Kate Bradbury's New Garden Is a Treecreeper's Playground — SkimNews
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- Kate Bradbury has moved from Brighton to the outskirts of Lewes, where her garden backs onto the remains of an old oak wood inhabited by badgers, tawny owls and bats in the chimney.
- A nearly-dead mystery tree (suspected by Bradbury to be a cultivated species, possibly a willow) stands with branches almost reaching her bedroom window, and Bradbury is watering its roots to encourage fresh growth that could help with identification.
- A treecreeper visits each morning, using its long bill, curved toes and stiff tail feathers to search the bark for insects and spiders, blending in with cryptic brown and gold plumage.
- Treecreepers leave their breeding territories in autumn for nearby woodland or parks, often joining roving flocks of tits, meaning the morning visitor may soon depart and return in spring to nest.
- Standing dead wood is described by Bradbury as a rare garden habitat that supports a surprising range of birds, even as she worries about winter-storm damage given the tree's proximity to her house.
- The mystery tree's bare branches lay bare a world of birds otherwise hidden by foliage — including tits, robins, blackbirds, thrushes, woodpeckers and nuthatches.
Why it matters: For gardeners and householders, the column is a reminder that keeping a dying or dead tree standing — rather than felling it for safety — can convert a liability into one of the richest wildlife habitats available, supporting species from treecreepers to bats in even a suburban garden next to a house.
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