When the going gets tough…..

Posted on December 5, 2011 by wildlifegardening

I should never complain about the weather being too mild at this time of year – this week is due to be freezing and we have already had a dusting of snow on the hills around us. The garden birds are emptying the feeders daily but also making use of some of the seed heads that have been left for them, especially the lavender outside the back door. Lavender seeds are usually the domain of our goldfinches, but this year the house sparrows also seem to be feeding on them – something I have never seen before. Birds are very capable of learning quickly especially where a food source is concerned by watching each other and presumably experimenting!

About wildlifegardening

Jenny Steel was a Plant Ecologist at Oxford University before becoming a writer. She has more than 20 years experience of writing about and teaching ecology, natural history and wildlife gardening. She is also a photographer, journalist and former plant nursery owner, and a lecturer and tutor in adult education. She has appeared on a variety of radio and television programmes including Gardener’s World with Alan Titchmarsh, and she presented a series of items on the BBC 2 gardening show, How Does Your Garden Grow. She has worked with and written for a variety of organisations including the Royal Horticultural Society, Natural England, Atropos, Ernest Charles, the Adult Residential Colleges Association (ARCA), Haiths, Usborne Books, Complete Gardens, Oxfordshire County Council, the charity Growing Native and several of the Wildlife Trusts. She is also the Garden Bird Guru for the wild bird food company JustAddBirds of which she was a co-founder. The Emmy Award winning film company Panache Productions are currently making a film about her wildlife garden in South Shropshire. She has written 10 books on wildlife gardening. Her website can be found at www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk and her bird food company at www.JustAddBirds.co.uk

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