If for Christmas/Happy New Year which bird or animal would you like to get in your garden?

Question

I often think about this and would generally be very satisfied with a Great Spotted Woodpecker but to go for wishful thinking it would have to be a Red Kite as I think they are magnificent birds. 
 What would you all like?

Gaellus · Answer

As I live in a built up area I am lucky enough to have a wee garden at the back. I am always glad to see a wee robin that comes visiting every morning. I once was lucky enough to have a fleeting visitation of a group of long tailed tits. But if wishes were kisses I'd love to see a golden eagle in my garden!

'I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself'.

Anonymous · Answer

Very interesting choices! I also have only a small garden and sometimes get a little flock of long tailed tits, they're really sweet but they never stop to feed. I've achieved my goal of attracting greenfinches and goldfinches this year so fingers crossed I may get a woodpecker in the future.

Anonymous · Answer

They will come back Sparrow, I only had golfnches start visiting this August, they went away for a while and bought back another pair, their young seem to have stayed & lingered so I am hoping by this time next year I will have a nice little flock. I am certain birds have a mental mapping system (mini satnav) in their heads to find their favourite gardens. I am sure they will come back.

Anonymous · Answer

:-( I'm green with envy Peanuts (in a nice way though). 
 I used to live in Surrey & we used to get Siskins in our huge fir tree, but I've never seen them here in the Midlands. My Mum lives up the road from me & she gets a tree creeper. So I am jealous of her tree creeper & she is jealous of my goldfinches. I think its really strange that we live within 150 metres of eachother & we don't get the same types of birds despite putting very similar types of food out. 
 My greenfinch numbers have decreased but still have about 6-8 I thought it must 've just been the babies leaving home. Have you tried putting out a mix of safflower seed mixed with sunflower hearts - they go mad for it. They also love the niger seed, I had to buy a really larger niger feeder with 8 ports because the greenfinches kept bullying the goldfinches to get off the smaller one. I kept the smaller one too, this has stopped the fighting.

Anonymous · Answer

Lindybird if you love hedgehogs there are lots of wildlife hospitals and centres who need foster mums for hedgehogs, not just babies but some adults with missing limbs & some that just need feeding up for winter. I used to do it when I lived in Surrey it's so rewarding & pleasing when some are able to be released. I had one who bought his girlfriend to see me and later his babies (he'd still got his green paint spot on his spines), the wildlife hospitals mark them so that you can check their weight & administer antibiotics to the right hoggy. All you need is a shed with large rabbit hutches / cages for wintering. Babies need to be kept indoors though. I'd love to do it again but my nearest hedgehog rescue is quite a distance away and I don't have the room for a large shed in my new garden.

Anonymous · Answer

Sparrowhawks are amazing to see in your garden Heron77 if you can cope with the sight of a plucked collared dove carcus. I always used to think they carried their prey away to feed discreetly but right in the middle of my back lawn seemed perfectly fine to her. It puts off your birds from visiting if they come too frequently aswell apparently. MIne doesn't come too often, which is a nice balance for me and my garden birds.