Some Of The Wildlife In My Garden...

I suppose that I am talking of perhaps two years now. We've lived here for decades. Yes, I have always kept an interest in the garden and remember scattering a bit of bread and my dad and myself starting to buy money nuts, stringing them up on the line and eventually attracting blue tits. Hours of fun watching them but equally it took ages to make up them up. You'd hang them and for hours they would peck away at the shells and the nuts inside and a lucky one would manage to get it out and fly away.

As Mags said earlier, if you dug the garden over it was not unknown for a black bird come very close or even a robin. Until a few years ago I was still managing to mow the lawn and a robin started to feel so comfortable if I walked away, it would sit on the handle of the lawn mower. One of my Uncles used to tell stories of how one used to sit on his shoulder as he gardened. And having seen one of Bill Oddie's television programmes showing something similar that must be a wonderful feeling to have nature trust you.

In the last few years my bothering to feed birds more regularly the variety of birds has improved. I am sorry that my dad did not see this and especially the surprise that greeted me one morning. Two or three very young squirrels feeding and chasing after each other. Because of where we are located so close to the town centre and some busy roads that have to be crossed it really did amaze me.

Oh, I know grey squirrels can be seen as a pest and have caused problems for the native red but they were introduced to this country so long ago and its taken until now for them to be seen around here and I am unsure that there have ever been any reds around here. Also, the numbers here are not enough to cause problems.

The following photos were taken when the squirrels were more easily seen around my garden perhaps two years ago and you can see how young they look.

These few pictures taken around the flower tubs were taken when the previous owners of the house next door were still living there so I think that they can be posted. So I do wonder if this is the last we'll see of our furry friends or they'll turn up again. They rarely caused any problems damaging flowers or bulbs and by actually supplying food(Monkey Nuts)and in fact keeping all the local wildlife happy, this actually saved plants and helped stop birds attacking other birds or squirrels perhaps attacking young birds so it helps the local environment.

This was taken from my bedroom window and is about the best I can make of some of the earliest photos as they are not as focussed as they could've been, they looked ok until they were put onto the computer.

Just as I mentioned the drop in the bird life since alterations took place next door, I cannot help but think that it has also affected the squirrels too. Or have they moved out? Or have they come to some harm from being attacked by a local pet or a neighbour that did not look on them as kindly as the rest of us have.

It must be five weeks since I saw the last squirrel in my garden and I had just started to gain its confidence. Getting it to come almost to my feet to take food. I felt especially close to this squirrel and wanted to see it survive because as some people know this one over quite a period obviously had damaged its tail and it looked withered and yet it was lively enough. The last few weeks before it disappeared that damaged part must have dropped off because the tail was shorter. And I think it was actually more nimble and happier without it. The next two are more recent

Span has already seen this picture but it disappered a while ago when I was finding it difficult to post images.

I've always been a bit of a softie...and I still have yet to post up the few pictures I still have of the time I managed to rescue a collered dove from a sparrow hawk and bring it back to health and it took somewhere around 6-8 weeks earlier this year(I think it was)and I just have a feeling that it still visits the garden and whereas many are easily frightened, one seems less inclined to fly off when I am around the garden.

Again, opening this area out has also to some extent made the birds that visit easier prey for any hawk that happens to be flying over. They may be called sparrow hawks but usually in my garden I have ocassionally lost black birds, doves or wood pigeons but rarely any of the little birds. Its nature I guess.