No mow may

We have embraced No Mow May!
​For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an initiative encouraged by Plantlife, a British conservation charity working nationally and internationally to save threatened wild flowers, plants and fungi . Research undertaken by citizen scientists across the UK who have taken part in Plantlife’s No Mow May Survey, the largest-ever survey of the humble lawn, reveal not only the astonishing diversity of wild flowers growing on Britain’s lawns, but that incredibly simple changes in mowing can result in enough nectar for ten times more bees and other pollinators.

So we have given it a go. We only have a small garden but all through May we have left most of the lawn to just do its thing, only cutting narrow pathways through to the various seating areas we have on our small patch. This is  a good thing too as some shorter cut areas are good for plants like daisy and white clover, so it's a win win.

I have to say not only does the resulting increase in wildlife in the garden speak for itself but I honestly think the garden looks better for it. This is coming from someone who has spent his life religiously cutting the grass and getting twitchy if it's left a few days longer than normal.

I admit this step into letting nature take over may well be heavily influenced by my recent obsession with bird photography and the time I have spent walking in the countryside pursuing this wonderful hobby. If that is the case then what a fantastic bonus it is. So much so that I genuinely believe that No Mow May for us will be just become no mow and we will watch the garden go wild through the year. Already we are seeing all sorts of plants growing in the lawn that we never knew were there and the increase in birds, bees, butterflies and hoverflies has been so evident.​

To help things along even more we have sewn small areas of wild flowers and these will hopefully over time self seed and spread the nectar rich love further and they are just starting to germinate.​

Never one to do things half heartedly, the wildlife garden mission has completely taken over. Alongside wildflowers and long grass, log piles have been introduced. A bee and insect house quickly followed and a small pond created in an old whisky barrel. I have even recycled my old walking boots and kept them from the landfill site. 

All this cosy, feelgood, wildlife friendly activity, apart from being good for the soul, has in less than a month been an absolute revelation. In particular, and one reason this post is so relevant to A Bird in the Lens, is the increase we have seen in bird visitors to the garden. Ground feeders like the blackbirds, starlings and dunnocks have been grubbing around in the long grass. We have had more blue tits, great tits and robins than ever before. I saw a jackdaw this morning which is a first for us here and I have been waiting two years to see a sparrow in the garden, believe it or not. Over the last few weeks we have had two regularly visiting. It's been a joy to see how such a few small changes can make such a huge difference, in such a short time.

​I have spent more time aiming my camera lens into the garden than ever before which has interrupted my day job pretty much on an hourly basis. I mean come on, it's impossible to ignore baby starlings being fed by the parents in the apple tree. Better than a zoom meeting any day... 'the internet connection's not great in the garden office, sorry can I call you back?'

One of the many theories regarding the decline in bird populations here in the UK,  put forward by organisations qualified to publish them, is the relentless cutting of grass verges and green spaces by councils leading to a dramatic reduction in insects, the major food source for birds. So we can help address this even in a tiny way by attracting insects into our gardens and leaving our grass to grow long is not only a great way to start but so simple too.

If you haven't tried it, I urge you to give it a go. You will be amazed at how quickly wildlife in all forms appears and thrives and how you can so easily create your own little nature reserve. In this crazy world we all seem to be stumbling along in at the moment, that has to be a good thing. It certainly is for me.
​

​​Thanks... I really appreciate you dropping in. If you don't already, you can follow my instagram page where I add the odd funny caption if the image lends itself to one, hopefully provoking a smile or two.  If you want to comment or get in touch to share bird related images and stories then I'd be delighted to hear from you. 

IG - @a.bird.in.the.lens
E: [email protected]