Original post in early April (recovered via Google)was :"More berries mean a
hard winter - old wives tale?"Hi,

there is a theory that extra berries on the shrubs means a hard winter and
nature is taking care of all the birds etc.

This sounds doubtful if subjected to logical analysis anyway - my 2p theory
is that more berries means a good summer, and good summers (lots of high
pressure and clear skies) are often followed by hard winters (lots of high
pressure and clear skies).

Be that as it may:

we had loads of berries on the shrubs last year - after a wonderful summer.

There are still loads of berries on the shrub by our steps (cotoneaster
springs to mind, but that may be the other one).
I need to prune this back because it is invading the area of the steps and I
do like to go down into the garden :-)
However it is still loaded with red berries, and pruning back will invlove
throwing away most of these berries.

So; are the birds still dependant on last years berries, or will this years
growth be feeding them? I know the pigeons are doing well off the buds on
our plum trees.

As a first stage I have cleared the top layer of growth, exposing the
berries underneath.
I will watch for a bit in case the birds start stripping these, but I
suspect that nature has over provided in this case.

Obviously I don't want to remove a valuable resource for the wild life, but
how long do they depend on last years berries?

TIA
Dave R
--UPDATE:
----------
Now at the time no birds appeared to be eating the berries, and there is now
loads of food about so I have finally hacked back the shrub and
rediscvovered our steps down from the patio.
However earlier today I was in the garden and heard the 'tchick tchik tchik'
call of a Blackbird.
I looked carefully, and there was a female blackbird in the remains of the
shrub, 'tchick'ing away and swallowing red berries as fast as she could go.
So apparently last year's red berries are just coming into season for
Blackbirds the following May/June!

Fortunately there are a few meals left, and the annual weeding of the
shrubbery is also providing feeding opportunities for the local bird life.

Cheers
Dave R
--

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Original post in early April (recovered via Google)was :"More berries mean a
hard winter - old wives tale?"Hi,
SNIP
As I see it not only must the Summer bee good but the Spring and
previous year, as to have lots of berries you must have lots of blossom.
Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?

--
Please only reply to Newsgroup as emails
to this address are deleted on arrival.

On Thu, 27 May 2004 16:40:05 +0100, Broadback
wrote:

David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

Subject: Follow up on berries question
From: Britannica
Date: 14/06/2004 16:54 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

On Thu, 27 May 2004 16:40:05 +0100, Broadback
wrote:

David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

That means we're going to get a hard winter, right?
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net

"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
snip
David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

That means we're going to get a hard winter, right?
--
Rhiannon


.....or is that just an old wives tale.....

Subject: Follow up on berries question
From: "David W.E. Roberts"
Date: 15/06/2004 13:29 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
snip
David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

That means we're going to get a hard winter, right?
--
Rhiannon


....or is that just an old wives tale.....


Hey, I'm not even a young wife yet, unless that was an offer..?
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net

Subject: Follow up on berries question
From: "David W.E. Roberts"
Date: 15/06/2004 13:29 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
snip
David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

That means we're going to get a hard winter, right?
--
Rhiannon


....or is that just an old wives tale.....


Hey, I'm not even a young wife yet, unless that was an offer..?
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net

"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
Subject: Follow up on berries question
From: "David W.E. Roberts"
Date: 15/06/2004 13:29 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Rhiannon S" wrote in message
...
snip
David W.E. Roberts wrote:


Has anyone seen more may blossom before than this year?


Indeed the Hawthorne in these parts [southern Pennines] were groaning
with blossom....on some trees so thick the leaves were almost entirely
hidden.

A neighbour has a Blackthorne and Hawthorne growing intertwined, a
beautiful sight this year.

That means we're going to get a hard winter, right?
--
Rhiannon


....or is that just an old wives tale.....


Hey, I'm not even a young wife yet, unless that was an offer..?
--

Hmmm...well charming though the prospect is there are some practical
difficulties, one of whom is asleep in the next room :-)

In fact I was just referring back to the start of the original thread, where
I suggested that the theory that a large crop of berries predicted a hard
winter was just an old wives tale.

Certainly last autumn there was a bumper crop of berries and last winter was
anything but hard - the birds are just finishing off the berries now.

My view remains that a good crop of berries follows a good summer - and
nature is bountiful but not necessarily psychic.

Cheers
Dave R

P.S. I suppose I could always change my religion to one which allows
polygamy? :-))

Subject: Follow up on berries question
From: "David W.E. Roberts"
Date: 15/06/2004 22:07 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

In fact I was just referring back to the start of the original thread, where
I suggested that the theory that a large crop of berries predicted a hard
winter was just an old wives tale.

You mean this is where we came in? I must start following thread histories...
--
Rhiannon
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rhiannon_s/
"The trick is to commit crimes so confusing that police feel too stupid to even
write a crime report about them."
Aubrey on remaining at liberty
www.somethingpositive.net