The unseasonably warm weather this week has brought us out into the garden once again to carry out a few tasks before autumn settles in for good. High up on our list was a refresh and clean our bird feeders. Our house is surrounded by woodland and fields, areas that are attractive habitat for several endangered bird species. In the summer we had turtle doves in the Poplar trees opposite our house and many birds visit the woods to feast on the teasels and thistles which are left to grow wild.
I am trying a variety of feeders and food in our garden to see what we can attract over the coming months. Peanuts are apparently popular with greenfinches and woodpeckers, fat balls attract long tailed tits and are good as we enter the colder months and mealworms are favoured by robins and blue tits. We also have a seed feeder which (in theory) is good for attracting most wild bird species. We've had it up all summer in one location, but it hasn't been overly popular, so I'm trying it in a new spot over the winter months. I'm hoping if any, or all of the feeders prove successful I will have some pictures of our local birdlife to share with you over the winter.
Theo has been very keen to get involved with helping this week, showing the typical enthusiasm of most 2 year-olds for any new task, I just hope it's something he maintains. A respect and understanding of nature is no bad thing and (if it doesn't sound too calculated) the environment is also predicted to be one of the growing employment sectors over the next couple of decades - start 'em young I say!
Sometimes for no apparent reason birds will not like a certain seed mix. So if the birds don't come you may need to change your seed mix. Goldfinches love niger seed and along with many other finches and Siskins, love sunflower hearts. I hope you get lots of birds to watch. I'm sure Theo will love it!
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