Birdfeeding Intro
Jan. 3rd, 2023 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
narya_flame posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
birdfeedingUsername: narya_flame, but I go by Narya
Your other online venues: https://www.tumblr.com/naryaflame
Your approximate location: Edinburgh, Scotland
What are your interests in birds? I just like them? I find them very soothing. I don't know a lot about them but that's partly why I joined the community!
How big is your yard / balcony / etc. if any? I have a small lawned garden at the back of my house. I only need to walk a few minutes down the road, though, to get to open fields and woodland.
What is your general habitat / climate zone? Temperate. Cold, short, often damp days in winter; gorgeous long cool summer nights.
What do you do to attract birds, if anything? Honestly, nothing. I live in a suburban area and many of my neighbours have outdoor cats. (Very, VERY different norms on cat-keeping in the UK as compared to the US.) I don't want to provide them with a free meal.
What are some birds you often see in your area? I get a lot of wagtails in my garden. In the nearby nature reserve and along the coast, curlews are a common sight, as are terns, sea ducks and grebes.
What is your blog like? It started as my Tolkien fandom blog but it contains a good deal of real life wittering!
How active is it? Ehh. Up and down depending on how work and life are going.
What are your most common topics? Food. My dog. Books and media. Fandom stuff. Not necessarily in that order.
What kinds of friends would you like to attract? Anyone, really! I like people.
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Date: 2023-01-03 08:32 pm (UTC)I'm a lifelong Tolkien fan, but I'm not very fannish about it, if that makes sense. My grandma read The Hobbit to me when I was young, and she taught FOTR to her high school senior students.
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Date: 2023-01-03 10:14 pm (UTC)Wagtails are super cheeky; they tease my dog through the window.
Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-05 10:28 pm (UTC)One of the things I love about milieu fiction is the descriptions, and I often write that way. Tolkien wrote wonderful tours of Middle-Earth.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-06 11:43 am (UTC)Tolkien wrote wonderful tours of Middle-Earth.
Yes, he does! One of my favourite ways to unwind is to dip into one of the books and go on a mental holiday with one of the gorgeous descriptive passages.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-06 11:50 am (UTC)That sounds about right.
>> I actually read LOTR before The Hobbit, as I'd seen the Bakshi cartoon when I was very small; I came to The Hobbit later.<<
I saw The Hobbit when I was little, but not the Bakshi until much later.
>> Yes, he does! One of my favourite ways to unwind is to dip into one of the books and go on a mental holiday with one of the gorgeous descriptive passages.<<
I love the fact that all the characters seem to sing and compose poetry on the spot, even the orcs.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-06 12:23 pm (UTC)Right??
Someone on a Discord server said recently they skipped over all the poems, and I was all *surprised_pikachu* - the poems are great!
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 07:33 am (UTC)Sheesh, I still have some of those things memorized, and parts of a bunch more. Tolkien was one of my earliest poetic influences, along with Kipling and Dr. Seuss; if you look at my work, you can see that in it.
Plus of course, that's where I learned the hurt-comfort plot ratchet, which my readers adore. Too many writers, especially nowadays, crank the stress up to 11 and just leave it there, so the audience goes numb. You should crank it up, then put the characters in a nice warm bath. That way, they'll be freshly sensitized when you want to take them out and play with them again. :D
LOL we should write something about birds in Tolkien. "Crebain, from out of Dunland!" "Hide!"
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 09:41 am (UTC)https://archiveofourown.org/works/42580317
It's not very positive about birds, though that isn't the fault of the birds.
I might nominate some bird related tags for the worldbuilding exchange and see if anyone bites...
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 10:32 am (UTC)That is so beautiful. Very Tolkienesque.
>> I might nominate some bird related tags for the worldbuilding exchange and see if anyone bites... <<
Good idea.
Hmm, we need a fictional birds tag here too.
I wish Torn World was still going, I built a whole avian ecosystem for one shard there.
I do, however, have my Fifer series going: see Feathered Nests.
