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Talkback: Footprints in the snow

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
What a lovely piece of writing, Richard, all about the wildlife we have here in Bristol in our gardens. I seldom venture out in below zero temperatures asii am over eighty, but I go round all my bungalow windows snapping the wildlife and observing it. I have lovely pictures of the squirrel eating the bird seed, of the blackbirds chomping away at Bramley apples, of the cheeky robin who will not allow the pied wagtail near the seeds, and of the fox and squirrel prints in the snow. As I am in danger of getting withdrawal symptoms when I cannot get out in my garden the wildlife is my therapy. Before the mange struck the foxes in Bristol we used to have a posse of ten foxes who would meet through the night in the winter on our garden wall so you may be right about the party.

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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Your garden sounds like mine. We have a squabling family of 3 jays who dissagree continuously about who may eat the peanuts. A small femail rat lives under our decking and has made a furrow in the snow between the peanuts and her burrow during her food collection outings. When the squirrels come to dine, both they and Miss Rat carefully ignore one another but once, when they caught one another's eye purely by accident, a huge fight broke out! I'm not sure who is the most agressive of the two, even with the squirrel being far larger, but it was a close thing!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I watched a squirrel and a magpie having a tug-o-war once for an acorn. The struggle went on for some time and neither tookany notice of me, but eventually the magpie lost its temper and opened its mouth to give a great squawk, so the squirrel won. A lesson I think to always keep cool in a dispute.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    The birds seem to be having disputes around here, two blackbirds were clashing and flying up and down, and a robin was terrorising a sparrow, pushing it backwards until it took flight.
    Would it be territory or food?
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    i havent seen my lovely fox since xmas eve,,,,i fear the worst now,i keep going out into the back garden calling him but nothing...i back onto woods so maybe just maybe hes still in his lttle den keeping warm,last night the food i put out was still there this morning..while ive been out walking my dog ive been checking the roads and fields where i live to see if i can see anything dead or alive [injured]...but nothing.
    i do hope hes well................
    as he was/is a dear little fella.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    ive move my birdstand from the garden (because no birds would feed) to the front of my house with all different bird food and yet no bird comes anywhere near it, its been at the front for about 3wks now, what can i do to attract bird?? martina ;0
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    All my regular bbird visitors have stuck around during the frost and snow. I have added a nut feeder at the front of the house for my tits and have been quite worried as only one has been around until testerday when the two were together in the front garden. They have used my bird box for the last two years and am now happy they are still together.
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