tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post571590621305362659..comments2023-04-09T11:46:58.887+01:00Comments on Graphicality-UK: The Big Garden Birdwatch 2013HELENEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-80340203549150880572013-02-07T14:41:52.870+00:002013-02-07T14:41:52.870+00:00Well, it is veeeery cold here in London right now,...Well, it is veeeery cold here in London right now, so I think my daffodils regret a bit heading off that early! They haven't started flowering yet though, but a few warm days and they probably will. I am finished pruning my roses so I am ready for spring :-)HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-79268135782387350862013-02-07T11:41:33.555+00:002013-02-07T11:41:33.555+00:00Wow, I wish we could change homes for a while :o)....Wow, I wish we could change homes for a while :o). We've got lot of snow again *brrrr* and your daffodils look rather good in progress. Ours are still deep in the ground sleeping. <br />And probably I start to think about roses in March.<br />Have a lovely day<br />AlexAlex aus dem Gwundergartenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345838066384134549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-29167779380751753672013-02-07T00:19:08.240+00:002013-02-07T00:19:08.240+00:00OK, I will be patient, that I can do! I am not sur...OK, I will be patient, that I can do! I am not sure what else I can do. But I will buy another feeder for the sunflower seeds, the bottle is fine for now but I think it will be better with a proper feeder. I just want to see if the first batch of seeds I put out will be eaten like they were when they were on the ground. I will report when/if there is anything to report!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-83892671845164007982013-02-07T00:18:29.669+00:002013-02-07T00:18:29.669+00:00I have no idea if any of my neighbours feed the bi...I have no idea if any of my neighbours feed the birds, there are 42 houses in this block and I just know of the 3 closest neighbours – typical London! Most of the neighbours, my next doors included, use their gardens for storing rubbish and don’t do any gardening. But I can see a few gardens down on one side from my upstairs bedroom where the gardens look quite nice. I kind of think that if you have a really unkempt garden with lots of rubbish you probably won’t be feeding the birds, but I might be wrong there :-)<br /><br />I moved the pole feeder yesterday, hopefully it will make a difference.<br />HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-89937291537595662852013-02-07T00:17:37.297+00:002013-02-07T00:17:37.297+00:00Hi Donna, thanks for your thoughts, and it’s good ...Hi Donna, thanks for your thoughts, and it’s good to hear it’s not the weather, I wasn’t sure about that one either, as we do have non-migrating birds here in London, and although we seldom have snow in the winter we do have cold weather with frost and scarce food supply for the birds. I can hear the birds when I am outside, I can even see them in my tall conifer at times, and I have free view to the bird feeders from my kitchen window so I can watch without disturbing them. I haven’t caught any bird eating yet. <br />The environmental reasons, if any, might be outside of my garden, could be just about anything. HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-20434826629553517192013-02-06T20:24:02.642+00:002013-02-06T20:24:02.642+00:00Wow, Helen, your garden is turning into a paradise...Wow, Helen, your garden is turning into a paradise, what is wrong with those silly birds? I think you're doing everything right - just have to be patient a little longer, they'll show up soon enough :)Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01341233630137969987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-65615380377579628422013-02-06T18:12:57.415+00:002013-02-06T18:12:57.415+00:00We had a low bird count here too, but we hope we&#...We had a low bird count here too, but we hope we'll do better next year. When we put our feeders out for the first time, they just sat forlornly in the trees and we had a surprisingly long wait for visitors. Once one bird came, the numbers increased daily. I quietly moved another feeder to the same tree as the one the birds visited and that was used too. The feeders I didn't move remain unvisited. I cannot think of a reason for this - perhaps the birds haven't noticed the other feeders yet, since it took them so long to discover the first feeder! <br /><br />Do your neighbours feed the birds? <br /><br /><br />Sarah Shoesmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03410745860215082568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-34172145586218381272013-02-06T12:07:34.774+00:002013-02-06T12:07:34.774+00:00I also have the cold and snowy weather and gets sc...I also have the cold and snowy weather and gets scores of birds. My yard is smaller than yours too. It is not the weather as some mentioned, since a snow covered landscape encourages them to come, it is how one landscapes a yard to give them safety, security and perching areas. A couple of your commenters above mentioned this. Birds see you peering at them and will feel unsafe. Your cats will make them feel unsafe. I agree also, that it is strange after all this time, so there must be an environmental reason as to why they are not coming. I wish you luck getting birds to visit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-57988116027508320152013-02-06T02:49:55.807+00:002013-02-06T02:49:55.807+00:00I sure hope they will, I could hear twittering all...I sure hope they will, I could hear twittering all around me when I was out in the garden pruning my roses today, there was no lack of birds!