The Natural History Garden

So, in the early years it was a question of removing this and that, of replanting here and there, and making substantial and what we hoped would be permanent changes. However, those early ideas themselves suffered modifications so that today we have a fairly large country-style garden, offering what we hope is a sanctuary to as wide a cross-section of wildlife as possible. Birds have always been our main interest, so Pyracanthas and Cotoneasters abound. We have a copse which has hosted a pair of nesting Jays of recent years, and one of our local Song Thrushes which takes up residence spring after spring. We had at one time an over-abundance of Macrocarpa trees, but time and storm have taken their toll and so we are now down to only two of them, both lofty and looking a bit dishevelled, but always attracting Goldcrests and Coal Tits throughout the year. The former nests, we have seen the young, but the latter goes elsewhere in the late spring, only to reappear as autumn approaches, usually in late June! This winter (2001/2002), for the second time, we have hosted Goldfinches through the lean months, up to a dozen of them at a time, and we have had our first Siskin, a male, for some years). Breeding birds including Great and Blue Tits for which we have boxes, Blackbirds, Woodpigeon, and, of course (!), Collared Doves.

Our list of birds seen both in the garden and from the garden runs to some 103 species! Outstanding records include annual visitations by that gem of passerines, the Firecrest; our small flock of Yellowhammers which not only visits us during the winter and early spring months annually but which also drops in, if only in ones and twos, throughout much of the remainder of the year; passing Pied Flycatchers which often take up residence for a few days in late September and even into October, and so on. Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been a feature during the last couple of years, even breeding somewhere up in our copse. On 11 January 2002, we had a surprise visit from a Little Egret which came to inspect one of our ponds!

Birds seen from the garden as opposed to within it tend to be spectacular! Red Kites have passed overhead twice; a pair of Goshawks displayed over the garden for awhile in the spring of 2000; on a foggy day a Wheatear appeared on the roof of a house opposite; and one morning an Osprey passed over, heading south. Perhaps most amazing of all was an evening of torrential rain and low cloud, so low that it was brushing the tree tops. Going out to lock the garage, I was just in time to hear a couple of Common Sandpipers going over: they must have been very lost.

Apart from the birds, we take a lot of interest in our insects. We have four ponds, so tend to attract dragonflies, some of them stopping to lay eggs. Highlights have been a number of Emperors; regular visitations by Broad-bodied Chasers, usually impressive females, with dark brown and yellow livery; and Southern Hawkers which are invariably inquisitive: one even went so far as to lay eggs in one of my carpet slippers on one memorable occasion! Butterflies, too, are frequently memorable. Speckled Woods (pictured - August 1995) are regular and on at least three occasions we have played host to Silver-washed Fritillaries, including one which stayed for two or three days, enabling me to take pictures. Imagine my surprise when, as I was standing in the greenhouse one July, a smart White Admiral floated in, circled, and then sailed out, back into the garden. Perhaps most spectacular was a Purple Emperor which appeared on a hot summer's day, to dive-bomb one of our Willows, before an aggressive cock Blackbird drove it off. And that is not the only time I have seen an Emperor: I flushed one from the brick wall beside the door of our garage some five years ago.

Of mammals we have few, but they are welcome visitors. Both Foxes and Hedgehogs come most evenings, and we have a small population of Wood Mice. Bats appear occasionally, but alas it is rarely possible to be sure about identification. Grey Squirrels come daily: we regard them on a love/hate basis since while undoubtedly they are decorative, they also do much damage, digging up bulbs, planting sunflower seeds and peanuts in unwanted places, and so on. Of Newts we have so many that they have without doubt damaged the Frog' population. Adult Newts make steady inroads into the emerging Frog' tadpoles, so much so that it is a long time since we have seen diminutive Frogs leaving our ponds.

We have not seen Mink as yet, nor have we recorded Brown Rat. No doubt it is only a matter of time before we record them both: neither would be welcome.