Decorated Christmas Tree.

[Eileen]

Who needs a tree decorated with Christmas lights in their garden when they can have one like mine?

When I went out into the garden this morning to feed the birds my pear tree was festooned with house and tree sparrows, chaffinches, greenfinches, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, collared doves, blackbirds, a robin and even a goldfinch!! They were all waiting impatiently for their breakfast to be delivered.
Sooooooo much nicer, I think, than the 'normal' decorated trees at this time of year!! Just a pity it was far too dark to take a photograph of them all.

Eileen.

[Sue Wright]

Hi Eilean,

Oh how right you are!

It's been much the same here with our Crab Apple Tree; which extends it's arms to welcome at least a dozen Sparrows, Blue, Coal & Great Tits, Doves, Blackbirds, 2 Pigeons, Robins, Chaffinches and flocks of at least 20 Greenfinch and 12 Goldfinch. What finer decorations could there be, not to mention the little red cherry like apples.

You may have the Pear Tree without the Partridge Eilean, but in our back garden we have the Holly & the Ivy too, without the Mistletoe! No Goldfinches there, but all the others listed above, plus a Dunnock. Oh what wonderful Christmas Trees we're blessed with.!!

Sue

[StuartDH]

What are you feeding these guys? We've had very few birds in the garden for the past couple of months. During Oct/Nov the Ash tree out the front was raided by hundreds of Starlings each morning and evening but now all the berries have gone, and so have the birds.

Fat balls are usually very popular but they just seem to be doing it for the birds at the moment.

Maybe our lack of visitors has something to do with the regular visits of a local Sparrowhawk that races over the back gardens and sits on the fenceposts looking for unsuspecting table feeders.

[Eileen]

Hi Sue and Stuart,

Funny you should say that about the holly and the ivy Stuart we have holly (Golden King) and ivy (variagated) too!! All the little birds love them to shelter in when the sp'hawk comes a visiting.
My garden is completely organic and wildlife friendly but that doesn't stop me feeding the birds all year round. However, I only feed them 'natural' food on the whole.
During spring/summer it's a mixed seed mixture and peanuts as well as all the aphids and other wee critters they want!!. The peanuts are never loose just incase babies get them stuck in their throats.
During autumn and winter 'my' little feathered friends have fat balls, peanuts, mixed seeds, nyjer seeds, raisins, teasel heads in the garden and sunflower hearts, cottoneaster berries etc. Oh and, of course, all the snails, worms and slugs they can eat. I sometimes put out fine cake crumbs, I have to admit though, with a little grated cheese as the wrens love them. The only other thing I feed them is meal worms and only if it's a particularly poor spring for insects or a bad winter with lots of frosts.
My husband (Ian) thinks I'm mad getting up at 6am every day of the year (no matter what the weather) to feed them all but if I don't I get them doing 'squawking fly-pasts' and bombing sessions (pooing on the windows and patio) until I get out there with the goodies.

Have a good week-end!!

Eileen.

[Sue Wright]

Hi Stuart & Eileen,

We're totally organic too, so there are lots of bugs etc to be found in Spring and Summer months, it does make a difference to let the pests alone, only right too.

We mainly feed Mixed seed, Peanuts, Fat Balls, sultanas & the really main one here for all - Sunflower Hearts! There's no doubting it's them that have kept our Goldfinches here throughout ALL the year! We never thought they would stay, but we've been very fortunate indeed, though they really do get through those Sunflower hearts. They've been going rapidly today, especially as it snowed beautifully through the night, from 2am onwards - wonderful, a very hard frost tonight too so they'll be back in force tomorrow (or should I say today!).

A very Merry Christmas to you both, everyone here also. A happy and healthy New Year too.

Sue

[Sue Wright]

By the way Eileen,

I think you may have you been getting to the Christmas spirits already??

As it was me who mentioned Ivy........ not Stuart !!