You just have to look for it in our garden. Today, as I went outside at first look there was nothing there. But just stand back and observe and you will notice all sorts of nature in almost every garden. But what nature? Well, just by standing around near our garden shed, I saw all sorts of interesting things- birds, plants, the sun. But it takes time to notice these things sometimes, especially when everything appears to be hidden. So why are things hiding in the garden at this time of year?
Today, many of the birds were found in our evergreen tree at the end of our garden. Is this because they are more covered and protected there? The apricot tree with no leaves is certainly a bit exposed at this time of year. A predator such as a Sparrowhawk would easily see a bird in our apricot tree and would be a real threat. So I have placed some new bird feeders deep in cover in our garden, in the hope that the more shy birds will take some food from them. We have bought a new fat feeder which we put deep in the cover of our apricot tree (the Blue Tits have already found it)! I have just ordered some mealworms and I will put them in a makeshift feeder as you will see in the photo below. This one is placed in an evergreen bush and is definitely in a covered place.
I went out with my camera earlier to see if I could take any bird photos. The Dunnocks were very shy and were also "hiding" in the trees today. Most of them took a quick snack from our hanging bird table before flying back into the trees, but I managed to get a picture of a more tame one on a branch. Whilst I was outside I also saw a Coal Tit flitting through the conifer with a Blue Tit. Recently I have also spotted a visiting Wren whilst outside. All of these small birds were probably looking for food with lots of energy. The fat block and balls I have just put up must have come in very handy for these birds.
Shirl posted about her visiting Blackcap not that long ago. Well, I am pleased to say that we have also seen our first Blackcap of the year. It was a female with its chestnut brown cap. In previous years we have mostly seen them on our fat feeders and seed feeders but this time it was seen on our peanut feeder. Hang on a minute... I have only just realised. It isn't even supposed to be here at this time of year, but it was definitely a Blackcap - no doubt about it. Blackcaps are summer visitors, not winter ones. So why am I seeing one in our garden?
Talking of nesting sites for birds, I bet the Ivy in the photo below is a great site for nesting Robins, as well as a nice feature in our garden. Last year we had our Cherry tree (which was not growing very well and looked unwell) cut down. On it was a Robin nestbox, which is obviously now spare. So I wondered if the nestbox could be sited in the ivy. Even if it wasn't used for nesting there, it could at least be available for any winter roosters. Its definitely got enough cover from predators there. Again, it was only today that I noticed the bright green colour of the ivy. Ivy has got to be one of my favourite plants, so I don't really mind that its growing quite rapidly on the tree now.
Coming back to my main post theme of animals and plants "hiding" at this time of year, there aren't any Blue Tits roosting in our camera nestbox, or any of our nestboxes for that matter. I am guessing that it is warm enough for them to be outside in this weather. In fact today has been a fantastic day in terms of the weather. Sadly it isn't going to continue tomorrow with heavy rain forcasted. In this posting I must mention the fact the bloggers which take part in the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post certainly managed to "find" plenty of "hidden" plants to talk about this month!
The cold is probably the most obvious threat for any garden life in the winter, causing most living things to try and find somewhere warm. Obviously this is difficult for a plant seeing as they can't walk or fly to a warm spot in the winter sun, but today I spotted a tiny wild flower at the end of the garden in the sunlight. I was very surprised to see this colour in our garden at this time of year. This really was hard to see and was very well hidden in all the undergrowth. But its not just the tiny wild flowers that were hidden for the winter- the Rhubarb plant really has died down, and all that's left at the moment is a pile of the black and brown leaf remains.
Today, many of the birds were found in our evergreen tree at the end of our garden. Is this because they are more covered and protected there? The apricot tree with no leaves is certainly a bit exposed at this time of year. A predator such as a Sparrowhawk would easily see a bird in our apricot tree and would be a real threat. So I have placed some new bird feeders deep in cover in our garden, in the hope that the more shy birds will take some food from them. We have bought a new fat feeder which we put deep in the cover of our apricot tree (the Blue Tits have already found it)! I have just ordered some mealworms and I will put them in a makeshift feeder as you will see in the photo below. This one is placed in an evergreen bush and is definitely in a covered place. I went out with my camera earlier to see if I could take any bird photos. The Dunnocks were very shy and were also "hiding" in the trees today. Most of them took a quick snack from our hanging bird table before flying back into the trees, but I managed to get a picture of a more tame one on a branch. Whilst I was outside I also saw a Coal Tit flitting through the conifer with a Blue Tit. Recently I have also spotted a visiting Wren whilst outside. All of these small birds were probably looking for food with lots of energy. The fat block and balls I have just put up must have come in very handy for these birds. Shirl posted about her visiting Blackcap not that long ago. Well, I am pleased to say that we have also seen our first Blackcap of the year. It was a female with its chestnut brown cap. In previous years we have mostly seen them on our fat feeders and seed feeders but this time it was seen on our peanut feeder. Hang on a minute... I have only just realised. It isn't even supposed to be here at this time of year, but it was definitely a Blackcap - no doubt about it. Blackcaps are summer visitors, not winter ones. So why am I seeing one in our garden? Well, when I am confused about some bird sightings I tend to resort to a bird book. My question was answered the Complete Garden Bird Book which said, "Blackcaps are generally summer migrants breeding across the whole of Europe, but they are now also a regular and an increasingly common winter visitor, particularly in milder areas of Britain and the warm climates of southern Europe" Today I also spotted a Starling for the first time in a while on a fat feeder near the house.
Whilst I was outside, I took the opportunity to take a look at my "nature patch". I must admit that I am not very good at regularly digging up weeds, but in the winter the weeds aren't growing particularly fast anyway. However, my wild flower seeds are growing quite steadily and look like they are surviving the cold weather we have had so far this winter. The shop-bought plants from Homebase are also doing well and are starting to fit in and flow with the rest of the patch. Hopefully, they also continue to live through the frosts we have been having recently.
Talking of nesting sites for birds, I bet the Ivy in the photo below is a great site for nesting Robins, as well as a nice feature in our garden. Last year we had our Cherry tree (which was not growing very well and looked unwell) cut down. On it was a Robin nestbox, which is obviously now spare. So I wondered if the nestbox could be sited in the ivy. Even if it wasn't used for nesting there, it could at least be available for any winter roosters. Its definitely got enough cover from predators there. Again, it was only today that I noticed the bright green colour of the ivy. Ivy has got to be one of my favourite plants, so I don't really mind that its growing quite rapidly on the tree now.Coming back to my main post theme of animals and plants "hiding" at this time of year, there aren't any Blue Tits roosting in our camera nestbox, or any of our nestboxes for that matter. I am guessing that it is warm enough for them to be outside in this weather. In fact today has been a fantastic day in terms of the weather. Sadly it isn't going to continue tomorrow with heavy rain forcasted. In this posting I must mention the fact the bloggers which take part in the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post certainly managed to "find" plenty of "hidden" plants to talk about this month!All photos taken in my garden on Sunday 18th January 2009.
