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Baby birds
One of the delights of a wildlife-friendly garden is the baby birds.
This year, we have blue tits in the blue tit box, great tits in the sparrow box (first time it's ever been used - had it nearly a decade and the sparrows never showed any interest).
We also have baby goldfinches and sparrows. We don't know where they nest, but the parents bring the babies to us for meals.
We have a selection of bird feeders, but it isn't just the feeders that brings them into the garden. The parent birds can be seen drinking in the pond and hunting through the plants for insects. Insects are very important for baby birds - seeds and nuts are too big and hard for the first week of life. Insects are easier for them to digest.
We never use insecticides, and we try to have a variety of wild and non-wild plants. Some plants like loosestrife, ransoms, primroses, aquilegia and campion are very pretty even though they are wildflowers and are also easy to grow. However we also have heucheras, and other non-natives. The basic trick is to have LOTS of plants. My general philosophy is to stick in anything that I like the look of, and get more of them if they seem to like it. Geraniums grow well in our garden, so I have several of those. Bedding plants are something I never bother with. Too much hassle, and the slugs tend to go for them. Grow things that slugs don't like - there are loads of options!
A hedge or tree is also a big plus. Birds like somewhere to perch where it's harder for cats to get them.
Right now, the baby goldfinches are sitting on the washing line and the baby sparrows are in the mulberry tree.
The basic tactic if you are a baby bird is roughly this:
Crouch down (message -I'm only little, I need feeding)
Flutter wings like mad to get parent's attention. I wonder if wing flashes evolved for this purpose? (Message - "I'm over here, daddy. Look at me! I'm very fit and healthy, but I need feeding.")
Tweet loudly (message - "I'm starving, Daddy. Forget the other guy. I'm hungrier than he is")
In short, "Feed me!"
they're incredibly cute, and very amusing.
This year, we have blue tits in the blue tit box, great tits in the sparrow box (first time it's ever been used - had it nearly a decade and the sparrows never showed any interest).
We also have baby goldfinches and sparrows. We don't know where they nest, but the parents bring the babies to us for meals.
We have a selection of bird feeders, but it isn't just the feeders that brings them into the garden. The parent birds can be seen drinking in the pond and hunting through the plants for insects. Insects are very important for baby birds - seeds and nuts are too big and hard for the first week of life. Insects are easier for them to digest.
We never use insecticides, and we try to have a variety of wild and non-wild plants. Some plants like loosestrife, ransoms, primroses, aquilegia and campion are very pretty even though they are wildflowers and are also easy to grow. However we also have heucheras, and other non-natives. The basic trick is to have LOTS of plants. My general philosophy is to stick in anything that I like the look of, and get more of them if they seem to like it. Geraniums grow well in our garden, so I have several of those. Bedding plants are something I never bother with. Too much hassle, and the slugs tend to go for them. Grow things that slugs don't like - there are loads of options!
A hedge or tree is also a big plus. Birds like somewhere to perch where it's harder for cats to get them.
Right now, the baby goldfinches are sitting on the washing line and the baby sparrows are in the mulberry tree.
The basic tactic if you are a baby bird is roughly this:
Crouch down (message -I'm only little, I need feeding)
Flutter wings like mad to get parent's attention. I wonder if wing flashes evolved for this purpose? (Message - "I'm over here, daddy. Look at me! I'm very fit and healthy, but I need feeding.")
Tweet loudly (message - "I'm starving, Daddy. Forget the other guy. I'm hungrier than he is")
In short, "Feed me!"
they're incredibly cute, and very amusing.
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Also Badík the Labrador is free to roam in the garden and SOME of the birds MIGHT be afraid of him - however I am not sure:-)
On Sunday afternoon, there was a real battle under our roof for two old swallow nests. The sparrows were the first to seize them but the swallows returned and wanted them back! There was lots of noise and wild flying. Now I am sure that only one nest belongs to the sparrows - and they are very messy lot!:-) I don´t believe the swallows moved in the second one though. But it was a real havoc!!!
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I've only seen a couple of young sparrows so far this year (they look so cute when they flutter their wings like that), and one young starling (I don't like them, they're noisy an extremely aggressive). Normally we get a lot more than that, as well as blackbirds, blue tits, wood pigeons and collared doves. I think last year was a arecord year for most of those.
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(Anonymous) 2013-05-30 09:56 am (UTC)(link)Possibly, but if so I would expect to see such markings only in juvenile plumage. Distinctive wing markings are usually, as far as I'm aware, for maintaining flock coordination (this is at least reckoned to be the case with ducks), though I can see how they might also have a role in confusing predators.
(Temeres, who has only just noticed he needs to log back in yet a-bloody-gain...)
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