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 entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth where it has
comments.
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 entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth where it has
comments.