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Post by RuthE on Mar 1, 2010 9:37:31 GMT 1
It sounds like it was much more spring like with you than it was in Suffolk over the weekend. I was planting out in the pouring rain yesterdat morning (would rather have waited for a dry day but we still have no daylight during the week) and it was like trying to plant in porridge, our soil has never been so waterlogged. I have a 5 foot high dead tree stump which I have decided to grow honeysuckle up, but haven't yet managed to find any.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 1, 2010 10:53:03 GMT 1
We have just planted all the honeysuckles we had potted up, Ruth, but will see if there are any suckers in the garden when I get a chance. A frost last night's meant the ground is solid today, but we may well have one available, as I layered some, hoping it would reproduce. Could also be some down the allotment, as there's a big one growing up the fence of the chicken/duck run.
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Post by RuthE on Mar 2, 2010 9:25:14 GMT 1
If you have any that would be great! It is about the only thing I can think of apart from ivy (which I am trying to get rid of from walls) which will grow in such little soil.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 2, 2010 19:49:55 GMT 1
Can you pm me your address, please, Ruth? I think I have spotted a live one in a tub in the back yard. It's only little, but should grow.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 2, 2010 21:44:00 GMT 1
Lovely, spring day today. Watched a couple of hedge sparrows courting, too. The resident robin down at the bird garden has a mate already, and both were around the feeders today, as were numerous long-tailed tits, and a pair of pied wagtails were strutting their stuff around the edges of the car park and near the little stream. Could have been the sun on their backs getting them excited? ;D
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Post by nicki on Mar 2, 2010 22:34:15 GMT 1
I think the sunshine is definitely having an influence - lots of small birds reappearing and singing in the hedges, despite the snow on the ground still There were 6 Buzzards calling and displaying earlier - and a Stoat seems to be nesting in the stone wall behind the cottage - we kept seeing this wee head appearing every now and then
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Post by RuthE on Mar 3, 2010 9:19:02 GMT 1
Spring is definitely in the air, and the water levels are dropping in the rivers thankfully. I've not seen any sparrows here for ages which is a worry.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 3, 2010 13:47:52 GMT 1
I have just loaded the car with a stack of plants and planters from one of the gardens we have to clear, and am taking a quick teabreak before packing a few more parcels, heading for the PO with them, and then down to LT with this load. It's hardley made an impression of what has to be moved, though! I don't think Peter will be short of work/thinkgs to plant when he next comes on Friday. I will need his help to move some of the other, bigger planters, though, and also to dig up some of the larger plants we can use at LT. While moving some, three blackbirds were so busy fighting amongst themselves over a single female, one almost flew straight into my face! Spring must definitely be in the air! I felt its wing against my cheek! In the planters, several buddelias had self seeded, and one was quite large already. Once the bigger ones have been planted out, I think the containers could go around the carpark area and be planted up with strawberries. There are already several strawberry plants growing in them, and I suspect those were the original things planted in them. Once the planters are all out of the way, we'll be able to access the garden properly. Lots of logs in there, too, as well as a small shed. Not sure if that will be moveable or will fall apart in an attempt, though. Time will tell. It would be handy for storing things like plant pots, if so, and can be tucked away between our TRPD building and the neighbour's stables, if so.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 6, 2010 22:46:34 GMT 1
Another long day at LT today, and Peter's been digging up more rubble than we know what to do with! He's started doing a few drystone retaining walls to terrace some small borders down the steepest side, and to hold back the compost heap. He plans to grow the fruit bushes I got the other day in the border just below the compost heap. So far only the loganberry has been planted, though.
I managed to do a little bit more of the border on the opposite side of the plot, and have just reached the bit where the path down through the middle of garden joins the lower path and between a holly bush and a little apple tree. I also managed to pop in a few London pride plants along the edge, hoping they will spread and cover some of the boundary stones. Found a couple of primroses growing amongst those, so popped them in too.
I bet poor Peter will be stiff, after all his work with the pick axe, though.
