It's a sunny winter's day but there is an icy wind blowing. And yet I'm sitting outside in the garden having coffee. Braving the cold. And the reason, you might ask?
Well, I spotted Mollie, my resident Mole Snake, just as she made her way down a hole against the wall. I haven't seen her for months and I'm very keen to get a couple of photographs and also to see whether she has grown at all. The skin she shed just a few months ago panned out at almost two meters (which means she's about 1.3m-1.5m in length as the shed skin is always longer) and the length that disappeared down the hole looked considerably longer. Maybe it's somebody else, so I'm waiting to see. But I don't think I've got much hope of that, she's probably settled in there for the day now.
While I was waiting, I did a couple of chores - filled the seed house
with a new block of seeds, filled the nectar bottle with sugar water and
watered a few plants, all the while keeping an eye on the hole in case
Mollie surfaced.
Seed Tower in my garden
Seed Tower - Image from Elaine's Wildlife Birding Products
I purchased this feeder from a lovely garden shop in Ballito in the "Sage" shopping centre and they have the most exquisite plants, pots and bird paraphernalia. All I need to do now is buy the blocks of replacements seeds which I can do on-line, no need to drive 600km to the coast!
Image from Elaine's Wildlife Birding Products
Image from Elaine's Wildlife Birding Products
Nectar feeder
I also filled up my pine cones with fresh peanut butter sprinkled with some wild bird seed. This is a delicacy that the birds really love.
Image from Elaine's Wildlife Birding Products
I'm not having much luck with my Suet feeder - the birds don't seem to want to have anything to do with it! So I break out pieces, place it on one of the bird tables and then they seem to lap it up. but I'm giving it some more time, patience, patience!
I saw a really cool idea on the internet the other day - a raffia bag filled with feathers from which your garden birds can easily pluck some ready-made nesting material. I've made one out of an empty orange bag but have not yet managed to collect enough soft feathers from the garden to fill it with. Moulting season for the chickens is finished for the moment. And I really don't know of anywhere where one can buy feathers from. Maybe a hobby shop...? (I'm also just thinking, why didn't I just buy it when I saw it! But that leaves no space for creativity and frugality, does it? he he!)
Image from Elaine's Wildlife Birding Products
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What a delight! I really hope your Molly will show up soon.
ReplyDeleteHaven't see Mollie with an eye since Liz! But I'm sure she's fine, probably just hibernating a bit after a good meal.
DeleteHope you manage to catch a photo of your resident snake. I wonder if the suet is too hard for some birds in the cold weather. Good idea with the feathers. I do a similar thing with dog hairs as some birds like them to line their nests.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen her again John, she's either staying in the hole for a while or she might have left at night. You're right you know, I tested it and the suet is rock hard in this cold weather... I don't have any dog hairs, otherwise I would collect those as well, good idea!
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