Egrets Flock to British Isles

Climate change is causing egrets and other birdsfrom the Continent to come back to Britain.

For the last 10 years or so Britain has suffered massive declines in many garden and farmland birds including the turtle dove and fieldfare.

But due to mild winters and conservation efforts other bird populations have grown, including the little egret and Mediterranean gull that have flown over the Channel.

You never know, even the hoope, fan-tailed warbler and black kite may arrive in the future as temperatures rise further.

The red kite, bittern and sea eagle have been re-introduced in Britain and are doing well.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds compiled the surveys of threatened birds since 2000 to give a snapshot of the winners and losers of the 21st centry so far.

But, it`s the egret which has seen the biggest overall increase in numbers in the past decade.

Help The Birds Feed in Your Garden

Winter draws on! And with that in mind now is as good a time as any to start thinking of ways to help out our feathered friends - the birds. Putting fresh water and food out is a great way to entice birds in to your garden. More than that, you are helping to feed those little creatures which so often struggle when the weather turns cold. Bird feeders aren`t that expensive, going from plain to more ornate ones. If you haven`t got a bird feeder yet why not think about it and enjoy the pleasures of having birds come and feed in your garden or backyard?

New Features With My New Template

Green Fingers I Wish has changed to the better `layouts` template I`m happy to say. I`m looking forward to trying out the new features.

Frosty Mornings

It`s getting that time of year with the early moning frosts where everything looks white and crisp outdoors.

The cars have to be cleared of frost, the trees are shedding their leaves, and the grass is no longer growing. I`m not a lover of the cold, but I have to say from the inside of the house looking out it really can be very picturesque.

Saffron - What a Valuable Commodity!

Now if I had the choice of growing any plant on earth I think I`d have to go for the saffron crocus. Not so much for its looks, more for its value.


Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. More valuable weight for weight than gold in fact. The value arises because to get just a small amount of saffron from one plant takes a lot of effort. But of course no one would go to the trouble of extracting saffron on such a small scale. To make it worthwhile you need thousands of flowers.


That means that a huge space consisting of many hectares is needed for a reasonable amount of cultivation.


That being the case somehow with my smallish garden I`ll give up on the idea and leave it to the experts.

Lleylandi Hedges Anti-Social

The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill was set up to stop, well, anti-social behaviour.  Leylandii hedges that grow and grow ridiculously high can certainly be anti-social as far as neighbours are concerned.

The problem can be getting local councils to act. The law now Councils should only be approached after neighbours have "tried and exhausted" every other means of resolving the dispute.

Legally the councils can`t act until hedges are above two metres in height before neighbours can make a complaint. And there is a big variation of charges by councils for acting on complaints, from nothing to hundreds of pounds. Another example of the UK`s  postcode lottery.

That`s The End Of Mowing The Lawn Till Next Spring

At last it looks like I can say goodbye to the gardener calling every two weeks to mow the lawn.  He put a note through the door to say that due to the frost, wet weather and shorter days (due to the clocks going back) he`d not be coming now till next spring, around March. Walking over very wet grass with a mower probably doesn`t do the grass a lot of good anyway.

That`s when it all starts up again then. Though, if there is a reasonable amount of sunshine-highly unlikely-he would happily come in between time to cut the grass if I called him up.

Man Dies From Rabies Caught From Bat Bite

A 43-year-old man in Indiana died recently of rabies caught by a bat bite. It`s the state`s first death from rabies since 2006.

It seems that although the man hadn`t any obvious wounds or marks, the tests clearly showed it was a bat that infected him.

Let`s not run away with the idea though that all or even most bats in the wild are rabid. In fact it`s fewer than one percent, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People can be exposed to bats in places like attics, on porches or in parks. Along with bats, animals such as raccoons, foxes and skunks and even dogs can transmit rabies.

The key is to get shots to prevent the disease once a person thinks he may have been bitten by a rabid animal, and in the case of a bat they should always seek medical advice just in case.

Remember in some places bats are a protected species. In the UK, for instance, UK law prevents bats from the following-

1. Deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat
2. Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats
3. Damage or destroy a bat roosting place (even if bats are not occupying the roost at the time)
4. Possess or advertise/sell/exchange a bat (dead or alive) or any part of a bat
5. Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to a bat roost

You should never try to pick a bat up, it could be carrying disease.

It`s good to remember that bats do a lot of good for the eco-system, eating insects which are bad for crops for example.