Each year I mean to install a feeding station for the local bird populations. This year I have finally gotten around to setting one up. With a myriad of birdlife getting ready for the winter it’s a brilliant time of year to set up feeders and also water sources for wildlife. Having gotten a great deal on some bird feeders me and my partner got to work. Note to self I should have built the reflection pool on site, not prebuilt as it was a bit of a workout carrying it to the final location.
Using the materials already available on site we both got to work setting the feeders and reflection pool up. With many sightings of Great Spotted woodpeckers I installed an upright perch for them to land on when they come in to feed on the peanut feeders. I will be heading back this week to drill holes on the side of the perch and will fill them with peanuts to hopefully get shots of woodpeckers feeding.
As well as the bird feeders, a source of water is equally as important for the local bird life. The key to a reflection pool is to keep the the pool shallow, as the birds will use the pool to drink and bathe in. By having the reflection pool close by to the feeders the birds are more likely to come down to use the reflection pool. I will be placing a Tragopan chair hide at one end to hopefully capture some images of the birds coming in to bathe. As the reflection pool is low to the ground there is more chance that other wildlife will come down to drink from the pool and with a trail camera positioned at one end I can monitor which species come to visit. The reflection pool is currently empty but with thunderstorms expected this week I’m sure it will fill up quickly and provide a new source of water for the wild residents.
With the feeding station all set up the trail cameras were installed to watch closely for activity. I will fill up some new seed feeders to entice new species to the feeding station and I’m sure over the winter months the station will evolve with new perches and feeders being built. For now though I will leave the trail cameras to monitor the activity and soon I’ll be placing the Tragopan hide in place to hopefully capture some images from the feeding station.
As well as the feeding station there is a new kestrel box to be installed and as always this will be monitored with a trail camera. It’s been great fun building all these new nesting boxes and I’m looking forward to getting this new kestrel box up !
