Bird Life and Behaviour
(by John Merefield on 30th September 2021)
Eurasian Blue Tit
Fancis Franklin CC BY-SA 3.0
Back in the early 1970s in Southampton I did the usual thing of hanging up peanuts in the established back garden of my flat to encourage the resident blue tits to visit. I have to report though as it turned out, they proved to be the first in the country to discover that pecking the silver tops of the milk bottles of my doorstep deliveries proved a more rewarding feed.
Male European Greenfinch
Andreas Trepte CC BY-SA 2.5
So then, when I moved into our new-build home in Devon in the late 1970s I expected similar behaviour. But the challenge here was different in every way. As each house had white-rendered walls and bare gardens initially, few birds could be enticed to the feeders at all. They felt exposed I guess. The first to arrive were greenfinches in pretty good numbers, but over the years, sadly they fell away due no doubt to the disease that ravaged their community. Trichomonosis caused by a parasite, first appeared in the UK in 2005.
Female European Greenfinch
Andreas Trepte CC BY-SA 2.5
So even today when they do arrive, it’ll be just in ones and twos. But, back to the 1970s/1980s period and eventually, as more food was put out more suited to their likes (mainly expensive sunflower seed), most garden species started to take advantage of the feeding stations. The anticipated blue, great, coal, and long-tail tits soon arrived and have maintained a strong presence since, but thankfully leaving the pints of milk alone!
Nearby is a valley nature park where in the autumn a rarity would be to see a charm (8 in number) of goldfinches. However, as the years have rolled on, they too would visit the garden feeders and so much so that they have become the most dominant of the birds on my patch. But this year has been particularly special as redpolls appeared for the first time in winter when the normally mild south west weather deteriorated. To add to that, bull finches (male and female) have become comfortable on the feeders in the spring. I guess too that the most exciting of all was to see the bullfinch young appearing after fledging, once their parents had told them where to come, i.e. ‘This is where we get our food. Enjoy!’
Common Redpoll
Cephas CC BY-SA 3.0
As those of you have run your own bird feeding stations will know however, all this activity doesn’t go unnoticed by the predators. And by that I don’t just mean the next-door neighbour’s cats. An occasional explosive exodus of feeding birds can often herald the arrival of a sparrow hawk. Pleasingly, it might also linger for a while so that its majestic colouration can be observed before it goes off to hunt once more elsewhere. In a little while though, the bravest birds will regain their courage and come back to refuel and tranquillity resumes.
Male Eurasian Bullfinch
Fancis Franklin CC BY-SA 3.0
So, there you go. Bird Life on your own patch will vary with time and partly this will be due to your own actions. Birds like to feel safe and have somewhere to bolt to should danger arise. They also have their own preferences as regards diet. And, as with all wildlife observation, events will often prove unpredictable. But one thing is certain, changing bird life on your own patch will never be boring!
John Merefield teaches our Bird Life course.