Mealworm's list

[Mealworm]

My garden is smack in the middle of the 'Black Country' and can be classed as urban. It is large and I have the pleasure of two very large mature ash trees (which I suspect were part of an original hedgrow when the land was farmland), fruit trees and bushes/shrubs plus a wildlife section. Neighbours hate the trees and seemed to fallen into the modern trap of removing anything larger than a tulip and covering every surface with neatly mown grass, decking and concrete to park their cars. Low maintenance and low wildlife!

Only started feeding birds recently compared to some of you but here goes....

Collered dove
Wood Pigeon
G s woodpecker
Heron (ok I'm guarding my fishpond but oh boy he's beautiful
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Robin
Blackbird
Dunnock
Thrush (one albino with a white head)
Ring ouzle? the jury is out on this one
Herring and black backed gulls (they can't call themselve SEA gulls - perhaps landfill gulls would be more appropriate)
Magpie
Pied wagtail
Crow
Jay

I'm sure there must be some I've not spotted yet.

I like your comment Storey Book to Mr Whittles about us folk working during the day and missing the birds. I've been on sick leave after a serious operation and have really noticed the activity when I'm usually at work. Maybe we should all fit webcams and view our gardens during the day. Beats lunchtime meetings.

All the best

[storye_book]

hi mealworm

wow, that's a good list.

re the ash trees - may i suggest that you get a friend to contact the council to put a tpo (tree preservation order) on them. this will mean that if neighbours want to remove branches that overhang their gardens, for reasons of unwanted shade, they would have to apply for planning permission, which would probably be refused. i understand that a tpo is most likely to be granted if the trees are currently at risk, e.g. if you were talking about cutting them yourself. i understand that you can't apply for a tpo on your own trees, so that's why someone else has to do it.

i guess i'm recommending a slightly machiavellian course of action (end justifies the means) but people bent on destroying trees and buildings about to be listed have been infinitely more machiavellian in the past 50 years or so - e.g. hastening to chop down trees and burn down buildings the day before they are listed; or they are happy to risk a £50 fine for the destruction, in return for a £5m profit on development. so please forgive me if i try a bit too hard to protect trees. without a tpo - if you ever sell your house, the trees may soon go.

re the rea list - lisa did answer that request, and put up an answer and a link to the rea bird lists (all-time list and 2007 list). i got a notice of it by email, but strangely it has not appeared on the forum. i've sent her a message, asking her to re-post it to the forum. i accidentally zapped the email, but if i remember rightly, cj has had over 100 birds at the rea (all-time list) and over 40 this year (2007 list).

[avivad]

Hi mealworm
I so agree with what you say about modern life, we are never home to listen to birds or really look at nature.
It is true that most of us would prefer a clean look lawn to a large tree. I love trees...
avivad from pigeons.biz (http://www.pigeons.biz)