At this time of year, with the garden largely dormant or frost-blighted, the chief pleasure it affords is watching the flurries of birds jostling for a place at the feeders. I have what claims to be a totally squirrel-proof bird feeder, but I wouldn't be surprised if my squirrels find a way to breach its defences: they're all over it, testing it out, probing for a weak point, experimenting with different approaches. I suppose I should take my hat off to the resourceful little blighters, but I'm afraid that, despite having read this book, I still find the grey squirrel hard to like, and would sooner the birds had the feeders to themselves. Charm after charm of goldfinches – 'proud tailors', as they are called in Staffordshire, according to Johnson's dictionary – are visiting, as well as tits blue, great, coal and long-tailed, sparrows, chaffinches, and the odd starling. But the happy surprise has been the large numbers of greenfinches coming to feed. Down south I had seen very few greenfinches since they suffered a dramatic population crash in the 1990s, the result of a parasite-borne disease. The greenfinch (which has the pleasing binomial Chloris chloris, from a Greek root meaning greenish yellow) is a beautiful bird – and, it has to be said, a pugnacious character that likes to have its own way at the bird feeder. It's a joy to see it back, and I hope it's busy repopulating the rest of the country.
Years ago, I knew a man in the Maryland suburbs who was bothered by squirrels getting into his bird feeders. He acquired an air rifle, and stocked his freezer. (I thought this might explain why his daughter was a vegetarian, or nearly so.) I don't know how he cooked them, but at least the older editions of The Joy of Cooking had recipes for Brunswick Stew.
ReplyDeleteAnd I should have said that I am surprised how late in the year you see goldfinches. I think of Washington, DC, as having a mild climate, but the goldfinches have been gone for a couple of months now.
ReplyDeleteAh, we're talking different birds, George. The European Goldfinch is resident all year round in the UK. Here's a link –
Deletehttps://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/goldfinch
Brunswick Stew is an intriguing possibility...
Mercifully Nige, we have no grey squirrels here in the south of Spain, but a bountiful population of reds, spending most of their existence in the tree-tops, rarely on the ground. They are not related to greys, but seem interested in much the same things, namely food and sex.
ReplyDeleteAren't we all? Or should I say, weren't we all?
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