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|  | Seasonal Newsby Endymion Beer, FZS MBOU MBNA.
Nesting Season ... |
| Helping garden bird life is never more satisfying than when we stumble across a well hidden nest in a secret location in the garden. Equally there is nothing more rewarding than when fledglings are brought to the garden feeding station by parents. However, a word of warning is in order here because once you happen upon a nest site, perhaps hidden in a hedge at the bottom of the garden, do be sure to leave it well alone. A quick look is quite in order, but do not loiter around nest sites. When monitoring nest boxes in our own Sanctuary, we were never present for more than four or five seconds, just enough time to count the eggs and take a mental notes of the eggs description so we could identify the species. However, if a bird was sitting on her eggs, and we could sometimes tell by looking through the nest box entrance/exit hole, we would leave it alone and look later. It is not merely the threat of prolonged human disturbance that may cause parent birds to desert their young, but also the fact that in drawing attention to a nest site one may inadvertently make that location known to magpies, other members of the crow family, squirrels, woodpeckers, cats and other would be predators. This is particularly true of nests in natural habitats but also true of nests within nest boxes of course. In some locations, squirrels have been known to open a nest box and in doing so, access an easy meal of eggs or young. Make no mistakes, the grey squirrel has a reputation for it, but equally the red squirrel will do just the same if an opportunity arises.
Depending where you live, different predators may be more persistent than others but take heart. There is usually something to be done to help safeguard your garden birds during their breeding season. That's good because there is nothing more heartbreaking than to lose a brood of chicks or eggs from your own patch no matter how we might put it into perspective. |  |
|  | It is true to say that a blue tit may eat a hundred caterpillars and therefore all those baby butterflies and baby moths have succumbed a terrible fate to the blue tit, but it is all Nature's way and is a small comfort when the sparrowhawk sweeps into the garden to snatch a blue tit. It's all about survival and perhaps the sparrowhawk has babies (chicks) of her own to feed. So, what can we do in the short term to help safeguard our garden birds when nesting?
First of all, if you can provide cover for birds, such as shrubbery and hedges, the birds can dive down out of the way of the immediate threats of birds of prey. Secondly when erecting nest boxes, be sure to put them where cats are unable to climb up and snatch the birds when flying in and out to feed their young. Boxes should be placed at least two metres up off the ground and facing south east or north. Thirdly, before erecting nest boxes for garden birds, squirrel proof them. We do this by putting a small nail in the side of the box and another immediately above in the lid. However, do not nail the lid down because you will need to clean the box out from old nest material at the end of the year. Use garden wire and tie both nails together. Now squirrels will not be able to access the box. Never bang nails into a nest box when it is active. Even dropping a nest box lid may cause a shock so great to chicks that they die of it. Once a box is in use the best thing to do is leave it alone and let the adults get on with it. As far as woodpeckers go, if you have a persistent woodpecker hacking into your nest boxes, you can buy woodpecker proof boxes which have a metal plate surrounding the exit/entrance hole, and this prevents woodpeckers making the hole any bigger for them to access and easy meal. |
| | It is interesting that many natural hole nesting birds lay eggs that are really quite bright. Perhaps this is because they do not need to be camouflaged as they are hidden away. Another thought however, suggests that if the eggs are white or bright blue, they are easier to find by adult birds, once they have located their nest, to allow them the opportunity to sit and incubate properly in exactly the right place. This must be a little difficult to do by feel in the dark unless you can see something although many will be guided by their nest shape within the natural hole - there are always exceptions and Nature does what is can to help. Most female birds tend to have subdued plumage to allow them to move about the countryside discreetly, to access nest sites and thus incubate eggs whilst so well camouflaged that by keeping very still and quiet she will fool most predators. Birds that like to nest in a favourite location year after year, such as blackbirds, may have a problem once discovered by magpies. It seems that whilst the blackbird remembers where it liked to nest, so it seems the magpie will remember exactly where it had an easy meal the year before so much so that eventually a new nest location may have to be sought for peace to reign again. This is why plenty of shrubbery or hedges are so good in a garden since not all birds are able to nest in nest boxes. |  |
|  | I've been working for Ernest Charles since 1997, providing colour transparencies, illustrations for their catalogues, booklets, leaflets and articles. This will be my last Seasonal Message. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our readers, especially those of you who have kept in touch and to thank Trevor Beer MBE for his bird photography over the years and Stuart Christophers, Managing Director of Ernest Charles and staff for a happy working relationship.
Goodbye!
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