Locating Bird Boxes, Boggy Ground & Recycling a Willow!!..

Hello All,

With the current weather I have found myself posting a bit sooner than usual! This is good for the blog but generally means garden time has been very limited!...

Well it is good news for all you followers as firstly you get another input but even better is that I have actually managed to get out in the garden and do a few jobs at long last!!!! It hasn't been much but enough to at least feel like we are starting to look forward to this seasons garden again!

Firstly my 5yr old daughter recently asked me if she could plant some seeds, which as I'm sure you can imagine, I didn't need asking twice! We ventured out to the greenhouse to find that all the wet weather had left it rather dirty and covered in a horrible green algae! As you are all aware by now I use no chemicals in the garden at all so we set to work with simply soapy water, a sponge each and a hose! Between a good soaking and Choco our dog chasing a very 'lively' hose around the garden we got the job done but it delayed our sowing until the following morning!

Whilst busying ourselves cleaning it became very apparent that the ground under the arch onto the lawn was getting boggier and boggier every time we walked over it causing quite a muddy problem both outside and more importantly all over Mrs Higgy's nice clean floor (I blame the dog myself!!) This however couldn't go on so needed addressing ASAP (apparently!!)

 These two pictures were taken prior to cleaning the greenhouse and despite the two bags of grit that have been put down here the area become water logged as the lawn slopes down onto the patio at this point creating a natural 'water hole!' I'll let you use your imagination as to how it looked after my daughter and I & the dog spent a whole day trampling over this area with a hose running for part of it!!!...

To address this I dug out the area and set large rocks into the ground to create a step up from the patio, as below...

I have also set a row of rocks behind and filled the space under the arch with gravel to aid drainage. The rocks behind will be capped with pavers bringing it up level to the highest point of the lawn and creating a step up onto the lawn. I will lay some pavers or cobbles on top of the gravel to add a solid path through the arch which takes ALL foot traffic at this point of the garden.

This is as far as I have got with this little job but it was nice to get out and actually do some work again! I will of course show you the completed job in my next post hopefully. You will also be pleased to know that I have managed to source 'reclaimed' materials to finish this job which is always nice and the way that I like to work!

Talking of 'reclaimed' materials, my neighbours had a massive Willow Tree in their garden cut down a while ago and I managed to 'blag' all the logs and bark chippings for use in the garden (can't stand to see it all go to waste!) The chippings I will use for mulch and allow some to rot down but the logs will be used for another wildlife log pile in the garden and one in the field and for other landscaping jobs as required....

 So what about that for some 'free reclaimed' materials!!?

These logs give me lots of choice for log piles, edging as well as a dozen large rounds that I plan on using as stepping stones, giving another fun feature for my daughter and her friends to play on this summer!

The other really important job that I must highlight on here is of course the fixing up all of my bird boxes. I made these boxes a while ago and designed them to hopefully accommodate various species of bird...

 The box above I have situated in a shady area on the wall of the house. The hole has been kept small at 25mm in the hope of encouraging Blue Tit, Coal Tit or Marsh Tit all of who visit the garden. On this box you can also see that I use two metal eyes screwed into the lid and the box itself. I attach wire to these eyes to hold the lid tightly down. this is repeated on both sides of the every box making access easy for yourself but impossible for likely 'raiders' such as Squirrels!!

 This open fronted box has been designed for Blackbirds and I've located it on a fence amongst some overgrown Ivy close to where Blackbirds nested last year.

 This box has a large hole and is situated on the large old Oak Tree right at the bottom of the garden. I'm hoping that its quieter location will attract a larger species to nest such as Nuthatch or similar. 

I have included a aluminium face plate on this box as it is situated on a tree quite near a branch which could give easier access to the box for a squirrel or cat. This face plate will protect the hole and any would be chicks inside. 

 This final box has a 28mm hole for Great Tits and is situated on a trellis fence behind the greenhouse. It points exactly NORTH EAST which is the ultimate direction for any box to face! 

