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Warning: By the time you get to the end of this thread you will feel that you had a hand in creating it with us LOL
you need plenty of stamina for the following photos documenting our day so better get yourself a cuppa and put your feet up before you embark on this blog !!
.......are you sitting comfortably ??? ok.......here we go............................
The fallen Oak which crashed to the ground during the recent stormy weather was put to good use today when my plans got into gear and we created a 2nd stumpery area where the previous feeder post and guardian cage had been. A much more natural photo prop and an area the birds are already enjoying just 10 minutes after it was finished ! Here is a photo record of our busy day, a cool but dry day which enabled us to finish the project ..................
The area as it looked before we started: guardian cage, Euonymus shrub, Rowan tree, temporary feeder post
1st task to remove the guardian cage/slate, shrub, middle feeder post, shrub and Rowan tree
area ready for first logs .............
next, chainsaw the Oak into manageable (ha ha !! still weighs a bl**dy ton ! ) and transport to new area
add another large log ...............
and yes I really did pull this log to the new area before you lads think this photo was just for show !!!
tennis elbow strap tightened and in place, nothing stops me when I have ideas for the garden lol
now in place and stabilised by two wooden post blocks .......
3rd and 4th logs added and wooden blocks removed ...........
you won't believe it but that smaller log at the front was an absolute stinker to chainsaw !!!
I then planted a small cotoneaster to the right and a larger Pieris to the left to soften the look of the logs .....
the Euonymus was replanted towards the back to give the birds some additional shrubbery shelter ....
and it appears, just like MC whilst creating his lovely new garden area, that we also had a site foreman watching proceedings .....
with the logs being used also as a photo prop, a channel was cut into the back of the oak to take peanuts, seeds or pastry ....
view from behind the stumpery - deeper channels may be dug at a later stage ............
all completed, everything in place awaiting the birds :)
and who is the first visitor do you think ???
a lovely little Wren who was first to spot a few tasty woodlice that had taken up residence in the felled oak ........
got to say the new stumpery with all its moss and lichen looked like it had been there for years !!!!
more of the gorgeous Wren ......
think she must be working out how old the Oak is in this next pic !!!!
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Regards, Hazel
What a lovely corner you have created, it just goes to show what can be achieved with only a few things. The site foreman is having a good look, and the wren, how many years do you think he counted?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Wow hazel, that is amazing, such a lot achieved in just one day! The stumpery looks like it's been there for years, and little jenny looks as though she's been visiting forever Lol well done both of you.
Terry
cheers Terry
my photo's here
You'll be recreating a one to one scale Pyramid of Giza before long! That first photo of the Wren, complete with woodlouse in beak is a great capture. I assume your site foreman was as much use as a chocolate teapot, just as mine has been? Some singing, a spot of ditting and then a brief visit to poke around looking for snacks? Does that sound about right? I imagine the Wrens are there for the duration now.
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
Thanks Catlady, Terry and MC, seems gardens are something that we are always changing around ! Glad we were able to put the Oak logs to good use, its like giving something back to the garden and to nature and if the Wren is an example of the visitors we are likely to get then all the better lol
@ Catlady, most of the trees in the garden are over 70 years old as far as I know and some a lot older than that !
@ MC, yes it sounds very similar lol, I did ask him to go clear the guttering if he wanted live mealworms next month lol
It all looks so wonderful aitch, a real testament to your hard work & imagination! That little Wren so sweet & your Robin overseer just carrying out his rightful duties! Can't wait to see more pics from the stumpery!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Thanks Wendy, I couldn't believe it when the Wren turned up straight away and she/he hung around for ages making sure to vacuum up the woodlice lol Hopefully I will get lots of opportunities for pics - if I can keep the Cyrils under control !!
Lol aitch, am sure those squiggles will hoover the peanuts out of your carefully cut channel whilst you're not looking!!
Your new stumpery (and the new inhabitants) looks/look great, Hazel! Must have taken both of you to heave the logs onto and off of that trolley! Seeing all that hard work makes me want to go for a lie down. And with the hollows for seeds and peanuts on the back sides of the logs, you should have plenty of opportunities for candidates for the Bottoms Up thread as the birdies stand on the log tops and study the offerings in the grooves at the back, whilst waving their backsides at you!
Kind regards, Ann
My goodness, Hazy, I'm in awe of what you and Mike (I assume you didn't do it on your own) achieved in one day. How you lifted those logs on the trolley I can't imagine.
It looks great and is going to provide a perfect natural backdrop for photographing the birds. How wonderful that a Wren appeared immediately to prove the title of this post.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Thanks everyone, its so nice to look out on such a natural feeding area although with the corvids and Cyrils around early this morning clearing out the peanuts and pastry I will still need the use of the feeder posts to the either side of the stumpery so there is something left for the little birds. Today I saw the first blackbirds back, a juvenile male and female by the looks of them and they were foraging under and around the new stumpery so all good signs of things to come :) I will get some more suitable channels drilled in with the help of Mike ! so I can fill them with suet and peanuts, etc., nearer the top of the logs but so the food doesn't show in pics - Don't want too many bottoms up pics !
@TJ no, Mike was on hand with chainsaw and to provide extra muscle when it came to shifting the heavy Oak and also digging out the shrubs which had deep thick roots but I was definitely the site manager (lol) with the plans whirling round my head of where to place things and how to tackle the manoeuvring (think women are good strategists) !! We were both surprised how well we managed the logs and it went much better than we anticipated - apart from that smaller front log which took ages to chainsaw as it was in awkward position in the shrubbery (where it had fallen) and proved hard to get the cut through it; Mike had to use the hand saw as well as the chainsaw to slice through it at such an awkward angle. I can tell you we needed a sit down and cuppa by the time we moved the final piece into place lol No pulled muscles or side effects this morning so pleased we must be reasonably fit for our respective ages - Mike was 70 in August ! and I've got 16 months to go to my 60th. Having said this, we probably both looked nearer 80 years when we heaved the last log into place lol !! Can't wait to get outside and take pics but got a busy morning with friend arriving later and I'm cooking a large ham at the moment whilst I watch the Jay land on the new log area !!