Take time to enjoy the garden!

[henrya]

I spent most of yesterday evening in the garden, just sitting down enjoying it. After I'd eaten, I just sat back and relaxed, as the heat of the day dissipated and it got pleasantly cool. At about 9.00, the Wood Pigeons were cooing soothingly, and the Rooks and Jackdaws were flying in to roost. At 9.15, a rustling from my left announced the arrival of a Hedgehog. He (?) emerged from under some Burdock leaves and cautiously sniffed the air, stretching up as high as he could reach. He peered short-sightedly in my direction, sniffed again a few times, and then moved off behind me. Then the Song Thrushes began singing, followed a little later by a Blackbird. More and more Rooks and Jackdaws flew in to the roost - a really beautiful evening. If only there were fewer cars and lorries on the road at this time of the day!

henrya

[StuartDH]

Definitely a huge change in lifestyle during the summer when we get the longer, warmer days at there's lots more going on outside.

I got out of bed an hour early this morning (dawn chorus) to find clear blue skies and a whimbrel shooting past the bedroom window, less than 30ft away. I guess it was a long way from home as it was travelling at quiet some speed in a very straight line, but I was still able to watch it for a minute or so as it headed off towards the peak district, before I lost it as a speck on the horizon.

Note to self - remember to move to a place where the weather is as good as this almost every day of the year.

[henrya]

Last night I decided it would be a good idea to try and count the Rooks and Jackdaws as they flew in to roost. I can only see part of one side of the roost, but between 9.06 and 9.30, I counted 298.

Whilst I was counting, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Wood Pigeons and a Turtle Dove were singing from the garden; a Red Legged Partridge was calling from nearby, I heard a Cuckoo (the first I've heard from the garden this year) and two Herons flew overhead! Plenty of small birds hurrying about to roost as well.

henrya

[merlinsboy]

I am a new member and have been wandering around the site looking at this and that and have found it a very interesting experience. But having read the last couple of entries I was visited by thr Green Eyed Monster!
I live in yer 'average suburb with a pretty little garden, (if I say so myself) which is visited by various birds and animals. But when I read of people painting such pictures of wildlife near their gardens it makes me sad. My wife and I do have an escape valve which is to visit her mother in Herefordshire, but for the majority of the year we have to content ourselves with the call of the Lesser Spotted scooter, or the chirp of the Boom Box (Fordus Fiestus XR2us!).
Needless to say that Noise Pollution is the biggest killer (of peaceful existance) in this country today.

[nightshade]

merlinsboy,mine is a small suburban garden in a vee formed by two main roads
but i added a pond a bird bath, food and recently cottage garden plants.
The animal life just started to appear,some are resident, others just visitors but the more unruly you make it the better they seem to like it,neat gets you no prizes
look for a book on attracting wildlife,such as "attracting wildlife to your garden"
j.a. burton & d. tiplingl, isbn1-84330-482-1 new holland publishers
The wildlife trusts online give a lot of useful tips

[henrya]

merlinsboy, I do realise how lucky I am living in the country, but I can assure you that I'm not immune from noisy vehicles, despite being some fifty yards from the road, behind a screen of trees. Sometimes I can hear the bass beat before I hear the engines, from perhaps a quarter of a mile away. I shudder to think what it must be like inside those cars.

But, as nightshade says, you can do a lot to attract wildlife, though maybe you won't get 300 plus Rooks and Jackdaws (but your neighbours might be grateful for that!).

And if you don't get the big things, I bet you get lots of smaller creatures. Buy a hand lens and a net and a bugbox and you'll find some beautiful things.

henrya

[Diane]

Merlinsboy, as everyone has said, it is possible to create a wildlife garden no matter where you live. We also suffer the chav element of society, complete with trail bikes buzzing around the village.

We are not in the country, although we are not exactly in an urban area either, but have a garden bird list of 17 (18 if you count the Sparrowhawk that swooped through the other day). We have installed a pond, a native-species hedgerow and various other wildlife-attracting plants. All this in a brand new house that we moved into last November, with bare soil as a back garden, complete with builders' rubble. The garden is about 20m x 5m.

We have three feeding stations around the garden, which were the first things to go in, mostly populated by Goldfinch, and they soon get used to where the food is.

[merlinsboy]

Thanx for replies everyone. A few bits to digest and work on. Though I do not claim to have a garden totally bereft of wildlife, I would like to attract more. Hopefully not wearing Burberry caps and being violently ill over me dahlias!
I like this site. Very friendly.
Merlinsboy.