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Gardening Companion

Sunil81.2K views

We’re coming to the time of year when I am beginning to hear the birds in the mornings and evenings. I’m going to enjoy it while the morning chorus is at a reasonable time because at our latitude, this slips earlier and earlier until you’re having the wonders of nature forced on you at 4:00am with the dawn light brightening in your eyes for good measure.

One of the birds that I see around much more often in the winter is the robin, a common, but handsome bird that tends to follow me about when I’m doing the winter clearing.

This one was darting around in front of me as I was tidying up the borders, hoping that I would uncover a juicy worm or grub (and wouldn’t eat it). It was singing too while it was keeping me company and certainly made fumbling around in the mud and cold a more enjoyable experience. They seem to disappear off in the spring and summer, but are always back for the autumn and winter.

I’m looking forward to when the risk of frost has pretty much gone and we can take down the greenhouses that have been in front of the patio windows, blocking the view. We’ll be able to see our seed feeder again and resume watching the birds jostling for their turn at the feeder and bathing in the bath.

 

 

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8 comments

gardeninacity 08/02/2013 - 8:26 pm
I'm very fond of robins, myself. They are cheerful and entertaining. (Have you ever watched one take a bath?)
Sunil 10/02/2013 - 5:45 pm
Hi Jason, yes we have lots of antics at the bird bath and it's lovely watching them bathe, then a great fat starling dive-bombs into it and empties all the water out!
Claire 10/02/2013 - 9:39 am
I read this yesterday when it was freezing and I thought to myself that you were having some kind of hallucinogenic moment thinking it was spring. This morning I noticed that the birds are indeed singing and although it's wet, it's not cold and I'm now tempted outside to start a bit of late winter pruning.
Sunil 10/02/2013 - 5:47 pm
Hi Claire, there's a bit of a delay on this post as it was referring to last week rather than this weekend, which turned out to be disappointingly wet and cold, again. Still, that didn't stop me from planting out some more bulbs and a tray of primroses that I got as cheap seedlings last Autumn.
Jean 10/02/2013 - 9:43 pm
Sunil, I haven't seen any birds in my garden yet; but I realized as I walked to work the other day, that I could hear them singing in the treetops. I consider this a welcome harbinger of spring.
Sunil 15/02/2013 - 8:02 pm
Hi Jean, I also hear them in the evenings in the office about an hour or so before it's home time, which is lovely too.
The Gardening Shoe 12/02/2013 - 9:26 pm
"The wonders of nature forced on you at 4:00am" is brilliant! I shall remember that when summer finally arrives - until then, I will relish the silence of winter with renewed enthusiasm.
Sunil 15/02/2013 - 8:06 pm
Trust me, that's one part of Summer I really won't appreciate - the birds going off in the early hours, every day. There is a period around midsummer when it gets so early that I can sleep through it and that gives some relief but for the rest of the time I turn over, bury my head under the pillow and try to get away from the light and chorus.
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