Our Back Garden

This is our back garden - not very big at all and no room to put up proper bird tables etc so we improvised and bought an extendable pole which we fixed onto the fence (when I say we, I mean my other half!). We only rent the property so we can't make too many adjustments to the place!

As you can tell from the photos, we are almost surrounded by trees and undergrowth providing plenty of cover for birds, unfortunately it also provides plenty of hiding places for cats too. One down side of the trees is all the leaves which are constantly falling at the moment, making the garden look "untidy" (I prefer to use the term "wild"!).

But if we didn't have the trees / bushes then we probably wouldn't have the fox or the badger so I can't complain!

This is the hole that the badger has dug in order to sniff around our garden. We have tried scooping all the soil back but he just digs it again the next night so we just leave it now.

Business or Birdwatching?

How do you choose?
I'm trying to set up my own part time business but I'm easily distracted by the back garden "activities"! My problem is that our office/study overlooks our back garden so, while I'm trying to sort out my marketing strategy, all I can see out the corner of my eye are birds flitting back & forth (admittedly sometimes these are just leaves falling from the trees!).
I've tried closing the curtains but that's even worse, then I hear the birds but can't see them and I'm thinking what if it's a bird that hasn't visited me before?! I've even tried setting up the computer in a different room away from the garden, but then I'm thinking about whats in the garden - I can't win!
So I have a "break", make myself a cuppa and watch/photograph them for 10 minutes.....of course 2 hours pass by and I'm still watching!

The only motivation I have at the moment is that if i can get my act together and the business takes off, then I can work at home all day every day and watch the garden to my hearts content!

New Menu

Well, I've tried everything today... cheese... coconut... apple... seed... nuts... raisins.... the birds have more of a selection than I do! I had a couple of the Chaffinches come back (though fleetingly!),

and the Robin was still doing his Hummingbird technique, and even the Coal Tit brought his mate along so I should be grateful.

Of course, looking on the bright side my feeders aren't that busy because there's still plenty of natural food around for them......but the selfish side of me wants them to bombard my garden!
I don't think I've ever been this impatient for the cold weather to arrive!

Where are they?

Has anybody else noticed a shortage of activity at the feeders this weekend? I don't know if the birds know something I don't but the only activity on the feeders this weekend has been the ever reliable Robin!
Not a titter of anything else! Maybe their food source is a bit more abundant than a few days ago, maybe more insects are around or something? Who knows?
All I know is that I've been poised with my camera aimed at the bird feeders for almost 2 days and now have cramp..................not that there's anything wrong with a Robin, of course!

Jackdaw

Had 3 Jackdaws on the fat ball feeder today (2 adults & 1 juvenile) - actually looked quite comical seeing these huge birds trying to cling on to the small bars!

Will cost me a fortune in fat balls though, they've already munched their way through 2 before the Coal Tits mobbed them!

Also saw 1 Long Tailed Tit waiting in the ferns behind the nut feeder - it didn't stay for long but hopefully it will be back with it's gang soon. This is the first one we've had in the garden so, fingers crossed, they may become regular visitors in the winter.

Peanut the Foxcub

We're lucky to have 2 Foxcubs visit us every evening. One of them, the dog, we've named Peanut as this is what he loves to eat!

He comes at 6pm (on the dot) every day and sits quietly waiting for us to throw food up to him. He actually looks annoyed if we're late but he soon forgives us as he munches on chopped apple and dog biscuits!
His sister comes later on in the evening and is very wary, running off as soon as she sees us. Peanut just watches us whilst noisily crunching.

Visitors to our back garden

We've been lucky enough to have family of 5 Jays visit every day since June, the juveniles are quite cute and inquisitive, although still wary. They are very noisy though and tend to scare off the smaller birds...still not everyone is lucky enough to see one of our most beautiful birds close up so can't complain!

We have the usual array of Blue, Coal and Great Tits fighting amongst themselves and chasing each other, I honestly don't know where they get their energy from!

Flock of 9 Chaffinches have started visiting us, they're treating us like a take-away restaurant! Have to refill the feeders every day, even the Woodmouse is making the most of any seed the Chaffinches drop and is filling it's little pouch up with as much as it can!


The Robin has started singing it's territorial song at the top of the tree every day now, I guess that means he will start chasing away the juveniles soon.