I have tried to face all my boxes as close to NORTH EAST as I can but obviously this can prove difficult depending where and what you mount them on. All of the boxes have been made with waterproof roofs using old pond liner and you can find details of how I make my bird boxes on my post from last year here...

http://higgysgardenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2012_11_01_archive.html

Finally lets look at my recent visitors, which I have to say have been extremely plentiful and very enjoyable recently!!...

Finches, Finches & more Finches!!....

 We have been absolutely inundated with finches this month with at times 100 or so in the garden and surrounding trees! They make a great noise and are fascinating to watch on the feeders like the Chaffinch & Brambling squabbling above! Below is a beautiful male Brambling. Bramblings overwinter here in Britain from countries such as Sibera & Scandinavia so are a rare and welcome sight on my feeders!

 Below is a male Greenfinch proving that my growing population of 'greenies' continues!

 The Siskin is a truly beautiful bird and bright yellow when viewed on your feeders. First time visitors to my garden this winter and generally arriving in amongst the large flocks of mixed finches. These lovely little finches tend to be winter visitors here in North Somerset.  

The Reed Bunting has to be one of my favourite visitors to the garden where they will stay on the feeders for quite a long time. They will visit all year but are mainly a winter visitor to the feeders. This year numbers have increased with four birds very often present on the bird table!

Yes of course where there is food!!....

You'll find Gulls and in my case a flock of 20+ Black Headed Gulls who drop in every day to see what's on offer!!...

Well that's about it for this time, it has however been great to actually have some proper news to share with you all again! Hopefully tomorrow it will stay dry for my day off and I'll get a chance to finish my steps and make a start on some log piles! 

For now I'll thank you all again for taking the time to read my blog and sending me your comments, please do keep them coming and pass on this blog to anyone else who might be mad enough to read my 'ramblings'...

Cheers

Higgy

Cutting a wild flower meadow, winter bird feeding & SNOW!...

Hello again,

Well what am I going to write about? Lots of time has past since my last post and the weather continues to frustrate us here making gardening on the soggy ground virtually impossible!

My wild flower meadow/lawn was in dire need of its Autumn cut but September came and went, the rain continued through October into November, then we were into December and more rain! On the rare occasion that we had more than a days break from the rain the local water level continued to rise and the garden got boggier & boggier!....

You will be pleased to know that I did eventually get the area cut but this was right at the end of December!! Now I know that this is much later than a wild flower area would normally be cut but with the current weather you never know it might just prove ideal!!!...

You can see in this picture that the wild flowers and grass have been strimmed right down to the earth!....

 Everything that you do in a wildlife garden has an effect on something, like the Green Woodpecker in the picture above who is now a daily visitor to the wild flower area, probing the bare patches of earth for ants! Gardening for wildlife really is fascinating and so rewarding!

So it was great getting a few dry days to finally get out and get at least that job done! However two days later this happened.....

 Yep, six inches of snow!! But what a magical transformation it gives the garden with great views across the snowy fields!....

 And of course the garden transforms into one giant playground for my 5yr old daughter who spent hours outside building a snowman and a snowdog! Snowball fights were enjoyed by the whole family including Choco our dog who loved catching the snow and running laps of the garden!...  

The thorough enjoyment that we all had messing about in the snow just ticks another box as far as 'family enjoyment' of the garden goes! Having this fantastic outside space is great at all times of the year and the snow gave us good reason to really enjoy being in the garden again!! This was a refreshing break after all the rain we have had!

Whilst the families enjoyment is great it is during these really cold spells that we must think about our visiting wildlife and in particular birds who find it impossible to find food on the frozen ground. 

My feed rate and style changes in prolonged cold spells with consideration given to what species are visiting and how they like to feed. This may sound strange but is extremely important especially as we have encouraged them to come to the garden in the first place. Letting up on the feed now would be letting down the birds and of course what the garden was actually designed for... wildlife!

So what do I do differently?...

Well not a massive amount but these few simple steps can make a massive difference to hungry birds... 

