Planting time

It's that time of year again... every windowsill on the house is covered in seedtrays. So far in February I've planted 23 types of seeds including grasses, annuals, perennials, wildflowers and vegetables. We got some of the seeds on freecycle and despite them being best before 2004 all but one set have germinated. The first thing I do each morning is to check all the trays, make a note of any new species that have germinated overnight and take some outside for watering.

Pea seedling



I think the ones I'm looking forward to the most are

Pennisetum macrocorum



Monarda panorama red shades



Rudbeckia hirta gloriosa



Ratbida columnifera

Wildlife at the pond

Yesterday I went out to feed the birds and noticed that there were quite a few holes in the snow, caused by a mammal of some sorts. They led from the pond to the side of the garden where there is only a leaning fence panel - an easy way into the garden for mammals. The holes didn't seem like the ones William made when he walked in the snow, but unfortunately there was a bark path underneath the snow so there were no other clues.

I spent the last 10 minutes listening to the scream of a fox - probably on the field at the back of our garden, although I don't know how far the sound could carry. I'm pretty sure it was a fox after checking what a fox scream sounds like on youtube (can't believe I ever lived without it). I wonder how I can get more clues as to what is drinking at the pond at night. The garden is really muddy, but in the absence of snow I can't really see even the cat prints that I know must be there. Any ideas?



Red fox at Formby pine woods.

Feeding the birds

According to the BBC "Up to 17cm (6.7in) of snow has been reported in Exeter." I'd say we have around 2 inches - would that be because we don't live on a hill?

What do my fellow bird feeders do when it snows? Living in the South I've no experience of these situations. The pigeons, doves, squirrels and blackbirds are okay as one of our bird tables has a roof. None of the smaller birds use this table though. Should I keep clearing snow from the other seed trays in the hope that they will snatch a bite before it gets covered over again?

One thing I shall do regularly is to break the ice on the pond. It amazes me how many creatures rely on it for drinking water. Our cat William refuses to drink from a bowl and last time I broke the ice he ran out for a long drink (despite having had water in the house all night). We also had another cat walking over the ice a couple of days ago searching for a spot of water. Then there are the squirrels and birds. I wonder where they all used to drink before we put in the ponds.

As requested...

We gave the otter a scarf:



Also managed to make a little snowman yesterday. Apart from a few small patches he's all that's left to remind us of the snow today.

There's snow even in Devon!

It took a long time for the snow to reach Devon from Russia, but reach it it finally did.





Unfortunately I was in a meeting when most of the snow fell (typical - the only meeting I've had this year) and by the time we got home the light was fading. Still, we managed to go out in the garden, play with William, give the birds and squirrels some fresh water and then watch a squirrel jump around in the snow. Fantastic!







William ventures out onto the pond

Animal homes

The search for land has taken me on a journey of discovery over the last few months. Although we've spent only a few hours actually looking at land I've spent days thinking and planning for the future.

Most of my thoughts have been about trees and plants and what we could grow to attract wildlife. I've also decided that the (first?) book I shall attempt to write will be a sort of diary / account of the creation of a nature reserve from scratch. Not that the land we'll buy at this stage is likely to be turned into a nature reserve, but we shall use it as a sort of trial to see what does and doesn't work - particularly regarding habitat creation.

Recently I've been thinking about artificial habitats - homes for animals that can be erected immediately and don't require time for trees or undergrowth to establish. Obviously bird boxes spring to mind, but there are all sorts of others out there on the internet and in garden centres. Ian is keen on the idea of making them - a fun hobby and also a response to how much they cost.

dormouse box



hedgehog house



bat box



There's an enormous range of specialised bird boxes these days:

tawny owl box



Treecreeper box



barn owl box



duck box



and a floating duck house.

Cold frames

At the weekend we assembled 3 cold frames for our vegetables. Unfortunately 24 hours later we had some very strong gales which lifted one on top of another and pulled 2 of them apart. It appears that the lids catch the wind very easily. Having removed the lids they haven't moved at all. Any suggestions for easy ways to hold the lids down in bad weather?