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In the garden 2022
- Thread starter Vivienne14
- Start date
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NOTSHARP
master brummie
Seabirds along this coast have been hit hard by Avian flu. We have (had?) a huge Gannet colony at Troup Head, just a wee bit North of us.
https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/gannet-deaths-at-troup-head-spark-bird-flu-concerns-277677/
Numbers are well down, as are the Guillemots and Eider Duck.
We usually get Sparrows, Pied Wagtails, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, etc. in the garden, but we are not seeing any at all.
Steve.
rosie
brummie
Yes one comes round regularly and he doesn't stop scratching. I'm glad I haven't got pets as they might catch something.sure are a lot of mangy foxes about
rosie.
It is a rare occasion to see foxes in this area. We do have coyotes wandering the streets at night sometimes. We have skunks, racoons and a visit from the occasional bear. The little skunks don't spray, but the adults tend to wreak all of the time. There are some permananent yellow stains on the white siding on our house, from skunk spray which contains sulphur. In the middle of the night, the smell is enough to "wake the dead"!sure are a lot of mangy foxes about
We have two little black and white Papillon dogs, which from a distance can pass off as a striped skunk. One did get a mild squirt once that required bathing, but they keep their distance when skunks are drinking from the pond, or digging for grubs in the yard. The skunk just glances back cautiosly and rarely turns around to lift a tail. Most time it just finishes drinking and shuffles away under the fence into neighbouring properties.
We didn't experience the skunk issue until a few years ago when new subdivisions were built a couple of miles to the north, driving wildlife into town. Racoons have always been around and bears wander down an interconnecting network of ravines from their winter spots and occasionally hop or push their way through fences.
NOTSHARP
master brummie
No watering of the garden today! We had rain for most of yesterday, throughout last night, and it's still coming down. Due to stop this afternoon.
Unfortunately, it is coming in on a 20+mph. Northerly wind, gusting to low 30's.mph. Hence the temperature feels 9 deg.C.
No wandering around in shorts and tee shirt today.
Edit
Took pictures of an old mortar that I use to catch run-off from a wall mounted pot.
Steve.
Unfortunately, it is coming in on a 20+mph. Northerly wind, gusting to low 30's.mph. Hence the temperature feels 9 deg.C.
No wandering around in shorts and tee shirt today.
Edit
Took pictures of an old mortar that I use to catch run-off from a wall mounted pot.
Steve.
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mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
and definitely no sandals
pjmburns
master brummie
Not exactly my garden but.... just come in from helping to deliver grey water to the surviving saplings, first year flower beds and community orchard on Windermere Fields by where I live. All water has to be transported in containers as no tap on field. No rain so far and we decided if it rained after we watered it would be a bonus. Better than not watering and no rain.
Were you rescuing fruit trees Janice? It looks a good open space to preserve. Tinpot
pjmburns
master brummie
There is a community orchard, wildflower beds and 100 saplings were planted which we have been frantically watering to keep them alive.
There is a thread about the fields here
birminghamhistory.co.uk
Following on from this a Friends of Windermere Fields group was formed.
There is a thread about the fields here
Windermere Rd Park/ground Saved
It appears that Birmingham Council in their infinite wisdom are attempting to privatise, through the back door, some of their parkland. So much for them telling the world that they are a “Green and Safe City”. It appears that they are wanting to give away a large section of Windermere Road...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
Following on from this a Friends of Windermere Fields group was formed.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
It looks a good project. Just had a wander around Windermere Rd on Google. Also found Bordesley Green Allotment project on the BOSF site. My Dad had many hours of pleasure there working on his allotment. They were refurbished some time earlier when a store and clubroom were built. Along with other allotment holders he organised dances there. Mum and other partners prepared refreshments.There is a community orchard, wildflower beds and 100 saplings were planted which we have been frantically watering to keep them alive.
There is a thread about the fields here
Windermere Rd Park/ground Saved
It appears that Birmingham Council in their infinite wisdom are attempting to privatise, through the back door, some of their parkland. So much for them telling the world that they are a “Green and Safe City”. It appears that they are wanting to give away a large section of Windermere Road...
Following on from this a Friends of Windermere Fields group was formed.
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Terence David Lines
master brummie
Well we have also noticed a shortage of young birds this year, we are hoping that they have been finding enough food on the adjacent farm but I am not convinced. We do now have two Ravens who visit every day.There has been a dearth of small birds this year, but did have this Starling atop my TV ariel this morning..
And a beautiful morning it is. Perfect for lifting a few creels.
Steve.
Brummie a long time ago
master brummie
Its not just over there, we usually have a continuous flow of birds across the garden from bush to bush, stopping off at the bird bath and feeders. At the moment, almost zero. Julie just saw a single redstart fly past, and that was unusual enough to make a comment about.
Plants look very sorry for themselves, we are collecting water from showers, sinks etc to try and keep them going. We have about 4000 litres of rainwater collection spread about under gutters, what rain ? Down to squeezing the water butts now to get the drips out.