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Post by RuthE on Mar 16, 2010 16:30:27 GMT 1
The honeysuckle has arrived, thank you! I potted it up after work last night by the light of a failing torch (our shed is a very dark place at night with no street lamps nearby to provide light pollution!). I will keep it inside for a couple of weeks where I can keep an eye on it to try to get it to grow on a bit as there is still a risk of frost.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Mar 18, 2010 12:56:36 GMT 1
Yesterday, Bubby, a friend down south, sent me some day lilies and some muscari for the bird garden where, for the first time in weeks, we did have a bit of rain prior to getting those planted. There are some signs of a few plants growing down there, but no sign of any buds coming to life yet on the trees. I fear we have lost some plants and shrubs over the winter, though. It's been a really cold, long one, so not surprising. The chicken-attacked primroses seem to be growing new leaves and a few tiny flower buds again. I wish it had been possible to prepare the ground last autumn for transferring the daffodil bulbs from the allotment as, although not yet flowering, there are a huge number there coming into bud. They'll look lovely if planted around the bird cherry trees, and perhaps with some bluebells and more of the hardy geraniums, too. Definite signs of the resident birds becoming fruity though. So far, none have shown any interest in the bird boxes we put up. The robins have built a nest in one of the neighbour's buildings, and tucked into a roll of old carpet they wanted to line their trailer partition with. I've not seen the wrens around lately, although they do seem to prefer to dart around in cover seeking insects, so they are probably hiding in the hedge, where an ivy covered elder had now fallen down. We are leaving that where it fell for as long as possible, as it is covered in berries the birds can eat. Sadly, as it is where the new field shelter will need to go before next winter, it will need to be cleared eventually. Not sure if we can move part of that into a gap in the hedge to decay naturally. We'll have to see.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Apr 1, 2010 20:36:10 GMT 1
Whilst down at LT today with Peter, and having a cuppa, we saw two pairs of buzzards flying around. An amazing sight, and I have never seen that many in the air at once. I guess they may have been courting. One pair were right overhead, just lazily circling. With them there, and the awful weather, we didn't see many other birds around. Peter's been working on a bid more border preparation, ready to more plants transferred and planted, but managed to have a bit of a mishap with the fork, when that hit a rock - it snapped a tine right off! Instead of a four tine fork, it's now a three tine one. As I needed to pop into town anyway, I picked up a new garden fork from Poundstretchers, although Peter's adamant that the old one is still a useful tool for levering stones out, so not to be thrown away. ;D While in town, I spotted a shop had pots of aubretia on offer, so I got another three for planting over the edges of some of the borders. Had a bit of a 'discussion' (;D) with Peter over his habit of regularly suggesting his ideas for the design of the BG and asking my permission! Had to remind him that I am NOT the boss, and it isn't up to me. With the exception of me wanting to be able to dip water buckets in the planned, 'false well', and wanting to see a pleasant garden being enjoyed by the birds, therefore also a haven for various insects, the actual design really does not matter to me. In reality, Peter has much more creative design ideas than I have anyway. I am happy just to have somewhere to plant all the various plants I've been growing and accumulating towards the garden's creation. Even though, as yet, there is very little there, I can see it gradually starting to take shape and things beginning to come to life there. It's certainly already being utilised by lots of birds, and it is lovely to sit outside the workshop with a cuppa during my breaks and ust watch them and their antics. The more local members do that, the more the birds there are getting used to seeing people around and realise we are no threat to them. The little resident robins often look in our direction hopeful of crumbs if we are having a sandwich or snack. They may not yet clean up around or under the seats while we are there, but certainly I don't see any bits left from the previous day in the mornings!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Apr 6, 2010 23:53:38 GMT 1
What a day! Was just about to tackle running scans on the PC after it crashed again today when I had a phone call from a new L T W & W member, Rob, who wanted to bring a trailer up from Cardiff to fill with manure, so needed the gates unlocked. Not having my techi head on - do I ever have one? - I was glad of the excuse to head down to LT, where I'd some things to cut out and do anyway, plus needed to check on 'Ginger George', a Polish bantam cockeral whom someone had brought in last night and had spent the night in temporary quarters in the feed shed! We already have a home lined up for him as a companion to 'Slippers' a little black Polish bantam hen, but she is sitting on eggs at present. Could be that George will have a ready made family at his new home. Peter was busy preparing some borders for planting when I got there, and also chatting to Rob, who had just arrived ahead of me. Decided to have a bit more of a sort out in the workshop after a chat and cuppa and discovered we had woodworm in one of the donated pasting tables! It was already in need of a leg replacement, so I decided to replace the whole thing anyway, as we needed another anyway, so shot off to B & Q while they were still offering a 15% discount... except I'd my days mixed up, and that ended BH Monday, and it was, of course, Tuesday! At least I managed to get the 'Monday' post out by taking it on Tuesday, when the PO was actually open! However, do you think I could find either of out usual post sacks? Not likely, nor could I find the cheque book, which will be in the post sack... It seems that the postage costs have gone up again, too. Could really do without that. Back to LT again with the new pasting table, along with some belated lunch, and spotted the little dunnock that Rob had identified earlier in the morning. It was quite close to where I was sitting and looked hopefully in my direction - or do I mean hungrily? Tossed some food around the base of the feeder. Rob had kindly made a donation of £10 towards the W & W project, so have stocked up on the ingredients for some more batches of fat balls, as they get through so many of those. I am sure it is the starlings that get the lion's share of those, but they are so messy when eating, lots of ground feeding birds enjoy cleaning up after them. They are looking really well, those starlings. Black and glossy, with irridescent green and purple speckled feathers. I must remember to ask Rob to look out for that unidentified tit when he's next there. I'll probably discover it isn't a tit at all.
