Birdwatching

is something that I like to indulge in, especially during wintertime and I'm not the only one, the Bliss team loves live bird TV too. A few years ago the under-gardener made king size windowsills so that all the cats can safely sit or sleep on the windowsill without the fear falling off or cramping their style in any way. In summertime they love to sit and do a spot of sunbathing and during winter they love lying there, basking in the heat from the radiator beneath the windowsill. I usually sit near the window so that I have a lovely view from my garden and when the cats are not on the king size windowsill, they are on the footstool in front of my chair.
I've placed a big garden table in front of my living room windows with a nice display to cheer us up during these dark and gloomy days before Christmas. There should always be something of interest in your garden, whatever the season. And this way I can look at it and enjoy it from the comfort of my own chair, without getting cold or wet.
Of course you noticed that all the cats were fast asleep but when it's lunchtime for the birds and they all come to feed, it's a different story altogether. Gone are the sleepy heads, all the cats are wide awake and very keen to watch their daily programme of live bird TV. Here's a pic of Merlin avidly watching the birdies! Well, maybe not so much. ;-)

Above the garden table is the pergola that the under-gardener made last Spring and from it dangle quite a few bird feeders, not forgetting my bird chandeliers from Ikea, of course.
Here's a pic of my latest bird feeder that I bought last weekend. So far no bird has approached it yet, but these things take time. First the birds have to get used to it and then they will come and feed from it.
This new one is for the big birds to use, for the smaller birds I have a special peanut feeder just for them alone and they can eat there to their hearts' content without being afraid of being chased away by those pesky big birds.
Only small birds can slip through the bars of this birdcage and feed. Great, isn't it?

Another very popular feeder is this one, the little sparrows just love it, but oh what a mess they make while feeding; seeds are literally dropped all over the place.
But not to worry, there are plenty of little helpers about who love to clean up the mess the sparrows have made, like my friends the turtle doves,
mrs Blackbird,
mr Blackbird,
and this finch here too. I even saw some sparrows helping with the cleaning up, which was kind of them.
The suet balls containing loads of seeds prove to be very popular too with many birds. Today I saw some starlings pecking away at them, a couple of sparrows and some blue and other tits as well.

It's fun watching the birds feed and also what they do after their bellies are full; it's snuggling up time!

Lately I have been very busy unfortunately and unable to respond to all the many wonderful comments, best wishes, compliments and congratulations I received for both my birthday and for getting my first garden article published. So thank you all very much, I appreciate it a lot; reading all your kind words made me a very happy bunny!


BTW Next year another garden article of mine will be published in the first Tuin&Co (=Garden&Co) magazine of 2008.

copyright: Y.E.W. Heuzen.2007

Let us not always say
'Spite of this flesh today
I strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!'
As the bird wings and sings
Let us cry 'All good things
Are ours, nor soul helps flesh more, now, than flesh helps soul.'
Elizabeth Barrett Browning