There will be a call for themes in my blog, hopefully this Monday, to invite ideas for upcoming Poetry Fishbowls. By all means propose Birds for that. :D Then I'll collect the suggestions and post a poll for fans to vote on themes.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 10:00 pm (UTC)There will be a call for themes in my blog, hopefully this Monday, to invite ideas for upcoming Poetry Fishbowls. By all means propose Birds for that. :D
:D
I will have to set a reminder on my phone; Monday is my first day back at work so my head will be all over the place.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 10:38 pm (UTC)Nature writing is certainly relevant here. It would be interesting to feature writing about fictional birds -- from historic myths to speculative fiction -- as well as local ones. Hmm, and cryptids or questionably extinct birds, like the ivory-billed woodpecker.
>>I will have to set a reminder on my phone; Monday is my first day back at work so my head will be all over the place.<<
Okay, maybe it's better if you just make a list of your theme suggestions now and send them to me. I can always save that to copy into a comment.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-07 10:35 am (UTC)*chuckle* Terramagne has a family movie called One Hundred Little Houses, about making a bluebird trail. It's mentioned in at least one poem I've written.
Tag
Date: 2023-01-05 05:08 am (UTC)Re: Tag
Date: 2023-01-06 11:43 am (UTC)Welcome!
Date: 2023-01-05 10:52 pm (UTC)I am so excited that we have members from such far-flung places! That makes birding or other nature writing much more interesting, because what is common in one place is novel in another.
>> What are your interests in birds? I just like them? I find them very soothing. I don't know a lot about them but that's partly why I joined the community! <<
You might start with a basic backyard guide; learn the easy, common birds in your locale. Here's a guide to wild birds of Scotland. This Garden for Birds piece includes common backyard birds and how to attract them.
Once you can spot your regular birds, a guidebook becomes more useful for identifying rarer ones. You could check your local library or bookstores to see what bird guides they have, and what style you prefer. Some folks like the kind with big pictures and lots of description, others prefer the more scientific approach focused on fieldmarks with a section of colorplates in the middle or back of the book. If you enjoy hiking or biking, a pocket guide can be useful, whether a small pamphlet or folding brochure -- although nowadays many people just use a phone app for that purpose.
>>I have a small lawned garden at the back of my house.<<
That's plenty to put up a feeding station and water, if the idea appeals to you. Maybe think about native plants if you don't have any yet, since they require little attention once established. I was just researching heather for a poem last night, and thought of you.
>> I only need to walk a few minutes down the road, though, to get to open fields and woodland.<<
\o/ If you can walk it, birds can fly it in half that time or less. You should be in an excellent position to attract many interesting species to your yard, as well as having a place to walk where you can visit them.
>> Honestly, nothing. I live in a suburban area and many of my neighbours have outdoor cats. (Very, VERY different norms on cat-keeping in the UK as compared to the US.) <<
Oh, people here have outdoor cats, others just whine about it more. Most towns have alley cats. Most rural areas have farm cats. Since humans wiped out small predators like lynxes and bobcats in most areas, domestic cats help fill the gap. And of course, humans do infinitely more damage to bird populations than cats do. I like to point that out when people pick on cats. It makes them very uncomfortable.
>> I don't want to provide them with a free meal. <<
There are ways to avoid that,, and still support birds. One is to put a feeder out in the open, so birds can easily see any approaching predators. Another is to put a cage-type feeder relatively high up; predators can't get through the outer mesh, but tiny birds can. These also make it hard for large birds or squirrels to get the feed you put out for songbirds.
>>I get a lot of wagtails in my garden. In the nearby nature reserve and along the coast, curlews are a common sight, as are terns, sea ducks and grebes.<<
That sounds lovely.
>>It started as my Tolkien fandom blog but it contains a good deal of real life wittering!<<
Mellon!
>>Food. My dog. Books and media. Fandom stuff. Not necessarily in that order.<<
I post a lot about writing, some fandom stuff, but cooking is also a favorite topic. My daily birdfeeding/gardening posts are what inspired this community.
Re: Welcome!
Date: 2023-01-06 11:54 am (UTC)I actually got my husband the game Wingspan for Christmas, which has loads of info about American birds, so I'm learning a lot through that. It's so interesting to hear about critters that seem quite exotic to me but which might easily hang out on someone else's front porch!
