Websailor's Wacky Wildlife World
Created | Updated May 21, 2008
A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of
salt, but with more than a grain of truth!
Spring Fever
Just as we thought the Spring weather was here in the UK, it disappeared again. From stifling hot to cold and wet in 24 hours. I just hope it hasn't confused the birds as much as it has us.
Much frantic nest building in recent weeks has meant that the adult birds have been feeding hurriedly in the early morning and late afternoon, but have scarcely been seen during the day except for those still 'single'. Any day now they will be dashing back and forth feeding young, and will need all the stamina we can give them with an extra feeding boost. It takes a lot of extra energy to find grubs, insects and caterpillars for several hungry mouths. I was amazed to learn that a pair of blue tits will have to find some 10,000 tasty morsels for their average family before they leave home! They can have as many as twelve fledglings.
Today I topped up all the feeders with peanut granules, sunflower hearts and other assorted seeds, filled the peanut holders so the little birds couldn't choke on whole peanuts, and put raisins out for the blackbirds. Grated mild cheese should please the robins, dunnocks and blackbirds too, and crumbled stale cake and biscuits plus peanuts will keep the tits busy. Oats are popular, too, and the goldfinches and bullfinches like nyjer seed. It is still cool enough to put fat out, such as suet/insect/seed peanut cakes, or home made 'puds' made with lard, suet and all manner of seeds,raisins, sultanas and cheese.
If you have the time and the money, meal worms are a boon for both adults and babies - the parents seem to work on a 'one for me, two for them, one for me, two for them' basis, and sometimes lose count and have two, or even three for themselves. The squabbling, cunning ways of starlings are hilarious to watch as they try to beat the tits to the worms, and they are great fun to watch.
Bird feeding has become more sophisticated in recent years as more is learnt about what is good or bad for our garden birds. It used to be peanuts and bread, but it has become apparent that bread is not good, certainly in any quantity. It fills them up but provides no useful nutrients, a bit like our junk food.
The RSPB recommends that we don't feed artificially produced fats such as margarine or vegetable oils either, which are very soft and can clog feathers. While left-over cooked porridge might sound a good idea, as it is made from oats, it can set hard around a bird's beak causing huge feeding problems. Similarly, desiccated coconut swells up inside them, but fresh coconut in the shell is much appreciated. No milk, dry dog or cat food should be put out, though apparently blackbirds like tinned meat dog food to feed to their babies. I haven't risked that as cats, squirrels, foxes and rats have similar tastes, and I don't want to attract the latter!
Lots of birds will happily scavenge under leaves, around the edges of lawns and under trees, particularly wrens and dunnocks, so a few scraps of food there will not go amiss. Wood pigeons and stock doves will clean up scraps with the help of collared doves, and, of course, squirrels. Loose peanuts on the lawn are best avoided as they attract more magpies, who can be real bully boys around the smaller birds.
With so much rain around it is easy to forget water, but the weather changes so quickly, and water supplies can dry up very quickly. Water dishes should be kept topped up, with regular cleaning to ensure that changing temperatures do not turn the water green and unpleasant. It is also wise to remove any water containers more than an inch deep, and cover water butts, as young tits in particular are inquisitive and clumsy and can easily fall in and drown.
Enjoy the unpredictable British Spring weather, whatever it brings, and the young birds will thank you by returning again and again through the summer as they grow, gain confidence and attain their full adult plumage. The entertainment they provide is priceless - well, except for the bird food!
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