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-16005443704091359432013-02-06T00:50:16.370+00:002013-02-06T00:50:16.370+00:00I put up 2 suet feeders and had a few birds visit,...I put up 2 suet feeders and had a few birds visit, but it is still too cold and snowy so not many birds. I will be participating in our Bird Watch next weekend...we shall see...I bet those feeders will be found soon.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13420133886162844400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-14456309996597556202013-02-05T23:34:59.845+00:002013-02-05T23:34:59.845+00:00By the way, how did you get on with Tesco and gett...By the way, how did you get on with Tesco and getting those Jaffa oranges, any luck?HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-55006620947640605402013-02-05T23:32:59.657+00:002013-02-05T23:32:59.657+00:00I took off the plastic netting today, but the ball...I took off the plastic netting today, but the balls broke apart inside the feeder so it will be a bit of a mess...The feeder is hanging over a flower bed so I wonder what’s going to be sprouting there in the summer! I moved the pole feeder to right next to the conifer, and the conifer had several sparrows (I think it was) sitting in it today, so the birds are here, they are just not that interested in what’s on offer. I made a temporary bird feeder out of a squash bottle for the sunflower seeds and hung it in the tree next to the suet balls, just to get it off the ground – at least I won’t be feeding mice, rats, badgers and/or foxes anymore. Hopefully it will be birds eating the seeds. They are expensive, yes, don’t think I can afford a whole bag of those every week!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-55754966347796182112013-02-05T23:23:00.245+00:002013-02-05T23:23:00.245+00:00Hi Nadezda, spring is slowly coming to London :-)
...Hi Nadezda, spring is slowly coming to London :-)<br />I don't lift my daffodils either, these ones were some I bought as tiny plug plants back in October, they have been growing in these pots outside, and are now ready to be planted out. I also have some pansies just about to flower, also bougt as plug plants. HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-68645752374793758052013-02-05T13:15:57.388+00:002013-02-05T13:15:57.388+00:00Hi Helene, Persevere with your bird feeders and i...Hi Helene, Persevere with your bird feeders and in time you should have more regular visitors. I see Angie mentioned removing the plastic netting from the suet balls..They used to just rot in our feeders until Myra started making them herself, I now have to add new ones every second day. When we used the regular mixed seed in feeders they weren't all that interested. Now we only use sunflower seedhearts, the birds love it, rather expensive though. Like your new look, I have just changed my theme and what a mess it is at the moment, I will work on it.Alistairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17104382970502166560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-17645537081739113362013-02-05T10:20:48.452+00:002013-02-05T10:20:48.452+00:00Helene, it's so pretty to see daffodils growin...Helene, it's so pretty to see daffodils growing up in your garden despite of cold wind. The fresh greenness!Your primroses are still in pots, but mine are under the snow, I never dig them up in fall.Nadezdahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08159291982383302922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-59877037865190487882013-02-04T23:42:30.816+00:002013-02-04T23:42:30.816+00:00I have decided to move the feeding pole to under t...I have decided to move the feeding pole to under the tall conifer, that way the birds can just drop down from the branches and right down to the feeder. I can hear a lot of birds normally when out in the garden, but I don’t usually see them, that’s why I thought that by starting to feed them I also would get to see them – and hopefully photograph them. But I think there are less birds now than normally so I hope when this cold period is over perhaps all the nice food I got lined up can be put to good use!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-1473317703528373602013-02-04T23:41:57.862+00:002013-02-04T23:41:57.862+00:00You can come and visit my garden anytime :-)
I lov...You can come and visit my garden anytime :-)<br />I love the sunflower seeds too, not sure what’s eating them but I am not keen on feeding the mice and rat population around here so I will buy another feeder and hang in the tree stump.<br /><br />The cold weather we have right now has slowed everything down, including the daffodils, I can’t wait for them to start flowering – it’s such an exciting time in my garden!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-75047745605120720432013-02-04T23:41:01.628+00:002013-02-04T23:41:01.628+00:00Hi Christina, yes I am wondering too if I should m...Hi Christina, yes I am wondering too if I should move the pole closer to my big conifer. We might get some more snow this week so I think the primroses still have it better in their little pots for now :-)HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-70304669900248329082013-02-04T23:40:33.614+00:002013-02-04T23:40:33.614+00:00Thanks for your thoughts Angie, really useful :-)
