they haven't bothered with it. We bought that as they were trying to get into the Blue Tit's box, but the hole was too small.
digi-birder
Well-known member
Came home from holiday to find that the House Sparrows are now visiting. Yesterday we also spotted a Coal Tit on the feeder. I'm not sure how long they have been coming into the garden, but the Sparrows definitely hadn't been doing so up to us going away. Total now 17.
Still some activity in the Blue Tit nest, but not sure whether there are any eggs yet. Male and female are still going in and out frequently.
Still some activity in the Blue Tit nest, but not sure whether there are any eggs yet. Male and female are still going in and out frequently.
digi-birder
Well-known member
It's official - we have babies!! Blue Tits, that is.
All week we've been noticing the parent birds frantically going in and out of the nest box. The female occasionally sits on the tree outside the box and begs food from the male, then they both shoot in the box and out again.
While we were down the garden today we heard some very faint chirping coming from inside the box, so I'm not sure how far they are from fledging.
A pair of Blackbirds is also building a nest in the ivy trailing over the wall of the bungalow at the bottom of our garden. Trouble is, they've been collecting nesting material from our garden in the form of some mossy compost from some recently-bought plants! We came home from work the other day to find half the contents of the pot spread over the patio. We only discovered who the culprit was when the female came for more as we were eating dinner. Keith had to repot the plants and leave some loose compost in a tray in case she came back.
All week we've been noticing the parent birds frantically going in and out of the nest box. The female occasionally sits on the tree outside the box and begs food from the male, then they both shoot in the box and out again.
While we were down the garden today we heard some very faint chirping coming from inside the box, so I'm not sure how far they are from fledging.
A pair of Blackbirds is also building a nest in the ivy trailing over the wall of the bungalow at the bottom of our garden. Trouble is, they've been collecting nesting material from our garden in the form of some mossy compost from some recently-bought plants! We came home from work the other day to find half the contents of the pot spread over the patio. We only discovered who the culprit was when the female came for more as we were eating dinner. Keith had to repot the plants and leave some loose compost in a tray in case she came back.
digi-birder
Well-known member
I haven't had chance to take any more photos, but will try and rectify that at the weekend.
The big news is that the Blue Tits have now fledged. This morning, we were watching from the kitchen while having breakfast when one of the parents came to the nest with some food, but didn't go in the box. This, apparently, is a sign that they are encouraging the chicks out. Next visit it went in then the next it stayed outside and then flew off. By this time I had my binoculars trained on the box and all of a sudden, out popped this little head and then it went back in again. We were going to catch a later train, but decided that we could be there all day and so left for work.
When we arrived home tonight the first thing I did was to go down the garden to listen - no sound at all coming from the box. One adult Blue Tit landed on the holly bush in the adjoining garden and so we came back towards the house. As I turned to see what it was doing, it flew down behind the shed and then over the neigbouring garden. We watched all the time we were having dinner and saw no sign of the parent birds for some time. Then one appeared on the bush again and a few seconds later flew behind the shed again.
Curious about what it was doing, I crept down and as I reached the back of the shed I could just hear a faint cheeping. I tiptoed forward and looked behind the pile of plant pots and compost bin and upturned wheelbarrow, and there, tucked into a corner was a little fluffy head or two. I couldn't see exactly how many there were, and an hour or so later they had gone.
So I don't know where they are now, or how many there are, but I hope they come back to the garden. We've only just ordered more mealworms as well!!
The big news is that the Blue Tits have now fledged. This morning, we were watching from the kitchen while having breakfast when one of the parents came to the nest with some food, but didn't go in the box. This, apparently, is a sign that they are encouraging the chicks out. Next visit it went in then the next it stayed outside and then flew off. By this time I had my binoculars trained on the box and all of a sudden, out popped this little head and then it went back in again. We were going to catch a later train, but decided that we could be there all day and so left for work.
When we arrived home tonight the first thing I did was to go down the garden to listen - no sound at all coming from the box. One adult Blue Tit landed on the holly bush in the adjoining garden and so we came back towards the house. As I turned to see what it was doing, it flew down behind the shed and then over the neigbouring garden. We watched all the time we were having dinner and saw no sign of the parent birds for some time. Then one appeared on the bush again and a few seconds later flew behind the shed again.
Curious about what it was doing, I crept down and as I reached the back of the shed I could just hear a faint cheeping. I tiptoed forward and looked behind the pile of plant pots and compost bin and upturned wheelbarrow, and there, tucked into a corner was a little fluffy head or two. I couldn't see exactly how many there were, and an hour or so later they had gone.
So I don't know where they are now, or how many there are, but I hope they come back to the garden. We've only just ordered more mealworms as well!!
digi-birder
Well-known member
Well, this morning,before going to work, there was no sign of any Blue Tits to start with, then I saw one of the parents with some food. As there were no chicks around, off they went. A few minutes later something fluttered across the kitchen door onto the patio. I dashed to the door and noticed a young Blue Tit trying to cling onto the neighbour's house wall. It then dropped down onto the ground and hopped into the shrubs.
It was calling and a few moments later the parent arrived and fed it with the mealworms we had just put out. The parent then disappeared again and was gone some time. I'm wondering if there is more than one chick and the others have flown to other gardens, which is why the parents seem to be away a long time.
The youngster then flew to the bottom of the garden, where it was when the photo was taken. It then made its way behind the shed where we first saw it yesterday. Next time we saw it it was in the holly tree and there was one parent fetching the mealworms and the other flying off bringing some other food from somewhere. What we noticed with the one getting the mealworms was that he/she was not taking them straight to the chick. It was bashing them on the fence and then picking them to bits and I think it was eating them instead of feeding the chick. It did give it something, but it certainly wasn't a whole mealworm. In the time it took for it to play with the mealworm, the other parent had been out and back twice with food for the youngster.
