Sanctuary
By Goldfinch
Autumn sees the departure of our summer visitors, but in their place we get to enjoy the sight of juveniles from late broods of our resident species. Gardens can sometimes get quiet at this time of year, as birds begin their moult, and therefore stop singing in order to avoid the attentions of predators when they might not be able to escape quite so quickly as usual. Autumn also brings a bounty of fruit and grain, so many garden birds leave for farmland. After the hustle and bustle of summer, with harassed parent birds and noisy, hungry juveniles, your feeders will now seem rather neglected!
You will probably still have some garden visitors, although a lot shyer and harder to see than usual, so it's a good idea to keep your hanging feeders topped up, and to put out small amounts of food on tables. Remember though to discard uneaten food after a few days. It's also a good idea to keep birdbaths topped up, especially with the recent hot spells. Again, don't neglect hygiene: remember to keep them clean and free of algae.
Hedgehogs will be preparing for hibernation now, so leave out meat scraps, dog/cat food or specialist hedgehog food if you have hedgehogs nearby. A hibernation lodge is also worthwhile.
Many annuals will have started to set seed by now, so collect seed heads for next year. If you have a surplus, why not set up a local seed swapping scheme, where you can swap your excess seeds that you don't need for those that you do? It's a good way to get something for nothing! You can also plant annuals now to start flowering early next summer: limnanthes, calendulas and cornflowers are just some of the plants that can be sown in September.
With the breeding season over, nestboxes can be safely taken down from September onwards. Clean them out and burn old nests to prevent pests taking up residence (you can buy special nestbox dusting powder to help kill off parasites in the nestbox). Once cleaned out, replace the box so that birds (and perhaps beneficial insects) will have somewhere comfortable to roost once the cold weather sets in. Roosting pockets dotted around dense climbers or shrubs are also a good idea.
Bird visits will probably pick up in November, so be prepared for frequent feeder refilling! You can now safely feed whole peanuts and unsoaked raisins and sultanas, although soaking dried fruit does provide extra moisture for birds. Chopped apples and pears, sunflower seeds, millet, high-energy mixes, grated cheddar and, of course, fat treats are all particularly suitable for this time of year. Enjoy the show!
Ask Goldfinch
Dear Goldfinch,
How can I prevent slugs and snails from damaging my
plants, without harming birds and other animals?
Regards,
Thomas Morrin, Dublin 24
Dear Thomas,
There are many wildlife-friendly ways to stop slugs and snails from eating your plants. Here are a few suggestions:
- Physically protect vulnerable plants by making a simple cloche out of a old plastic drinks bottle or similar. Cut off the bottom and place the bottle over your plant, with at least 2cm of the bottle below the soil.
- There are slug pellets available based on aluminium sulphate, which should only harm slugs and snails, and others based on ferrous phosphate, which are organically acceptable and non-toxic to birds and animals.
- Fill an old margarine tub or similar with diluted milk and bury this to ground level. The slugs are attracted to the milk and drown.
- Well, I'm a bit sceptical about this one. Physical barriers of sharp/coarse materials such as crushed egg shells, coarse sand, etc, placed around the plant, which the slugs are meant to find uncomfortable. In theory it sounds good, but, to be honest, I find that it's not very effective. A better bet may be to use special absorbent granules which suck up the offending gastropods' mucus and stop them approaching your plants. You should be able to find this in most DIY and gardening stores.
- Pot plants can be protected by copper tape, which gives out a mini electric shock to slugs, or smearing Vaseline around the rims.
Your Wildlife Garden
The Cornflower
(Centaurea cyanus)
The cornflower is often described as an easy-to-grow annual: it is simple to sow, it germinates within a week, transplants without problems and grows quickly, needing very little care. However, this doesn't mean it really IS easy to grow! Unfortunately, cornflowers have two rather tiresome enemies: aphids and snails. My first batch was lost to aphids, the second was completely decimated by snails. The only solution I have found to this problem is to grow them indoors until just before the flowers open, then transplant them out into the border.
Many would argue that the wild form is best for wildlife, and this may certainly be true, but I've found that cultivated varieties (such as 'Tall Beauty Mixed', pictured above) are just as attractive to insects, as you can see!
The Blackbird
(Turdus merula)
The Blackbird is perhaps one of the most well-loved garden songsters, along with the robin. The song, which is usually sung between February and July, is particularly rich and melodious. Blackbirds are often the first singers at dawn, and also sing frequently at dusk. They are fond of soaked raisins and sultanas, chopped-up fat treats, grated cheddar, sunflower hearts and live foods, and in gardens where these foods are provided (either on a table or on the ground), they will make regular visits and will often become quite tame.
Males are easily recognisable by their sleek, matt black plumage and bright yellow iris and beak. Females are dark brown, slightly streaked on the breast.