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ED Nature Watch

Peckhamgatecrasher
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SimonM

SimonM

Posted
Posted

Have had long-tailed tits very occasionally here....1 day last year there were five of them. Great and blue are the usual ones though, plus some coal.


Saw a nice male chaffinch on his own by Peckham Rye Park lake today, and a coot sat on her nest in the middle of it: then a robin in Dulwich Park. It was still quite wet out (although the rain had been stopped a while) so there seemed to be fewer people around, which of course is always good for seeing birds! :)

Sue

Sue

Posted
Posted

louisiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sue, do you use any feeders or boxes now? I'm

> current;y looking at feeding and homing options to

> try to encourage the dears.

>

> But my even more exciting news today was *two*

> jays. First time. He's found a mate!


xxxxx


Hey, I love jays!


I'm embarrassed to admit that I have an empty feeder hanging up in the garden. I used to buy peanuts in bulk from eBay, but the supplier I used doesn't do them any more, I couldn't find anywhere else that was so cheap and I'm not rolling in money at the moment (or ever in fact :)) ).


Also I had a mouse and although I keep the peanuts in a closed plastic container the sack when it's full won't all fit in it, and I've got limited storage space.


However, in my defence, I have an urban jungle of a (very small) garden which has birds nesting in it each year (blackbirds and bluetits usually) and I do garden for wildlife with shrubs with berries etc..


I tried putting up a feeder with nigella seed to try and attract goldfinches, but so far as I know it didn't, thought something ate the seed!!!

Sue

Sue

Posted
Posted

Just found she's started doing them again so just ordered more peanuts, only trouble is I have to watch for squirrels ripping open the bird feeder and leaving whole peanuts about which baby birds can choke on.


?29.90 for 25kg, free delivery :)


My mouse died, hope they don't attract more :-S

Sue

Sue

Posted
Posted

SimonM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >?29.90 for 25kg, free delivery

> That is cheap - are they shelled?


xxxxxxx


Yes - do a search on eBay, it's item number 120407721929, Economy wild bird peanuts.


Seller is misscardigan (but a search on that won't find it).


Alternatively www.wildbirdfood.uk.com - same seller but not on eBay, but has a very wide range of well-priced bird food.

TheePope

TheePope

Posted
Posted

This is a bit random but it's nature based so I'll put it here! I'd always wondered what those weeds with pretty blue flowers are that are in abundance at the moment. There's lots of them around ED station at the mo. Anyhow they are called Green Alkanet and the flowers are edible. So now you know!


http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/alkanet.htm

louisiana

louisiana

Posted
Posted

Good spot TheePope.


In the same plant family are comfrey and borage, also very common. I'm always being told by neighbours that all these are weeds, but all the critters love them to bits so they get to stay. And as you say, the flowers are quite pretty in a wild garden way.

Sue

Sue

Posted
Posted

TheePope Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'd always wondered what those weeds

> with pretty blue flowers are that are in abundance

> at the moment. There's lots of them around ED

> station at the mo. Anyhow they are called Green

> Alkanet and the flowers are edible. So now you

> know!

>

xxxxxx


They're very pretty but they're ******* invasive, and their roots go quite deep so they're hard to get rid of. They certainly seem to like it around ED, must be the soil I think.


The leaves are quite similar to foxglove leaves (though less broad and less grey) so if like me you're trying to encourage foxgloves but keep the alkanet to the back of the garden, it can be a problem trying to distinguish them.


Edited to say: Except when they're flowering, obviously.


Interested to hear that the flowers are edible, are they related to borage?

Peckhamgatecrasher

Peckhamgatecrasher

Posted
  • Author
Posted

And they bloomin' well sting!


Saw another type of butterfly today. According to the Butterfly Trust it is a female Common Blue (but in fact brown).


identify a butterfly


Re the owl, probably a Tawny Owl. They like urban areas and give the familiar "twit twoo" sound.

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