With more people feeding birds these days it is easy to forget that attracting large numbers creates the danger of disease. Last May Nigel in Cheriton told us about Trichomonosis, which can prove deadly to Chaffinches. Despite regularly moving and cleaning the feeders and changing the water daily he and his neighbours stopped feeding for a period which happily resolved matters. More recently Colin and Lyn here in the village had casualties, even after daily cleanliness checks. When visiting Cern Abbass in August they were disgusted by the appalling state of the bird feeders there.
Personally I have mixed feelings about feeding birds throughout the year. Twenty years ago Lamington National Park in Australia were asking visitors not to feed the parrots, which had become aggressive. Now I only provide food in the winter months, as otherwise it only attracts increasing numbers of less welcome species, such as Wood Pigeons, Jackdaws and Grey Squirrels, which simply hoover up all the food you put out and deter smaller birds from getting their share.
Have you listened to all those pundits who want us to stop mowing our lawns and to allow our gardens to go wild? Well, I think that this advice is misguided! I do not want an expanse of daisies and dandelions and waist high grasses. Several gardeners a while back conducted an experiment. One just let their garden go completely wild. Another kept his borders and lawns in pristine condition, but the most diverse was a really well stocked garden full of a very wide and diverse range of nectar-rich plants. The least diverse was the garden which was left to go to pot. We should not forget that there are many seriously threatened species which actually rely on people to provide the right habitat for their survival.
We started a small trial wild flower meadow three years ago, which has been very successful. This year it was awash with Yellow Rattle and many other native wildflowers but more importantly there have been 14 new species of moths recorded which feed specifically on those plants. The meadow was cut in early August, cleared and any gaps re-sown with seed already saved from the plants. It only goes to show – create the right habitat and nature arrives knocking at your door.
A note for your diaries: ‘Wild about Payhembury’ is an event in the village hall on Saturday 23 October between 10-noon, so why not come along and support this parish council initiative.
