Well… where do I even start?
Felicity’s Post-Walter Breakfast Service
This morning began as it was meant to go on. When I went out to open the Wildlife Cafe, Felicity was already sitting bold as brass on the mown path, just a couple of yards away from me. She’d clearly had a Walter for breakfast (lots of feathers on the lawn) and wasn’t moving for anyone. She then casually helped herself to the bird seed while another Walter stood nearby having a quiet “Nope… not today!” moment. 😂 She really is getting far too comfortable.
Operation Caroline: The Final Cut
The big event of the day was Caroline’s major surgery. I’d already removed all her droopy leaves the day before (with the Magpie Air Force providing loud squawking commentary the entire time). Tom came and pruned her down to a stump. Her stem felt firm from top to bottom, which is a very good sign. She now looks like a very brave little soldier with green wound sealant on top and copper mesh around her base.I have very mixed feelings seeing her reduced to this. She was meant to be my beautiful statement plant, and for one perfect week she really was. It’s been three long, horrible months watching her struggle. But I’m quietly hopeful she can now rest and recuperate. She’s had her seaweed tonic and will get a nice layer of coarse grit today.
Meanwhile, the Comeback Queens
While Caroline rests, Fatima continues to look absolutely fabulous. She’s had 13 babies (leaves!) since her dramatic snow collapse and is thriving both from a distance and up close. Fatima is not just recovering — she’s gone full supermum mode! She really is my favourite plant, and I’m so proud of her recovery.
Little Briony is also making a strong comeback. After being strimmed down to almost nothing, she’s pushing out loads of new leaves and sitting proudly in her copper mesh and eggshell fortress. I’m very proud of her too.
The Littlies’ Great Glass Door Heist
On a completely different note… the plug plants and strawberries on the table by the full-length glass door have become a major attraction. The Littlies have been launching daring raids, wildly flapping against the glass trying to reach them. I was worried they’d hurt themselves, so I’ve now put up the bird silhouette window film. It’s already working — one little daredevil flew at the glass, saw the fake bird, braked to a standstill, and clearly had another one of those “Nope, not today!” moments before flying off. Crisis (mostly) averted.
We also have a new(ish) refined gentleman on the scene. Balthazar doesn’t bother much with the feeders. He prefers to chance his luck with leftovers on the ground and enjoys a proper leisurely bath. A very clean boy indeed, and a very splashy one at that - I had to refill the bird bath afterwards.
Meanwhile, Walter was spotted doing a backwards bath — sitting on the edge of the birdbath with just his tail swishing around in the water like he was performing 🎵 'The Birdie Song' 🎵
Of course a Magpie immediately copied him!Just after I saw Walter doing his backwards bath, a Magpie landed on the same birdbath and did exactly the same thing. 🤔These birds are watching each other and learning bad (or brilliant) habits. Now we’ve got a Walter and a Magpie both doing the “backwards tail-swish bath” in the same birdbath. That’s proper sitcom behaviour.
The Magpie Air Force has clearly decided that if Walter’s doing something weird, they’re going to try it too.
In the other birdbath another Walter was just sitting in the water, completely motionless, like an oven-ready chicken 🤔
Mystery of Walter’s Backwards Bath – Solved!
I went out to refill the birdbaths for the 3rd time today. Walter hadn't been bathing backwards… he’d done a massive poop in the birdbath and was using it as a personal poop-and-bidet combo, swishing his tail around in it. Not sure what the Magpie’s excuse was for copying him though. 🤮
Let me be clear you 'orrible lot: I am NOT refilling the birdbaths again today! Do your biological warfare if you must, but it still ain't being done again TODAY.
I'm seriously considering putting up a redirection sign in the garden:
Mystery of the Moss Bombs – Solved!
The patio has been getting moss-bombed for months and usually clear it up straight away. Today I thought “sod it, you can stay there”… only to see a load of Littlies busily collecting the moss, presumably for their nests. The Magpies drop it, the Littlies use it.
The patio has been getting moss-bombed for months and usually clear it up straight away. Today I thought “sod it, you can stay there”… only to see a load of Littlies busily collecting the moss, presumably for their nests. The Magpies drop it, the Littlies use it.
I’ve actually got a fat ball feeder hanging by the hedge that’s stuffed full of super soft brushed alpaca wool, which the Littlies have been helping themselves to. So I was surprised to see them going for the moss bombs as well. Clearly they’re not fussy — they’ll take whatever building materials are available!
I’ve accidentally created a moss distribution network.This is such a lovely full-circle moment in the garden chaos.I’m constantly amazed at how clever all these garden creatures are. The Littlies with their tactical raids, Felicity with her masterclass in fox manipulation, Balthazar with his splashy performances… they’re all geniuses in their own right. I had no idea when I started feeding them that I was opening a branch of avian university.
Peanut Butter Butties Officially Cancelled
I’ve stopped putting out peanut butter butties because the sludge left in the bird baths was disgusting. I only ever put out small pieces of seeded bread now. I know bread isn’t the most nutritious option, but some of the birds clearly love it — it’s all gone within minutes.
I only feed them in the morning. I want to give them a good breakfast to give them strength, but not enough to feed them all day. That way they still go off and forage and hunt naturally for the rest of the day. They also get seeds, suet pellets, nut kibbles, and mealworms, so I think they do okay overall.
I’ve stopped putting out peanut butter butties because the sludge left in the bird baths was disgusting. I only ever put out small pieces of seeded bread now. I know bread isn’t the most nutritious option, but some of the birds clearly love it — it’s all gone within minutes.
I only feed them in the morning. I want to give them a good breakfast to give them strength, but not enough to feed them all day. That way they still go off and forage and hunt naturally for the rest of the day. They also get seeds, suet pellets, nut kibbles, and mealworms, so I think they do okay overall.
Today’s Plan
The coarse grit for Caroline arrives today. I’ll put a nice layer around her stump (keeping it away from the sealed cut), and if it looks good I’ll get more bags to smarten up Fatima and Briony and finally remove those ugly eggshells. The garden is slowly getting a bit more polished… even if the residents aren’t!It really has been non-stop. Never a dull moment at the Wildlife Cafe.
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