We've not had much snow here, but the cold spell has brought lots more birds into the garden. First pickings each morning are going to the gang of crows that wait for me to fill up the feeders.
We always have lots of jackdaws around and this morning I counted 16 at the feeders, on the bird table or waiting for a turn to eat. Over the last week or so they have been joined by a few magpies, two or three rooks and, today, a single jay.
The rooks find the hanging seed-feeders a bit tricky, but seem to have got the hang of the cage that holds fat balls. One bird gets hold of the fat through the mesh and then whacks it against the bars until bits fall to the ground where the others are waiting.
I feel as though I'm on my way to 'collecting' the whole crow family as we also get a carrion crow dropping in from time to time, but I may have to wait a long time to complete the set. Yes, ravens do over-fly the garden from time to time, but I don't expect to add a hooded crow or a chough to my bird list any time soon...
A bit late for a New Year resolution, but better late than never. I've decided that I need to do more to make my garden bee-friendly in 2013 after spending time on the Bee Kind pages at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's website.
It asks you about what grows in your garden and awards you points per bee-friendly plant. I went into the process feeling a bit smug, expecting to get a good score.
And 2,200 points didn't seem so bad until I got to the page that gives you details of other people's scores where you live. However, it turns out that the average for a garden in Wales is 2,327 while the top score is a hefty 6,114.
So, I'm below average - and must try harder. In my defence I'd say that my garden is more about trees, nettles and long grass (for butterflies and moths, amphibians and small mammals) than it is about flowers, but I can see that there's room for improvement.
As it happens the Bee Kind test does provide a route to enlightenment by coming up with a list of planting suggestions. For me it recommends 10, including Mahonia, Alliums and thyme; time for a trip to the garden centre I think.
The rooks find the hanging seed-feeders a bit tricky, but seem to have got the hang of the cage that holds fat balls. One bird gets hold of the fat through the mesh and then whacks it against the bars until bits fall to the ground where the others are waiting.