The field is normally grass, at the moment it is like walking on weetabix. Except for this green patch which is thriving and will need strimming shortly. 'Fosse septique' is common over here, and after treatment, the clean (!) water goes to a soakaway, a bed of sand just under the ground. Guess where ours is.
The trees in the distance are over a natural underground water course. Trees nearer to our place are shedding leaves like it is autumn.
Andrew.
Plants look very sorry for themselves, we are collecting water from showers, sinks etc to try and keep them going. We have about 4000 litres of rainwater collection spread about under gutters, what rain ? Down to squeezing the water butts now to get the drips out.
The field is normally grass, at the moment it is like walking on weetabix. Except for this green patch which is thriving and will need strimming shortly. 'Fosse septique' is common over here, and after treatment, the clean (!) water goes to a soakaway, a bed of sand just under the ground. Guess where ours is.
The trees in the distance are over a natural underground water course. Trees nearer to our place are shedding leaves like it is autumn.
Andrew.
Here in East Suffolk we noticed yesterday that leaves were falling like Autumn in the wind. Most of my small garden has potted plants which are surviving the heat with watering by hand but it is very noticeable the lack of insects and bees. Hardly any butterflies on the neighbour's buddlia plant. Very few birds about but I would expect that this time of year. We have bought dried worms this morning to start feeding birds earlier than usual. We have started to hear the tawny owls in the last couple of nights. There has been good news that a family of hedgehogs took advantage of a new hedgehog house further along the terrace and had new young this year.
It is much the same here on the west coast of Canada too. The grass is like golden straw, exactly matching your "Weetabix" description. Watering the borders pretty much just stirs up the dust. Deep watering of the "grass" twice weekly is allowed, but futile at this point. I cannot call it "lawn", because so many species of plant seeds have made their way into it that keeping it mowed short its the only way to may it appear decent. Even some of the more drought resistant weeds are fading away!
With the avian flu having shut down feeding birds here for the past several months in the hope that the chicken farms can survive, there are very few birds around. It just seems to be a bad year for all of the bird species that we commonly encounter here. Feeding the birds has been prohibited, but even the ground feeding birds are fewer in number.
Our neighbour fancies himself as a bit of a bird watcher and mentioned seeing an Oriole in his back garden last week, that is not native to the area. That does seem to be the situation, with some unusual species visiting on occasion in recent years.
About four years ago, I was working at our main campus near Vancouver and encountered a bird that stayed there for about three weeks wandering around on the ground. It had long legs and neck and never took to the air, just ran around on the ground. After getting close enough one morning to snap a photo and doing the research, it was clearly a Roadrunner which is native to southern USA, Mexico and Central America. Roadrunners are a member of the Cuckoo family and the only place I'd even seen one before was in the "Bugs Bunny" cartoons.
We normally have hundreds of American Goldfinches, House Finches, and Woodpeckers zooming around, vying for seed at the feeders. The Hummingbirds seem to have taken a vacation, despite us having plenty of flowers. I haven't seen any Robin in weeks out for their early morning worm fest.
Even the pesky Starlings in their throngs haven't visited lately. There even seems to be fewer crows dropping walnuts on the roof and road too. We do have Chickadees in fair numbers though.
All too soon, the weather will change and hopefully the Juncos will return.
In all, it is a very unusual growing season. Apart from our many perennials, flowering plant germination from seed and growth was much slower, whether started in the greenhouse or scattered. Last year a friend whose family grows strawberry and blueberry crops gave me about 10 strawberry plants.
They did pretty well overall. This year, I had one lowly strawberry during the expected time frame. I noticed a couple of days ago that one plant has about 10 berries on it almost ripe.
I have long English cucumber plants and field cucumber plants out in above ground stock tanks and until last week in the greenhouse where they do exceptionally well. The plants in the greenhouse formed flowers and some small fruits, but nothing more. The outside plants were yielding a couple of cucumbers daily, but suddenly slowed down this week.
Tomato plants are going slowly, but all are Romas, since the other varieties never took off. Garlic and chives grow regardless and for the first time ever, I have managed to grow spring onions, which always germinated but failed in the past.
So, it does seem to be an unusual year!
Richard Dye
master brummie
This is not our garden but the pond next to it. As can be seen by the grass we have been blessed with good rains for the past few days.
The geese from the North have begun to fly South and stop for a rest in the middle states. Today the high temperature will be a sunny 82f.
Richard Dye
master brummie
Thank you Pedro! I thought they were but was not sure. We walked around the pond after I sent the pic and my wife pointed out that they were Canadian Geese but very early for TN!
Canada Geese for sure. They are everywhere here and we see the same pairs return to the same location to roost every year outside the main entrance at work and on our main campus. Every park is pretty much covered with goose poop!
Richard Dye
master brummie
This is our fist year in this house but remember we started to see them about three weeks later. You are so right about the goose poop!
Terence David Lines
master brummie
Canadian Geese. Stratford On Avon started a scheme where they put a pin hole in the nesting birds eggs so they did not hatch, we stopped going to Stratford as the park was covered in poop most of it was geese and swan poop.
Is it Oak?
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