Richard Brooks wrote:
Miss Perspicacia Tick wrote:
Martin Sykes wrote:
We've just had our first ever blackcap in the garden, feeding on the
fat balls. My book says they're usually not seen until April and
even then usually in the south so it must be pretty unusual up here
in Cheshire.


We had one here (South Bucks) on Big Birdwatch weekend (29th Jan).
What I'd really love to see is a house sparrow - they've been absent
from my garden for nearly eight years now.

[snipped]

How good are you with a ladder ?

The London Wildlife Trust have a folder entitled 'Wildlife Gardening'
and there is a basic design for a house sparrow box. It's a communal
affair and I'm sure it can be made even longer for a larger community.

If you like I could try sending the scan to a binaries group for you
to look at. Personally I think that builders should have uPVC
recesses designed into the cladding.


Richard.


Thanks, Richard, but you may email me directly - the address is sarah (dot)
balfour (at) craigy34 (dot) eclipse (dot) co (dot) uk.

I'd be interested to see it, but I won't be doing anything with it as I
don't own the property (I'm still at home) but I'm sure Dad can be
persuaded! ;o) After all, it was him who evicted the last breeding pair we
had by cutting down the garria (sp?) and filling in the hole in the wall in
which they'd nested for the last goodness knows how long.

Which brings me to another point, I may possibly be the youngest posting
here - not that it bothers me, why should gardening - and the appreciation
for the natural world that accompanies it - be the preserve of the more
mature? If I could afford it, and my body would allow, I'd love to move to
the Orkneys and be self-sufficient. I have friends who are doing just that,
and they love it (they used to live in Watford!) Mind you, I just love
Scotland, full stop - and it sure as Hades beats living under the Heathrow
(and possibly Gatwick) flight path!

--
Facon - the artificial bacon bits you get in Pizza Hut for sprinkling
on salads.