Rare Wild Linnets

Following on from my last post about Feeding Wild Birds, I quickly wanted to share that sometimes you can attract and feed even red status birds simply by doing less!

During the Summer of 2013, my garden Forget-Me-Knots attracted a pair of Linnets. They fed exclusively on the tiny black seeds over several days, and I managed to film some shaky footage from a window.

Linnet numbers have decreased by 57% and the RSPB lists them as Red Status. Wales has been particularly hit, so it was doubly pleasing to see the Linnets here in Wales!

It's good to know simple non-actions such as leaving weeds can provide a feeding haven for rare birds! My Forget-Me-Knots were not planted by me, they spread from a nearby property.

Which brings us neatly to, sometimes "unsightly" weeds can be a bonus! Just as my drying, seeding Forget-Me-Knots became a fantastic free bird feeder, not being too meticulous in the garden can reap fabulous rewards for your wildlife. Wild plants such as Thistles and Nettles may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you do have space tucked away for them, you may be surprised how much wildlife they attract! This year I have Nettles growing in raised pots. I'm hoping a variety of butterflies use the pots to lay their young. Last year I had a Red Admiral lay on nettles in the garden but ants killed the caterpillars. I'm hoping pots work in two ways, keeping the plants ant free without resorting to powders which would put the Butterflies off laying anyway, and preventing them from spreading through out the rest of the garden. If you're nervous of growing fast spreading weeds, why not try pots? 

Let me know your favourite method of growing `weeds` in the comments!

(Click on highlighted text to view the Linnets)