Beckenham nature and garden watch

[dickensman]

I have the gardening services of a reliable company around today, laying a path of blue bricks and trimming the raspberry canes.

The blackcurrant bushes grew like mad because of all the rain we had in June, but sadly they produced no fruit which is a first in twelve years of growing them. I shall have to buy blackcurrant jam this year.

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[dickensman]

The wren popped into the garden looking for the bamboo which has now been removed and replaced by a honeysuckle.

The bamboo was in a long box and had grown so large and thick, it had become oppressive shading the window.

There was an unusual triangular bird box behind the bamboo made from a few off cuts, which the wren had started to take an interest in.

Sadly the honeysuckle is not nearly as prolific so there was nowhere to hide the box,

I will have to find a new spot for it still on the same wall but undercover.

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[dickensman]

Whenever you see the remains of a pigeon looking like a "Red Indian’s war bonnet" or a plateful of feathers in a circle, then it was taken and eaten by a hawk.

Excellent filming Nick.

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[nick]

Nice observations, we have much more wildlife in our Beckenham garden than we did when we lived in Dulwich.

I saw this Sparrow Hawk eating a freshly killed Pigeon outside our patio doors last year, it let me get within 5 metres to video it.
Shame it was behind an irrigation hose.

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[dickensman]

In my garden hangs three bird feeders.
two have peanuts and the third has Niger seeds for the rare visits of
goldfinches.
The area beneath these three feeders belongs to a feisty robin who watches
the ground like a hawk.
When the smallest piece of peanut falls it becomes his on landing, not the
peckers, and when the great tits or the blue tits try to retrieve what they
feel is their booty robin is there to remind them that it’s exclusively his
table and no one eats at it other than robin.

I have also a pair of blackbirds who eat the occasional grapes I throw out
for them he mr blackbird is truly a gentleman for when he finds a tasty
morsel he will call to mrs blackbird she promptly flies in and almost lands
on top of him so that he has to hurriedly move away before she attacks him.
She will not allow him anywhere near her when food is present. He will grab
a grape she will take it from him, he hops out of her reach and waits until
he has an opportunity to peck another one and if she is eating he can then
eat his own grape.

Two days ago I saw eight sparrow hawks wheeling together, the six chicks
are not as heavily set as the two parent birds. I have never seen so many
hawks at one time.

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