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Post by petdesigns on Apr 7, 2010 11:04:05 GMT 1
Strange - that's how all the animals on our field look at me - my birds, my dogs and the wildlife... sometimes I wonder whether they'll start nibbling me
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 2, 2010 19:19:37 GMT 1
Since we put up the bird boxes, I have been looking for signs that they have been discovered by the birds and today there was a sign! Some dried grass was draped partly into the hole in Mackenzie's tit box! I diidn't see anything else to give a clue as to what type of tit might be responsible, but there were lots around the feeders this evening, including blue tits, coal tits, great tits and long-tailed tits. A chaffinch decided to fee at the feeder closest to the building as I was having a cuppa just a few feet away, too. He was in beautiful condition, too.
The birds have suddenly started to target the seed feeders a lot more than usual. All four of those were virtually empty and had to be refilled. I turned a little bit of the compost heap over while down there, and within moments was joined by the pair of resident robins and one of their fledglings. I suspect they may be about to have a second clutch of eggs, too.
The blackbird perched on one of the fence posts briefly and was singing. It was a pity it was so chilly today, else I'd have stayed longer, but will see if any of that dried grass has moved in the hole in the tit box tomorrow.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 13, 2010 20:47:46 GMT 1
Today, when planting some of the latest donated plants at the bird garden, two fledgling robins decided to join me. ;D Later, when sitting by the building having a cuppa andwatching the various tits on the feeders, two fledgling blue tits decided to try out the mix I'd just made and filled up the empty half-coconuts shells with. They were then joined by one of the parents, whom, I think, might have been rearing a second clutch of young, as it was back and forth for beaksful of stuff. A great tit joined in then, and another a few minutes later. They were all feeding only about ten feet from where I was sitting.
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Post by nicki on May 14, 2010 12:26:17 GMT 1
OH how wonderful So lovely to see. We have baby blackbirds, just fledged. The sparrows are nesting in the roof of the steading so we hope they will have a nice family too. I was at a neighbours yesterday, they have two baby Robins Also quite a few of the Tits around, and a Goldfinch, so that was nice to see. We had a Linnet on the fence the other day
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 14, 2010 13:25:15 GMT 1
Yes, it is lovely to see little fledglings around. There's a thrush or blackbird nesting at the far end of the building, and in the tangled, ivy clad remains of the fallen elder tree. I am wondering if we will still be able to get the field shelter in between that and the fence without moving that entandlement and fallen tree. The ivy is such a rich source of food and shelter, that it seems a shame to clear it if that can be avoided. So far, there is still no change in the dried grass draped in the entrance of the tit box on the building, but as the buildings next door on that yard are old and established and nesting birds return there every year, whilst ours is new, it is likely not surprising. Birds seem rather conservative and take a bit of time to adjust to change - not that it has taken them long to get used to the feeders!
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 28, 2010 0:18:14 GMT 1
We have a spotted woodpecker visiting the peanuts on the feeding station. I have seen him/her on two afternoons running now.
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Post by worm100 on May 28, 2010 7:47:39 GMT 1
I have only ever seen a woodpecker once i found it by the noise beekbanging the tree
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