Changing of the seasons.
19th October 2023
Now that autumn is well and truly here, there is no more growth in the trees and hedges, fruit if not picked is falling and the ground in places is littered with Beech mast, acorns, Sweet Chestnuts and ‘conkers’. Wintering thrushes from the north such as Fieldfares and Redwings are starting to appear and their numbers will increase over the next weeks and as in a previous blog post Ring Ouzels are also coming in.
Long Tailed Tits will start to roam in small flocks foraging for food, peanuts in the garden will always attract these lovely little birds. Goldfinches will also gather into flocks in the coming weeks, sunflower seeds being their favourite. Later in the year, in winter, Siskins will visit gardens in search of food, Niger seeds are very attractive for them.
Make your own bird food cheaply with lard/suet mixed with cheap cake from the supermarket and a few mixed seeds and fruit rolled in and put in a mold, even a plastic margarine tub will do – birds love this mixture.
Watch out for birds, particularly Jays.
Burying hazlenuts and acorns ready to be dug up later when food is scarce.
Leave fallen fruit like apples for Blackbirds to eat, avoid overly cutting back Ivy, it’s a great source of food for birds in the winter.
If you find snails throw them onto open grassy areas for Song Thrushes to eat it’s one of their favourite foods.
Don’t forget our little Robins, a handful of seeds or dried mealworms in winter near to the house will have them virtually eating out of your hand.
Other birds from the north may come in, possibly Great Grey Shrike this winter, after a barren couple of years in this area. Wintering wildfowl will seek out bodies of water like Llangors Lake. Some year’s large flocks of migrating Brambling will roam around looking for food like Beech mast, sometimes in their hundreds, even appearing in the garden associating with Chaffinches.
The secretive Woodcock and Jack Snipe come in October, both difficult birds to find, usually flushed from underfoot when walking in damp areas.
It’s time to embrace the changing seasons, as the clocks go back it’s not a time for withdrawing to the fireside, there’s lots of wildlife to see……
Long Tailed Tits will start to roam in small flocks foraging for food, peanuts in the garden will always attract these lovely little birds. Goldfinches will also gather into flocks in the coming weeks, sunflower seeds being their favourite. Later in the year, in winter, Siskins will visit gardens in search of food, Niger seeds are very attractive for them.
Make your own bird food cheaply with lard/suet mixed with cheap cake from the supermarket and a few mixed seeds and fruit rolled in and put in a mold, even a plastic margarine tub will do – birds love this mixture.
Watch out for birds, particularly Jays.
Burying hazlenuts and acorns ready to be dug up later when food is scarce.
Leave fallen fruit like apples for Blackbirds to eat, avoid overly cutting back Ivy, it’s a great source of food for birds in the winter.
If you find snails throw them onto open grassy areas for Song Thrushes to eat it’s one of their favourite foods.
Don’t forget our little Robins, a handful of seeds or dried mealworms in winter near to the house will have them virtually eating out of your hand.
Other birds from the north may come in, possibly Great Grey Shrike this winter, after a barren couple of years in this area. Wintering wildfowl will seek out bodies of water like Llangors Lake. Some year’s large flocks of migrating Brambling will roam around looking for food like Beech mast, sometimes in their hundreds, even appearing in the garden associating with Chaffinches.
The secretive Woodcock and Jack Snipe come in October, both difficult birds to find, usually flushed from underfoot when walking in damp areas.
It’s time to embrace the changing seasons, as the clocks go back it’s not a time for withdrawing to the fireside, there’s lots of wildlife to see……