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?
:-( 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.
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.
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.
Hi there
Going back a few years, I still have to say having Yellow Hammers feeding from my feeders at Xmas time (in Stirlingshire), and over the winter months was a bonus in Scotland (it would have been great to have pictures to show here but at least I have that facility now, It is nice to see all of the action in ones garden as it adds postive backup to one's story)
We had a friendly Pied Wagtail, which was lovely as it used to greet me in the morning, and when I got back home from work. It would met me down the farm track, and make its presence known to me
Seeing Bramblings was a great thing to see too. They are beautiful birds to have around though sadly their visit is so brief each year.
Too many birds to mention here. As we move about a bit we have a different set of new birds to look forward to each and every time.
We are lucky that way so we have plenty to say about birds, and of course our trips out too. {big smile}
.Regards
Kathy and Dave
Waxwing or hawfinch would be nice.... as for animal, it would be a stoat or weasel! I so envy those people that send in films of them doing their berserk dances around the garden!! :-)
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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I'd like to see a buzzard perched on the garden fence. I already get red kites coming down so maybe that's being a bit greedy. More realistically, waxwings would be great because I've never seen them.
As to mammals, I'd just like to see the fox that I know visits the garden. I've seen its tracks in the snow and it leaves its droppings around.
Tony
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