Little Green Space
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Little Green Space |
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| Jan 2008
January 27, 2008 Birds again... So we did the Big Garden Birdwatch ... and it was a bit disappointing. We sat at the window from 3.15 - 4.15pm and saw only 7 species: dunnock, chaffinch, robin, wren, great tit, blue tit and long-tailed tit. For the last twenty minutes there was not a single bird to be seen, not even flying overhead. However, at 4.20 pm a blackbird, a pair of siskins, a jay and a bullfinch all lined up and did a little jig outside the French windows, while a kestrel hovered overhead. By then, of course, it was too late - our hour was up! January 24, 2008 More Birds Speaking of birds, we haven't seen our regular visitors the goldfinches yet this year. In previous years, small flocks of these beautifully colourful birds have been seen raiding the peanut feeders in the garden. I find their absence this year worrying. According to DEFRA, the population of wild birds on English farmland is at its lowest since records began. In gardens, too, many species are on the decline, including house sparrows and starlings. This weekend, we will try to find a spare hour to take part in the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch, which is the world's biggest bird survey. You spend exactly one hour looking out for birds in your garden, and record what you see. The RSPB use the results to monitor bird populations and target declining groups, so that conservation efforts can go where they are most needed. January 22, 2008 Birds This morning gave us bright and sunny weather for the first time in days, so I decided to have a go at taking some more photos for the website, in particular for our birds page. Have you ever tried taking a photograph of a bird? They are so inconsiderate. Just when you think you've got them - after creeping up on them with cat-like stealth - they fly away. However, after an hour in the garden, and 217 close-upshots of blurred branches later, I did manage to get this:
January 18, 2008 Brambles When we took the land on six months ago, we did not realise the extent of work that would be involved in managing and maintaining several acres of land in a way that would be beneficial to wildlife. One of the first jobs was to remove the infestation of ragwort and bramble that was prolific in the meadows. Although ragwort is beneficial to some species of insect, such as the cinnabar moth, it is poisonous to livestock, and needs to be kept under control. It is quite satisfying to remove, however, as with a sharp tug its roots come clean from the ground. At least, it is satisfying for the first twenty or so plants - the remaining 400 become somewhat tedious. Bramble, meanwhile, provides shelter for numerous creatures such as foxes and hedgehogs. Many butterfly species feed on the nectar-rich bramble flower, and blackberries are superb autumn food for birds and small mammals. Besides which, without brambles, you cannot make Blackberry and Apple Jam. So we are leaving areas of bramble undisturbed - principally around the edges of the fields, where they can provide sheltered corridors for animals traveling around. Without careful management, however, bramble can soon take over, to the detriment of other, equally beneficial, plant species. So we decided to clear all the bramble from the central areas of the fields - including the area which is destined to become the organic vegetable garden. Most of the brambles can be removed by cutting them back, then burning any regrowth with a flame gun. But in the veggie patch for now we are digging out the bramble by hand. There is no simple tug and lift action with bramble, no satisfying wrench as the plant pulls, roots and all, from the soil. Brambles are cleverer than that. Their root system can consist of more than a dozen runners which probe deep into the soil - and each of these has to be removed before the plant can be heaved, like an alien life-form, from the earth. The vegetable patch is probably about six metres square. I reckon after a couple more months of digging I will have finally removed all the bramble.
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