Thank you for the ideas and links - a caged bird feeder sounds like a great idea, and very do-able. We are actually planning what to do with our garden at the moment; we moved house right before covid hit, and between that and trying to build the right set up for our rabbits, making the garden pretty and wildlife-friendly hasn't got to the top of our list yet. Hopefully this year is the year!
Re: Welcome!
Date: 2023-01-06 12:53 pm (UTC)Fascinating.
>> It's so interesting to hear about critters that seem quite exotic to me but which might easily hang out on someone else's front porch! <<
That's why I'm so thrilled that we already have members from at least two different countriese, and totally different parts of North America. \o/
>>Thank you for the ideas and links - a caged bird feeder sounds like a great idea, and very do-able.<<
Yay! I'm so happy I could help.
>> We are actually planning what to do with our garden at the moment <<
Awesome. With a new yard, I suggest:
* First survey what you have. A soil test, available for home use or perhaps offered through a garden center, will tell you about nutrients and pH. You can check your soil texture and drainage yourself. This will tell you what kinds of plants can easily grow there. If the results are not pleasing to you, then you can amend the soil (e.g. with compost or sand) or build raised beds and fill them with better soil.
* Observe the flow of sunlight and shade. This will change not only through the day but also with the seasons, and you are far enough north to get dramatic differences. It takes a year to do the whole process, but you can learn enough after a few days to get a good idea for the growing season. This will tell you where to put which plants, or perhaps, where you may want to make changes to increase or decrease natural light.
* Survey what you already have. Presumably there is lawn grass, likely trees or bushes. You may have hardscaping like flowerbeds or retaining walls already, or not. Begin with your own yard, but also examine the nearby yards and the neighborhood. What do you have, what do other folks have, where is the nearest park or other greenspace? Is there any water available to wildlife? Are the species more native or more foreign? The more native species, the better for wildlife, and thus for wildlife viewing and human happiness. Here's an introduction to Scottish botany. Check your local bookstore, garden center, or library for a guide to plants in your area. This project will be easiest in spring when buds appear, but you can start now since some trees and shrubs can be identified from their shape and bark. Park plants may even be labeled for you.
* Permaculture principles help you reduce workload and increase yields. A yield is anything you get from your garden: fruit, craft supplies, amusement from watching wildlife, etc. Identify what you'd like to get and work toward that, but let nature do as much work as possible for you.
* Start small and don't overwhelm yourselves trying to do everything at once. One excellent option would be to plant wildflowers, either individual ones or a packet mix. Sometimes places give away wildflower seed, so ask about that.
https://www.scotiaseeds.co.uk/
https://www.leavesnbloom.com/scottish-wildflowers
If you include larval food plants, they will attract butterflies and then the caterpillars will attract birds. However, caterpillars chew up plants, so put that part somewhere you don't mind the mess, like a back corner. You can also use that patch for overwintering insects.
https://www.caterpillarfoodplants.com/birds-foot-trefoil.html
https://www.caterpillarfoodplants.com/native-grasses.html
https://www.caterpillarfoodplants.com/trees.html
https://www.caterpillarfoodplants.com/overwintering1.html
If you like surprises, one interesting and frugal approach is to set up a perch for birds above a cultivated patch of soil. You don't need to do anything more: the birds will helpfully plant and fertilize it for you, mostly with native seeds. You can have fun identifying seedlings as they sprout. If any invasives show up, just pull them out.
>> build the right set up for our rabbits <<
Rabbit poo is among the very best fertilizer, and its pellet form makes it easy to handle. Just make sure their bedding does not contain any harsh chemicals that would be bad for plants. If you don't want to leave it on the surface of the soil, you can dig it in, or put it down and then cover it with a layer of compost or mulch.
Re: Welcome!
Date: 2023-01-07 09:42 am (UTC)Rabbit poo is among the very best fertilizer,
We used to have a French Lop who was free range in the garden at our old place. His favourite poo corner was definitely where the best grass grew :D
Re: Welcome!
Date: 2023-01-07 10:20 am (UTC)I'm happy I could help.
>>We used to have a French Lop who was free range in the garden at our old place. His favourite poo corner was definitely where the best grass grew :D
Awesome.
You might consider a rabbit tractor.