Wildlife in our gardens

ruthiejane

If you don't want your cats to get birds try a "cat alert" available from http://www.willana-lifesciences.co.uk/. Not particularly cheap, but they do work. Our cats both wear them, on collars that fasten with velcro. Wouldn't be without them.

lainey_stardust

Hi follks, we have robins, sparrows, blackbirds and magpies. My cat can't be bothered even to look at them!! My favourite thing are a family of bats that I think are nesting in the large conifers at the bottom of my garden. Every night at dusk they have a mad half hour circling in the air.There is a new baby bat I think as he is a lot smaller than the others

Davesnave

I haven't even seen any swallows yet this year, although there have been reports of sightings of swallows and swifts around the country this weekend.

Swifts arrived today in my neck of the woods (Wilts/Somerset)

I heard about meal worms for the babies but I have no idea where to get them ? anybody?

Dried mealworms are available for about £4 for a fairly large bag in many garden centres. Live maggots sold for fishing also make good bird food, but won't be available most places before the coarse fishing season begins on 16th June.

The strangest thing I've seen in a garden recently was a wild terrapin, which I saw and photographed in a local wildlife-friendly place that is open to the public. It weighed about 2kg and must've escaped or (more likely) been released by an irresponsible owner into this well-known water garden. It's hard to know how a creature that large could survive, but they do, though they can't breed in the UK.

~Chameleon~

tanith wrote: »

I heard about meal worms for the babies but I have no idea where to get them ? anybody?

I buy them from here http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/departments.asp?dept=1033

I usually get the250g sack which lasts a few weeks and costs around £6.

~Chameleon~

lainey_stardust wrote: »

Hi follks, we have robins, sparrows, blackbirds and magpies. My cat can't be bothered even to look at them!! My favourite thing are a family of bats that I think are nesting in the large conifers at the bottom of my garden. Every night at dusk they have a mad half hour circling in the air.There is a new baby bat I think as he is a lot smaller than the others

We have bats too although I've not yet figured out where they're nesting. I've not noticed them yet this year though, will look out this evening for them as it's quite warm here and there are hundreds of insects flying around at the moment.

Davesnave

Live maggots sold for fishing also make good bird food, but won't be available most places before the coarse fishing season begins on 16th June.

Aarrgghh! Just read in Chameleon's mealworm link that maggots may pass on 'potentially fatal diseases which may be present in offal-fed larvae.'

Or is this just a ploy to get us to buy more mealworms? (Note use of the weasel word 'may.') Would they really allow us to purchase maggots riddled with fatal diseases? (knowing how fishermen throw maggots with one hand and have their sandwiches in the other!)

Well, 'fatal diseases' or not, I know I've fed more than a few birds and shrews, voles etc with maggots over the years. In fact, in regular fishing places, the birds queue up!

MrsB2100

We have Blackbirds, Sparrows, Blue Tits and Starlings all nesting in and around our garden. :T The blue tits are currently checking out the nestbox in our garden and provide hours of fun watching them! (I have to be careful, or I'll end up late for work every day!). We used to have Robins but I dont see them too often anymore, which is a shame as I put up an old paint pot (it was clean!) on a tree trunk for them to nest in. We also get pidgeons & collared doves too, but they make such a racket we try to shoo them away. I know it's not very nice, but I've also spotted a pair of Greenfinches flying around and I dont want them put off by the big birds! We dont have any other pets, so I've no problems with shooing cats away either. We've also got a resident Hedgehog too - we call him Bob, but I think it may be a female, as we often see Mummy and about 3 babies in tow, although, it's still early this year! The babies were very well behaved and posed for piccys for us a couple of years ago. Of course, they'll be grown-up now, but I like to think that they come and visit the garden where they get catfood to eat! We also see the Bats in the evening too ... not sure where they are, but their all welcome in our garden! And we've seen a squirrel twice, so I dont think they're interested in what we have for them to eat. Nature provides the most marvellous shows and all for free, too! You cant get more moneysaving than free entertainment! :money:

~Chameleon~

Davesnave wrote: »

Aarrgghh! Just read in Chameleon's mealworm link that maggots may pass on 'potentially fatal diseases which may be present in offal-fed larvae.'

Or is this just a ploy to get us to buy more mealworms? (Note use of the weasel word 'may.') Would they really allow us to purchase maggots riddled with fatal diseases? (knowing how fishermen throw maggots with one hand and have their sandwiches in the other!)

Well, 'fatal diseases' or not, I know I've fed more than a few birds and shrews, voles etc with maggots over the years. In fact, in regular fishing places, the birds queue up!

I don't know about "fatal diseases" or whether they might harm any birds but I do know that maggots are not recommended for feeding reptiles, although I'm sure that had more to do with the dyes used in many of them than anything else. I'm sure the same would apply to feeding birds with dyed maggots but can't see why they can't eat regular ones

System

We currently have a dunnock that spends much of the day tapping on either the lounge or kitchen window and fluttering up and down. We're convinced he wants to come in. In fact both the M & F come, their nest must be close, as when we looked in the hedge, a young bird sat in there, not fully feathered though.

Our resident hedgehogs arrive about 9pm from lord knows where, they must be close by as it is only just dusk when they decend on us.

Davesnave

I do know that maggots are not recommended for feeding reptiles, although I'm sure that had more to do with the dyes used in many of them than anything else. I'm sure the same would apply to feeding birds with dyed maggots but can't see why they can't eat regular ones

Mmm, haven't seen a dyed maggot for some time now, so I assumed they'd been banned. I know they won't be breeding maggots on rump steak, but I have tended to think that, in this country at least the, Health & Safety brigade would keep a fairly good eye on bait farms, bearing in mind their potential for causing/spreading diseases if not regulated. And presumably the welfare of fish comes into this too!