General Chat

Last weekend i replaced two hessian liners in my wall baskets. I shredded the old ones and placed all the wisps around the garden. It has all disappeared now except for a few strands i can see hanging out of the ivy on the back wall of my cottage. About 50 sparrows live in the ivy all year round and it was so amusing watching them fight over some pieces and try to pick up some of the wisps that are twice the size as they are!! What cosy little nest they must have!

Is'nt nature wonderful to watch

By the way Prickles Babes. You have a cottage and I have a large cream AGA. Perhaps we should meet up sometime LOL
Julia in Derbyshire

Bring the AGA round Julia and lets see what we can cook up together!!

You have a new little doggie i see. When i had dogs, after grooming i would put the fur around the garden and watch the sparrows and black birds carry it off to make their nests. Waste not, want not!! x

Quite right, Prickles. I collect the hair from the plughole after I've washed my hair and put it out in the garden for the birdies. There must be a few blonde nests around my garden with dark roots lol!

You should have been in our front garden a couple of days ago. Two Jackdaws who are nesting in ours and next door's unused chimneys had found a carrier bag that had blown onto next door and were shredding it and carrying it up to their nest. Cheeky things were only a few feet away from me. Beautiful birds.

Jill

When I have been clearing the garden up for the new season, I often find bits of polythene carrier bags in disused nests. They must get if from the neighbours, as it is not allowed in my garden LOL
Julia in Derbyshire

Hi LA, i have Blue Tits that nest in my garden every other year. They were due to nest here this year but last year bees decided to move in and i think the sticky residue has put them off. I will have to buy a new nesting box and weather it ready for next year. I love the idea of the camera. They had one at the local school last year and a pair of Great Tits moved in and as you say........fascinating to watch!

The camera is a good idea. I found a swallow's nest this winter in one of outbuildings so hope they come back this year

When I cleaned out my bluetit nestboxes last year, I put some wadding in them (which I use for upholstery), thinking it would give them a good start. Not so. They laboriously spent hours taking the whole lot out, little beakful by little beakful! It was all over the place.

Georgina, it's important to place the nestboxes facing in the right direction, i.e. not south, because it can get too hot for them. Also, as high up as possible, without anything around them that could enable predators to reach easily. I think a little foliage growing around to semi-conceal the boxes also helps.

However, I think one thing that will deter them from nesting is a cat lurking around, I'm afraid!

I put up a nest box three or four years ago and it's still vacant. We have blue tits, great tits, long-tailed (although they aren't really members of the tit family), robins and wrens in the garden so I must be doing something right - except for provide the ultimate des res for them.