Kitchen Garden Forum

Today's the day I look forward to every December. Sunset 16.01 today and for the next ten days. Then it starts getting a bit lighter. Pity about the mornings Sunrise a bit later every day till Christmas Eve

Dear Alan, the way i look at it is, some good news is always so much better than none.

Tend to plant my shallots in polystyrene cups on or about the 21st.

Just a happy reminder that mornings start getting lighter earlier from tomorrow.

I walked down to the other end of the village before 7 am, to do a couple of jobs, and the birds were singing quite gaily.

Anyone else think there are markedly fewer birds around this year?
Very little birdsong, except by streetlight in the evening, but our fatball feeder is untouched since a November refill.

peter wrote:Anyone else think there are markedly fewer birds around this year?

No shortage here. Flocks of starlings, scores of sparrows, plenty of blue tits, coal tits great tits, blackbirds, dunnocks, chaffinches, herring gulls, jackdaws, rooks, crows, buzzards, herons - of course, not too many could be called songbirds

We've no starlings and only about 6 house sparrows, but there are huge flocks of various tits and good numbers of most other species. The only problem is the sparrowhawk which has reduced the flocks of gold finches, and the ones that do come are extremely nervous while on the feeder. There is also a group of 7 or so blackbirds going around together at the moment.

The best bird this week is the song thrush which has been singing on the highest branch he can find every morning. The robins have been singing more too.

Sitting here typing at 5.45pm, it seems strange that in another few months i will still be working for at least another 3 hours.

No wonder i feel like a caged beast.