Coffee, Mollie and frugality

It's a sunny summer's day but there is an icy wind blowing. And yet I'm sitting outside in the garden having coffee. Braving the cold. And the reason, you might ask?

Well, I spotted Mollie, my resident Mole Snake, just as she made her way down a hole against the wall. I haven't seen her for months as she was probably hibernating and I'm very keen to get a couple of photographs and also to see whether she has grown at all. The skin she shed last summer panned out at almost two meters (which means she's about 1.3m-1.5m in length as the shed skin is always longer) and the length that disappeared down the hole looked considerably longer. Maybe it's somebody else, so I'm waiting to see. But I don't think I've got much hope of that, she's probably settled in there for the day now.

While I was waiting, I did a couple of chores - filled the seed house with a new block of seeds, filled the nectar bottle with sugar water and watered a few plants, all the while keeping an eye on the hole in case Mollie surfaced.

I purchased this feeder from a lovely garden shop in Ballito, called "Sage" and they have the most exquisite plants, pots and bird paraphernalia. All I need to do now is buy the blocks of replacements seeds which I can do on-line, no need to drive 600km to the coast!

Replacements seeds ordered on-line

Next on my list - a Nectar feeder

I also filled up my pine cones with fresh peanut butter sprinkled with some wild bird seed. This is a delicacy that the birds really love.

I saw a really cool idea at the nursery the other day - a raffia bag filled with feathers from which your garden birds can easily pluck some ready-made nesting material. I've made one out of an empty orange bag but have not yet managed to collect enough soft feathers from the garden to fill it with. Moulting season for the chickens is finished for the moment. And I really don't know of anywhere where one can buy feathers from. Maybe a hobby shop...? (I'm also just thinking, why didn't I just buy it from the nursery while I was there! But that leaves no space for creativity and frugality, does it? he he!)

My new Seed cage feeder with new block of seeds

I also bought a pottery suet feeder, the birds absolutely love it!

Well, after a couple of hours and several cups of coffee, Mollie still hadn't surfaced so I gave up waiting, will see if I can spot her tomorrow. But at least all the birds feeders are full and all the bird baths clean and fresh...

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The garden is a doorway

An entry and sketch in my Daily Garden Journal

To me, the garden is a doorway to other worlds; one of them, of course, is the world of birds. The garden is their dinner table, bursting with bugs and worms and succulent berries.

I started putting up bird feeders here in my new garden about seven years ago, a tradition I carried forward from when we left our other smallholding where we had lived for twenty-seven years.  Putting up bird feeders has taught me one thing - it's a life-long commitment because the birds soon become dependant on this source of food, especially in winter.

Olive Thrush enjoying some apple on one of the bird feeders

For me going on holiday means major organisation - I have to leave someone in charge of feeding all the animals - the hedgehogs, the tortoise, the ducks and geese, the chickens and, last but not least, the garden birds.

The Olive thrush joined by its mate

Water is an integral part of the garden, for residents as well as weary travellers. I have some shallow containers for bathing, which is a daily routine for residents, and some deeper bird baths for drinking, where I often see non-residents having a long drink before continuing on their journey.

Of course, planting indigenous is a great way to offer natural food to the birds and insects and is a great life-saver for birds and insects. The Kniphofia above (Red Hot Poker) offers sustenance to nectar feeders like Sunbirds as well as many insects.

Indigenous trees like the Black Karee (Rhus lancea) offers hiding place for many insects, a great snack for all the birds, and carries lovely berries which all the birds seem to love. A warning though, the berries/seeds drop in their thousands and it's not long before you have enough seedlings to stock a nursery!

Leaving an area in you garden for natural, indigenous grasses to grow provides seeds and shelter for an array of wildlife - this area is home to many insects, spiders, lizards, small snakes, scorpions and many others that find a safe haven here.

Utilising cut-down trees and placing the logs in your garden also provides cover and safety for many insects. Making a log pile in an undisturbed corner away from normal garden traffic is also a great way of encouraging wildlife to your garden.

Photo by Claire Butler

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Remember the birds in winter

One of the joys of having a garden, is the amount of wildlife it draws. Birds, lizards, insects, hedgehogs, butterflies, bees, the list is endless.

In winter the wild birds can have a hard time finding enough food. As winter approaches, many birds change some of their eating habits. Birds that usually eat insects may start to eat berries or fruit to supplement their diets. Birds will start to look for reliable sources of food for wintertime survival. Turn your garden into a haven which they will frequently visit for something to eat and drink. Feeding the birds is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby in the midst of chilly winter weather.

To attract the greatest number of species in the winter, it is important to have a number of different birdfeeders available, Ideally, winter birdfeeders should be placed in sheltered locations out of the most severe winds. Placing feeders closer to the house will be effective and will help keep the birds visible for indoor bird watching. At the same time, feeders should be placed near protective cover such as hedges or trees to offer birds safety from predators.

In winter, I put out food and water on a regular basis. In severe weather, I feed twice daily: in the morning and in the early afternoon. During summer I cut down to once daily, in the morning, with a good mix of Black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins and currants, mild grated cheese, mealworms, mixes for insectivorous birds and good seed mixtures. Soft apples and pears cut in half, bananas and grapes are also good. Some people use soaked dog or cat food and tinned pet foods, but these may attract rats, crows and cats. Avoid using peanuts, fat and bread in summer, since these can be harmful if adult birds feed them to their nestlings.

Fill a pine cone with peanut butter and then roll it in some bird seed. Tie your pine cone to a tree with a piece of string or wire and soon you will have dozens of new feathered friends flocking into your garden for this lovely snack.

A quick, easy and inexpensive way to cater for the fruit eaters is to bend a wire coat hanger into a heart-shape. Add another piece of soft, pliable wire to the top of the hanger onto which to attach the apple, hang in a tree and voila! bob's your uncle! The Black-headed Orioles regularly visit to enjoy the fruit I put out.

This is the scene that greets me most mornings when I go out to fill the feeders and feeding tables. This crowd is a mix of Buntings, Larks, Canaries, Weavers, Laughing Doves and possibly a few Queleas as well.

Laughing Doves, patiently waiting, etched against the cold, blue sky

 Weavers waiting for me to finish, enjoying the sun in the bare peach tree

As soon as I turn my back after filling all the various feeders, everybody swarms down to see what is on offer!

A feeder that can do double duty as a seed bowl or a water dish

A seed cage keeps waste to the minimum

Birds require high energy (high fat) foods during the cold winter weather to maintain their fat reserves to survive the frosty nights. Use only good quality food and scraps. A suet feeder, like the one above, provides them with a good source of fat and protein.

A Cape Robin enjoying some of the fruit on offer.

Experts disagree about whether backyard bird feeding will significantly help bird populations. But feeding certainly can help individual birds in your neighbourhood.

And don't worry if you must stop feeding briefly—while going on holiday, for example. In all but the most severe weather conditions, wild birds will find other food in your absence, particularly in suburban areas where other birdfeeders are just a short flight away. If you live in a rural or isolated area, however, try to arrange to have a neighbor maintain the feeders during winter absences.

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