Autumn

Autumn is taking hold in our garden and there is lots of work to be done.

Leave clearing takes up a lot of time, clearing out the bird boxes is another chore and thinning out and tidying up the beds is also on the 'must do' list.

Our pond has had a rough time lately, so this week we've been planting around the border to encourage wildlife back. As you can see from the picture, leaves love our pond too. It's important to clear these otherwise they will rot at the bottom of the pond.

If you're thinking about adding a pond to your garden, check out http://www.pondconservation.org.uk/

Remember, when clearing up the leaves and debris, to check for hedgehogs. They love to hideaway in a bundle for the winter. WIth bonfire night looming too, please double check that none of our spiky friends have wandered into the wrong place. If you find one and don't know what to do, please contact http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

The end of autumn and winter looms!

19th November was a beautiful morning in the Wildlife Garden.

The sun was shining through the autumnal leaves, the birds were gorging on the food we supply preparing for the winter ahead and the volunteers cleared the left over summer detritus from the flower beds and the pond.

There was plenty of activity on the bird front too.

We have three squirrel proof bird feeders. Two contain sunflower seeds and one is filled with peanuts. Over the year, we've noticed that the birds we have in the garden prefer the sunflowers seeds!

Feeder one is always the first on the route for our birds. It attracts all kinds of tits, chaffinches and the occasional squirrel!

Feeder two is very close to feeder one and that contains the nuts. However, once feeder one is empty, the birds fly beyond the pond to feeder three (filled with sunflower seeds) to empty that! Once that has all gone, they will begrudgingly eat the nuts.

As one of the volunteers filled the seeds, the birds immediately boycotted the nut feeder and queued up for their turn at the seed. As this picture taken on Wednesday morning shows, sunflower seeds are very popular indeed.

As the colder days loom and natural food becomes scarcer, it's time to ensure you have plenty of bird food on hand for the birds that live in and around your garden. If you don't have one, think about buying a window feeder.

It may take a few days or even a couple of weeks to attract them, but once your local birds realise the feast you are offering is too difficult to resist! Buy your food from a reputable retailer. Haith's and the RSPB both offer excellent selections!