Womens Thoughts

There’s never been a better time to get to know the birds in your garden!

The snow has not only caused us to slow down, spend more time indoors – looking out the windows, but due to the harsh weather a greater variety of birds are coming into the garden for much needed, alternative source of food.

Fieldfares and Redwings, (both from Scandinavia, and both, members of the Thrush family) who visit us for warmer winter climes, are not normally seen in gardens, preferring the autumn fruits and berries available in hedgerows and woods. However this year, the cold weather is bringing them into our gardens searching for Cotoneaster berries and windfall fruit in orchards. So throw out your unwanted fruit for them.

Throw handfuls of mixed bird seed, under hedgerows and shrubs for Dunnocks and Wrens, who love foraging undercover, thus providing them cover from the talons of Sparrow hawks, which are renowned for raiding bird stations.

Tits, Blue; Great; Longtail and Coal; all love peanuts and fat blocks/balls. The fun is trying to recognise each one, get the kids involved in this quiz.

Blackbirds and Robins are generally the first ones to feed in the mornings and last ones at night, although I have a Pied Wagtail and a single Fieldfare (they are generally in flocks), who are spending all day, thoroughly enjoying the food thrown out.

Stale bread, cake and cheese, broken into small pieces (my little grand-daughter delights in taking part) thrown onto the lawn are always enjoyed by the Magpies, Crows and Wood Pigeons.
Watch the crows’ antics as they “steal” the food.  Very funny.

www.BTO.org/birdatlas

www.RSPB.org.uk