Wildlife
Living on the very edge of Henley on Thames we are closer to the countryside than to the urban area. We also have quite a large garden with two ponds (one with fish and one without), a number of mature trees, a couple of flower beds, a large vegetable plot, three apple trees and several 'natural' areas of uncontrolled growth. Consequently we get wildlife in our garden.
Hens
Probably the most important creatures in our garden are our flock of chickens. We have kept back garden hens for nearly twenty years. When we moved to this house in 1999 we donated the hens we had then to my sister at Wood Nook Farm, (where they were sadly eaten by her dog, Lewis) and got a new batch for ourselves.
This new flock consisted of four Black Rock hens, two of which, Pheasie and Streaky, are still with us. Others have been added at various times and some have died off so we have a motely mix of the Black Rocks, Cuckoo Marans and Brown Leghorns. We also have a lovely little red rooster who happily manages his flock of 10 ladies.
Currently the hens have a very nice area of the garden with a panoramic view across the lower pond, several trees and bushes, a water feature and a substantial house with four seperate nest boxes - luxury!
Other birds of a feather and some creatures of fur
We receive regular visits from a pheasants - both cocks and hens. The cock pheasants are beautiful creatures with fantastically varied feather colours and patterns and bright red heads. They seem to spend much of the time throwing themselves against our patio doors presumably in the mistaken belief that the reflected images are rivals. Doh!
Every Spring two ducks appear in the garden for regular visits, landing on the big pond and then generally lazing about the vicinity for several hours before flying off again. They may be a breeding pair with a nest nearby because after about four weeks they disappear until the following Spring. We also get very rare visits from timid little brown partridges.
The Chiltern Hills were one of the areas targeted in a highly successful programme of re-introducing Red Kites to England. We see these lovely birds swooping and gliding over the garden almost every day - often in pairs although increasingly in greater numbers. They only eat insects and carrion but are a target for dog fights with the local crows who clearly feel they present a threat to their territory.
The garden is generally busy with a lot of the usual bird activity. Finches, tits, blackbirds, goldcrests and thrushes are amongst the most common but we regularly see woodpeckers and jays. We also have a growing number of magpies who have taken up unwelcome residence.
We used to get deer coming into the garden but the recent rebuilding of the fences has put an end to these visits. The local cats like our garden because there is no resident cat. Otherwise it is slugs, snails, mice and rats plus whatever floats above us. Finally, we have (thankfully) had only one visit from a fox. But we are a favourite playground for grey squirrels - rats with PR as far as I am concerned. And talking of rats, every now and again we have to deal with them coming too close to the hens. The last attack was sustained but we overcame them finally.