• Every morning the frozen water bowl is de-iced with hot water and this is repeated through the day as necessary. Even in really cold weather birds still need to drink and bath to keep their feathers in tip top condition!
• I start feeding meal worms as they are an instant energy boost for many species, however large numbers of Starlings seem to be the main takers this year! I tend to keep meal worms for the colder weather otherwise it becomes a bit expensive feeding them all year round!
• Step up the amount of seed. I also add a few extra sunflower hearts which the birds absolutely go mad for during the winter months. If this becomes a bit expensive mix them with whole black sunflower seeds that are a bit cheaper. My finch numbers really escalated this winter and during the snow & freezing weather they were eating two large feeder fulls of sunflower seeds/hearts a day!!
• I also throw some mixed seed and sultanas/raisins on top of the snowy ground for ground feeders such as Blackbirds and Dunnocks. My largest single Blackbird count was two short of twenty all feeding on this ground feed! Normally I wouldn't throw seed on the ground as I don't want to encourage rats but with these numbers of birds visiting it soon gets eaten up!
• Fat Balls are another favourite and I noticed my Blackcaps enjoying them this year as was a Great Spotted Woodpecker amongst other species.
• Keep the nuts topped up as they offer quick energy although other than the Woodpecker and Coal Tits they weren't fed on so much this year. Even the squirrels ignored them homing in on the sunflower hearts which without doubt have been the most favoured food type this winter!

The other thing to consider is erecting a couple of extra nesting boxes when the temperature drops as many species will overnight in boxes when it gets really cold! Tits are especially known for this with sometimes 10-20 huddled together in one box to keep warm!! I have erected several boxes around the garden recently but will tell you about them in more detail next post...

I think the talk of feeding the birds and nest boxes brings me nicely to my recent 'snowy' feathered visitors....

Massive numbers of Blackbirds in the garden this winter. Sprinkling Raisins or meal worms on the ground certainly brings them in...

  

Chaffinches are at home on the bird table but also frequent the seed feeders as well as joining the ground feeders on the deck! Good numbers this year again.

We really are Buzzard rich in North Somerset and they are a common sight over the garden. This one is part of a group of three that flew past the bedroom window and I just managed to grab the camera and take a quick snap!!...

Sunflower Hearts are without doubt the most popular feed this winter and my finch count has gone through the roof with often 20+ finches in at any one time! Greenfinch in particular have shown a massive rise in numbers with a dozen birds often present, beating last winters average figures of three!! They are often joined by other species such as Brambling and Siskin so definitely worth feeding Sunflower Hearts if you can!... 

 We've seen two Robins in the garden on a regular basis this winter...

What was I saying about Sunflower Hearts!! Cheeky Chappy!!....

 I love Reed Buntings coming to my table! We've had a regular four visiting recently!...

 Goldfinch in the snow...

Top Tip.....                                                                

Leave seed heads on your perennial plants such as Rudbeckia and Verbena as the finches love them, especially the Goldfinches that spend hours teasing out the seeds that are a valuable winter food source for them!The plants can be pruned back in Spring before the new shoots come...

Well that's about it for another post. Lets hope that we can start talking about some proper gardening projects and better weather again very soon! Next time we'll look at placing bird boxes as we will be getting to the time of year when we need to make them ready for the nesting season in spring! I'm sure there will be much more to talk about also!

Before I leave you I want to re-introduce Cottage Gardener (CG) again! He is still working his large half acre plot and has lots of plans to make improvements and to encourage more wildlife into the garden which is always a good thing! I think that he also plans on adding more details about his plans on his blog, which should be an interesting read! So if like me you find the lack of gardening weather frustrating this could be another garden worth following as time goes on! If you fancy taking a look for yourself you can view his 'Cottage gardening' blog here.. http://cottagegardening.blogspot.co.uk/

Amazingly CG has told me that he was inspired to start his garden project and blog after reading my blog here! This is fantastic and if I've only inspired one person to garden for wildlife then it makes it all worth it!! With this in mind I always love your feed back about both the blog and my garden so please do feel free to keep the comments coming and make suggestions, I always read them and answer every one!...

I'll say bye for now and see you next time!

Best

Higgy