Returning from holiday last week made me more aware of the change in season. For the first time this year, I found myself enjoying a taste of autumn.
There are already a few leaves to crunch on the pavements of Kelvindale and I am noticing the orange tints appear as I look out of my studio towards the north of the city.
Summer, that distant memory for some of us, has started to wind down. Many of my favourite garden visitors begin to prepare for their long sleep through the winter months.
Some of my favourites, such as hedgehogs, truly hibernate and start that process at the end of October/November. Whereas others, such as frogs, enter a state of torpor from which they will occasionally rouse to search for food.
Birds don’t hibernate, they are awake eating even in the harshest weather. In September, they begin to prepare for the winter months, after their summer moult they start to return to our gardens and parks. It is at this time of year where there are lots of things you can do to support them.
Relish the fading summer and leave your seedheads
When the leaves and petals begin to drop, it’s this time of year that people reach for their gardening tools. I urge you to resist!
Flowers and thistles change with this season and bring a second burst of beauty. Under the crispy frosting of Autumn mornings, seedheads can be an absolute joy. They are a little bonus for birds at this time of year when food becomes scarce.
What the flowers lack the birds make up for. You’ll be rewarded with colours from birds like Goldfinches with their famous golden wings. They adore seedheads on thistles and sunflowers and eke out the seeds bringing a burst of colour and sound to your garden.
Great time to see the northern migrants
We might see the autumn months as a time for warm woolly hats and jumpers, other migratory birds see the Scottish climate as a warmer winter destination than their summer homes. Scandinavian migrant birds will start to arrive any minute now and you can see them all around the West End.
Species like the redwing and fieldfare start their journey south in September, so it’s a good time to keep your eyes peeled for the first arrivals. The first fieldfares usually start arriving from mid-September and redwings from late September.
Last year, I found one of the best places to see them was the Botanical Gardens and you might spot me out and about with my binoculars from this week onwards.
Energy is key for small garden birds
It’s this time of year that I recommend dusting off the feeders and committing to a constant food supply. If your feeders have been empty all summer it might take a few weeks for the birds to return, but keep topping up and you will be rewarded! Birds will be on the lookout for high-energy food like suet, sunflowers and peanuts.
If you are using a window feeder and want to get involved in collecting data, Garden Crowd is doing a window feeding project in the city and are looking for volunteers. Balconies are also a lifeline for birds, attach a small pole feeder to the railings or add a bird table. You’ll be surprised by how many birds come to visit you!
Don’t forget the water! It might seem strange for us to bathe in the cold but for birds it keeps them warmer, cleaner and during the frozen months water can be scarce. A simple plant pot tray or bird bath can make all the difference. I learnt a few years ago if you add a ping pong ball to your water it doesn’t freeze over!
Here's my 5 favourite places to spot birds in the West End
1. Bingham Pond – on the Great Western Road
There are lots of water birds including adolescent cygnets and oystercatchers
2. Garnethill
Garnethill Park has lots of small birds like robins – newly installed nestboxes are a great way to get the kids involved; see if you can find them and any resting birds Garnethill Garden on Garnethill Street – new bird feeders bring lots of sparrows, blue tits, great tits & other smaller birds check out FROGGs for more information
3. Forth & Clyde Canal – between Kelvindale & Kelvinbridge
You can find lots of water birds plus quite often there are shags, herons and the occasional longtailed tit flock
4. Glasgow Botanic Gardens
There are birdfeeders near the tearooms, but I love heading down the riverside to see Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins & even Kingfishers. You might also see Otters down on the River Kelvin
5. Dawsholm Park
Great for spotting Woodpeckers, Bullfinches and winter migrants like Fieldfares
Decided to turn your garden over to wildlife? Or are you feedings lots of birds from your tenament windows – I’d love to hear! Get in touch & send me photos #wildaboutwestend @gardencrowd
* Gabby Morris lives in the West End of Glasgow, with her wife. She is the cofounder of Garden Crowd a social enterprise supporting urban birds and is a product design student at the GSA.
You can find out more at www.gardencrowd.co.uk or Instagram: @gabbyamorris
