FRIDAY night used to be party night. It was a matter of kick off the work shoes and chill out for a couple of days before Monday came round again.

Recently, however, my Friday evening routine has been changing. Instead of flopping into the sofa with a large glass of wine and something non-taxing on the television, I am busying around the kitchen preparing for Saturday's feast. The fare that I am cooking up isn't of the three-course variety. It usually involves melted bowls of suet, crumbled stale bread and a selection of mixed seeds in various containers.

I try to make sure that the bird table and all its nearby feeders are fully stocked for Saturday morning. This is the only day off I have in the week and I like to start the morning gently by watching the feathered visitors in the back garden, whilst sipping several mugs of tea.

I witness all kinds of dramas. They stop being just birds and become individuals. The dominant robin has so far managed to retain his domain, and continues to sing from his perch in the large conifer tree just outside the bedroom window. He often acts as a Saturday wake-up call.

The window feeder provides much entertainment. Billie-the-kit crouches on the windowsill waiting to pounce on the blue tits that come for the peanuts and sunflower seeds. She gets very frustrated each time she springs, and rather than sinking her claws into feathers, thumps into the windowpane. The cheeky little blue tits have got quite used to this and seem to taunt her on purpose now.

Apart from the entertainment value and the improved social conscience that comes from providing for the birds, the benefits also extend to the garden. They don't just eat the food that I put out for them. They also help to extinguish some of the most rampant garden pests.

Thrushes and blackbirds, in particular, will have a good go at the slugs and snails. The robins, wrens and dunnocks will pick off the annoying midges and caterpillars. The blue tits and gold crests love aphids. Weeds such as chickweed, coltsfoot, groundsel and thistles are often eaten by goldfinches, greenfinches and linnets.

Gardens can be made more attractive to birds by creating plenty of cover for them to nest and roost. The best plants for this are evergreen shrubs and trees.

Shrubs such as garrya elliptica, laurels, holly, viburnum and bay not only give all year round cover but provide a food source in the form of berries. The other benefit of such bushes is that they will deter uninvited garden visitors, such as magpies, doves, pigeons and gulls.

In planting berry-bearing and fruiting trees in the garden you are likely to attract blackbirds, thrushes, robins, and waxwings. Crab apples, elder, hawthorn, rowan and amelanchier are particularly good choices. They not only appease the birds, but also look good in autumn when the garden is starting to fade.

Last year the most common garden bird was the starling, followed by the house sparrow and the blue tit. The big survey for 2003 is just about to tale place. Over the coming weekend (January 25/26) the RSPB is asking people to survey the birds in their own gardens. They want you to record the greatest number of each variety of bird visiting your garden over a period of one hour.

Forms can be obtained from reception in the Radio Cleveland building or by phoning 08706010215. Alternatively, you can simply type your results in online by visiting the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

THINGS TO DO Plant fruit trees

NOW is a good time to buy and plant fruit trees. Make sure that the soil isn't frozen or too waterlogged. Dig a large enough hole to accommodate the roots plus a little extra organic matter in the bottom. Water well and, if necessary, stake the tree against the winds.

Prepare early potatoes

POTATOES can be chitted for an early June crop. Try and go for an early cropping variety, but if these can't be sourced then simply get a cheap bag from the supermarket. Leave them well laid out in a cool but light environment so that the shoots can start to form from the small eyes.

Divide and plant up Christmas baskets

GENTLY take out and tease apart the Christmas floral assemblages. Most of the plants will be indoor varieties and these can be potted up in individual containers. Use an all-purpose compost unless you are dealing with things like azaleas, in which case you will need an ericaceous soil. Ivy can be planted straight outside.

READERS QUESTIONS

MR Charles from Bishop Auckland tells me that his acer is not doing very well. Many of the stems turned black at the end of last year and are now brown and brittle. Is it too cold in Bishop Auckland to grow acers and what should he do with the plant now?

I would advise Mr Charles to try and relocate the tree to somewhere sheltered from the wind and frost pockets.

It is not so much the cold that affects the plant, but acer leaves dry out quickly and once the damage reaches the stem there is no way that the plant will grow back. Prune away the damaged stems. Ensure that the soil is on the acid side and give it a good liquid feed early in spring to beef it up for the year.

POST SCRIPT Brigid is on hand to answer any more gardening questions every Sunday morning from 11.00-12.00 on Radio Cleveland, 95 FM.

You can email your questions to her on brigidpress67.freeserve.co.uk or write to her c/o Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Acklam, Middlesbrough.

Published:20/01/2002