We had noticed some strange behaviour while they were in the box, with one parent seemingly coming back out with the food in its beak. It seemed a similar tale to the one taking place on the Springwatch progamme, even down to them not noticing the mealworms for a couple of days, and taking innapropriate food in, such as the fatball, even though that does have insects mixed in it. Keith thought that one must be slightly sub-normal!! Probably just an inexperienced adult.
So, it looks like there's only one, although it did sound as if there were two or three in the box, from the noises we heard. And we haven't seen any of them since arriving home from work today. We had a look in the nest box and the nest cup is amazing - full of moss and feathers and other stuff, really packed in well. We'll leave it for now, in case they, or another pair, want to use it again.
It was calling and a few moments later the parent arrived and fed it with the mealworms we had just put out. The parent then disappeared again and was gone some time. I'm wondering if there is more than one chick and the others have flown to other gardens, which is why the parents seem to be away a long time.
The youngster then flew to the bottom of the garden, where it was when the photo was taken. It then made its way behind the shed where we first saw it yesterday. Next time we saw it it was in the holly tree and there was one parent fetching the mealworms and the other flying off bringing some other food from somewhere. What we noticed with the one getting the mealworms was that he/she was not taking them straight to the chick. It was bashing them on the fence and then picking them to bits and I think it was eating them instead of feeding the chick. It did give it something, but it certainly wasn't a whole mealworm. In the time it took for it to play with the mealworm, the other parent had been out and back twice with food for the youngster.
We had noticed some strange behaviour while they were in the box, with one parent seemingly coming back out with the food in its beak. It seemed a similar tale to the one taking place on the Springwatch progamme, even down to them not noticing the mealworms for a couple of days, and taking innapropriate food in, such as the fatball, even though that does have insects mixed in it. Keith thought that one must be slightly sub-normal!! Probably just an inexperienced adult.
So, it looks like there's only one, although it did sound as if there were two or three in the box, from the noises we heard. And we haven't seen any of them since arriving home from work today. We had a look in the nest box and the nest cup is amazing - full of moss and feathers and other stuff, really packed in well. We'll leave it for now, in case they, or another pair, want to use it again.
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digi-birder
Well-known member
No sign of the fledgling Blue Tit since the photo was taken, but we have been visited by a family of Great Tits, 2 adults and 4 juveniles. The adults, well at least I think it was them, were the ones inspecting the next box at the same time as the Blue Tits, but decided it wasn't a des-enough res.
The other day we had a Wood Pigeon enter the garden for the first time, making 18 species now.
I was going to take another photo last weekend, but for some reason I decided to do it on Sunday and it rained. I'll try this weekend, as it's coming on nicely now, if only the landscape man would come and finish some work.
The other day we had a Wood Pigeon enter the garden for the first time, making 18 species now.
I was going to take another photo last weekend, but for some reason I decided to do it on Sunday and it rained. I'll try this weekend, as it's coming on nicely now, if only the landscape man would come and finish some work.
digi-birder
Well-known member
Here's the latest photos. Thought I'd better get them taken today while the sun was shining.
As you can see, the vegetation is a bit thicker now. The wildflower seeds have come up, but Keith is not too happy with them, so they may be replaced with something else. We can't do any more till the landscape man has been to do the remaining work.
We now have many birds in the garden, especially with all the juveniles of the various species. The food in the feeders is going down rather quickly. The Starlings seem to be taking advantage of everything going, even managing to get inside the wire cage that is supposed to prevent larger birds getting in!! One managed to get under the dome of the mealworm feeder the other day, despite it being very low down over the tray. He hovered for a while and then just grabbed hold of the rim and squeezed under. It would have been the fourth time I had to go down to shoo him off, but I let him off for sheer ingenuity. They also like the fat-filled coconut shell.
As you can see, the vegetation is a bit thicker now. The wildflower seeds have come up, but Keith is not too happy with them, so they may be replaced with something else. We can't do any more till the landscape man has been to do the remaining work.
We now have many birds in the garden, especially with all the juveniles of the various species. The food in the feeders is going down rather quickly. The Starlings seem to be taking advantage of everything going, even managing to get inside the wire cage that is supposed to prevent larger birds getting in!! One managed to get under the dome of the mealworm feeder the other day, despite it being very low down over the tray. He hovered for a while and then just grabbed hold of the rim and squeezed under. It would have been the fourth time I had to go down to shoo him off, but I let him off for sheer ingenuity. They also like the fat-filled coconut shell.
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Andy Wraithmell
aka Limeybirder
WOW what a transformation, its looking great. Keep up the good work.
digi-birder
Well-known member
Almost there
Here are some photos from the weekend, when the landscape man finally came to finish off the work.
As the pond was filling up a dragonfly flew over the garden, so it's hopeful that, once the pond is established, they'll settle in.
The poor birds wondered what had happened. They were quite wary of the grass and the pond at first.
When the weather improves I'll take some of the finished garden, as a lot more work was done since these were taken. Apart from planting up the pond and some surrounding areas, I think we're almost there.
Here are some photos from the weekend, when the landscape man finally came to finish off the work.
As the pond was filling up a dragonfly flew over the garden, so it's hopeful that, once the pond is established, they'll settle in.
The poor birds wondered what had happened. They were quite wary of the grass and the pond at first.
When the weather improves I'll take some of the finished garden, as a lot more work was done since these were taken. Apart from planting up the pond and some surrounding areas, I think we're almost there.
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digi-birder
Well-known member
pduxon said:
OK. Yes, we have a barbie. Do you prefer steak or fish?
steve_nova
Well-known member
Coming along very nicely Diane.