...Thanks for your thoughts Angie, really useful :-)<br />I filled the birdfeeder a month ago, thinking the feed would be gone in a day or two, that has not happened as you can see. I will empty it and fill it just a quarter or so. I did wonder about the suet balls but there were no instructions with the balls, and I saw photos on the Internet of other people having them inside feeders with the nets so I thought maybe it was necessary as the suet balls would break apart. Also, if you hang up just one ball on a string, would you still not have them in a net? <br /><br />As for my ground feeder, I do have a small paving slab I could use, but I think I will give up the ground feeding for a while, as I am definitely feeding anything but birds. The tray is empty every morning and whatever is eating does it during the night, every night. I will buy another feeder and hang it in the same tree stump as the suet balls. Let’s see if all this can make a change!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-28745180286457128782013-02-04T23:39:23.487+00:002013-02-04T23:39:23.487+00:00Thanks Beth, we definitely have more birds later i...Thanks Beth, we definitely have more birds later in the spring and summer, but there should be birds here all winter that doesn’t migrate – they just haven’t discovered my bird feeders yet!HELENEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112289914239038835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-66879272776798980082013-02-04T21:53:43.237+00:002013-02-04T21:53:43.237+00:00Hi Helene, I think part of the problem is that the...Hi Helene, I think part of the problem is that there just aren't that many birds in London so it can be a bit challenging. I also think your feeder might be a bit exposed. Looking at your garden, there may not be that much you can do about that. It helps to have the feeder close to trees or bushes where the birds can just hop on and off the feeder. I put mealworms on the wall under a tree and some of the more shy birds just snatch the food and whizz off. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769705418477727909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-68515285259578479882013-02-04T21:11:43.209+00:002013-02-04T21:11:43.209+00:00I'd definitely do more than fly by your garden...I'd definitely do more than fly by your garden if I was a bird! it is a bit strange that they've not found the lovely snacks yet. Maybe the mice are eating your sunflower seeds... they love them!<br />Spring happens sooner in London than here so it's exciting to see all the shoots coming through knowing mine will be a couple of weeks behind!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-17970809370368889662013-02-04T18:20:18.894+00:002013-02-04T18:20:18.894+00:00Hi Helene, I honestly don't get it why by now ...Hi Helene, I honestly don't get it why by now the birds don't come to your bird feeder positinoned on the pole! It is just wired! The only thing I can think of is that it might be too exposed for them that they feel safe to snack there? I sure hope they will show up in the future for you! Love your daffs and the primroses!<br />Christinaorganicgardendreamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122516730008378516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-11126570318324037152013-02-04T18:11:29.341+00:002013-02-04T18:11:29.341+00:00First things first, those primroses are beautiful ...First things first, those primroses are beautiful Helene and just look how tall those daff are!<br />Can I offer up a couple of comments re your feeders -<br />The taller one - too much food will just rot and go mouldy, you will end up wasting more that you buy (false economy) - as you are not over populated only put out a fraction of what you are.<br />The suet balls - take the balls out of the nets, the smaller birds can get trapped in the netting and can die. <br />Your ground feeder - try an old plate instead or do you have a broken piece of paving slab, even a rock with a flattened edge? As well as using bought feeders, I use a couple of terracotta pot saucers. Maybe the tin is too slippery?? Only a guess. Hopefully someone else will give you better advice re this.<br />I can't comment on birds visiting at night either (I'm at work then) but Robins and Blackbirds are usually still be in my garden after sun has gone down. Of course there are birds that are nocturnal but I don't know if they only eat meat or not.<br />There is obviously something eating your offerings - so keep at it!<br />2 wood pigeons are better than no wood pigeons :)<br /><br /><br /> Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14682908724307784154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6265213687739263373.post-73403526196607649932013-02-04T04:53:45.949+00:002013-02-04T04:53:45.949+00:00We have a similar bird watch here. I've though...We have a similar bird watch here. I've thought about joining in, but our garden seems to get the most interesting birds from early spring through November. In February, they're rather sparse--even though I keep the feeders full. Good luck with your suet and feeders!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.com