Monday, July 28, 2008

Central London 8 miles

Wildlife Wonderland - in my back garden.

I am sitting here, wireless, in my garden, where I looked up a while ago and saw one of these at my peanut bird feeder:

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Just last week, for the first time ever (and possibly the last!) I saw a pair of these on the fat feeders:

Long-tailed tit

I have lived in this house for 31 years. At first, I could hear owls at night, and bats whirled round at dusk. Both are long-gone.

When I first started feeding birds in the garden, greenfinches were regular visitors. It's years since I saw any.

Then, year after year the feeders went untouched. The sparrows that had been common visitors came no more. No-one knew why this common garden bird was disappearing off the map. Starlings fared no better.

Now the starlings squabble daily at the feeders, eating me out of house and home. Sparrows are increasing in number. At the weekend I looked out of my bedroom window and saw up to about 20 of them poking around in my neighbour's garden.

We are one of the few areas in the country that has stag beetles, and though I have not seen any big males for a few years, this year I had to rescue a small female a couple of times as she attracted the attention of one of my cats. I know they breed in the nearby undisturbed wildlife area that our friendly developer wants to build on. No chance.

9 comments:

  1. each time when i see a beautyful bird, lilly aka killercat brings me that bird as a present.
    poor birdies, sad jazzy, happy cat!
    that's life

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  2. We still get bats round here..I love standing out at twilight and watching them flit by.We occasionally see woodpeckers too...although mostly we see magpies..lots and lots of them.They come down and eat the dry cat food that we leave out sometimes,and they attack the cats if they get too close.

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  3. it seems that brit birds are brainier than german birds, lol. may be it's because of the dry cat food.

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  4. Your starlings have nested in the hole that the woodpeckers made in the side of my house. You can have both of them back.

    You are so kind, so have helped a beetle. I show no mercy to bugs. Neither does Sagan.

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  5. Lovely photos! I do miss living in the country because I don't get to see as many lovely birds and other creatures.

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  6. Dear Val-
    There is an article in Time Magazine this week about a new bug found in the gardens of the London's National History Museum-Director Max Barclay has been trying to indentify the bug and believe that new species are coming into England because either global warming or because of the opening of trade barriers between members of the European Union-
    The article is called Postcard:London by Eben Harrell-very interesting article-
    Regi.

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  7. Thanks, Regi. I heard an interview on the radio about this a couple of weeks ago, too. Of all the places to find something new!

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  8. what a beautiful post!!!
    Never seen the one above, as an animal lover “I would love to”

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