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Cordon Bleu Cosmos

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After the chat around GoY about Cosmos, I had a really nice surprise this week. Sitting having a cup of tea on the terrace I looked across at the flowerbed about 10 metres away and said to my hubby “Did a bird just land in the Cosmos” “Yes” says he " A brown jobby" quite a twitcher is he….not.

I picked up the binoculars and low and behold two goldfinches were feasting away at the seeds. Later they came to the bed closer to the terrace and I took these photos through the window.

And yesterday the whole flock arrived about 15 – 20 of them, I didn’t manage to get a photo this time as the neighbour trundled by with a wheelbarrow full of gigantic pumpkins and he frightened them off. But what an abolute joy…..they look quite exotic with their little red faces and they normally just fly by and never visit the feeders I put out.

I had to include the lovely bees because they have been on the Cosmos continually, lots of different ones as well. All in all a real wild life attraction which I shall make sure is all around the garden next year……even if it is nearly 2 metres tall and a bit of a bully!

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Comments

 

what a lovely thing to happen, delightful birds, none have landed on my cosmos ~ i shall have to keep hoping!!

7 Oct, 2011

 

What a wonderful story (and photos) of the birds and the bees ... :o)

7 Oct, 2011

 

we have a wild area where teasels and thistles grow but in the bird feeders I was told to put black niger seed--as its so small you need a special feeder but the plastic ones are not expensive and one bag of seed lasted last winter and the goldfinches loved it

7 Oct, 2011

 

the trouble here pam is that those little feeders are not strong enough to withstand squirrel teeth!!
they wreck most of the feeders around here ~ i will see if i can find one that has squirrel bars around the outside!!!

7 Oct, 2011

 

oh yes, how lovely to have the whole flock! I have changed my feeders to invite a wider range of birds, and its working, but I still get a few goldfinches. Niger seed ..put that out and you'll have the whole flock in no time...once the cosmos is finished of course!

7 Oct, 2011

 

This was a complete surprise but I shall try and get niger seed for the Springtime and maybe get Mum and Dad who are feeding the fledglings. I get loads of Great Tits doing just that each April/May on the mixed seeds and fat balls.

7 Oct, 2011

 

I only occasionally see a Great Tit. I love watching the birds in the winter and you can't beat the song of a blackbird at dusk can you....wonderful!

7 Oct, 2011

 

I like Cosmos too. I'll have to make sure I grow some next year. Nice to have something that attracts so many different creatures :o)

8 Oct, 2011

 

Wonderful Photo`s Troddles, I had never seen a goldfinch in my garden until 2yrs back, now I have lots of them living in the Hawthorn at the bottom of my garden, have to say I didn`t know they liked the Cosmos daisies, I do grow them now so perhaps thats what attracted them in the first place, of course I do now buy the Niger seed as well....

2 Nov, 2011

 

My Cosmos are all dead and brown stalks now Lincslass but they are still feeding on the last of them, so I am not doing my usual November clear out of the beds. They sway in the wind hanging on for dear life.

2 Nov, 2011

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