Welcome to anyone who is here having seen the blog in the RSPB Homes for Wildlife e-newsletter – good to have you! It’s early days, but we’re already beginning to develop a lovely crowd of visitors. What I really want is to get your feedback, questions and suggestions – don’t hold back on me now :-)I thought today I’d do a little update on some of the blogs so far. Remember the question of what berries are being eaten by what birds out there? Here is a photo (right) I took of a House Sparrows in mid-October, gorging itself on blackberries, its bill stained with the tell-tale evidence.
And on the left a Starling on Cordyline australis berries this weekend, and a pile of its mates getting over-excited. Any more observations of birds and berries yet, folks?Returning to the subject of leaves in ponds, I’m sure many of you use netting to stop the leaves ever reaching the water, whereas I choose to go fishing them out daily. What I find I have to do is to check each leaf for pond snails – clearly they are grazing on something rather tasty there.And as for my sink pond, my latest delight is watching the dozens of Gammarus freshwater shrimps, gliding on their sides along the white ceramic walls – they’re far more visible and watchable here than I’ve ever found them to be in a dark-linered pond. So it’s still a wildlife thumbs up for the sink pond. Coming up on the blog in the next few weeks, plans for the flower garden for 2010, and some real gardens from real people! Hope you'll drop in to have a look.
Some of my Pyracantha berries have been nibbled at but I am yet to witness the birds actually having a go at them. Things are rather quiet around here at the moment no doubt thanks to plenty of berries and such available this year.
If you can keep tabs, Liz, because I'm going to be encouraging people to feedback as and when garden berries start to be guzzled :-)