Wrens, Robins and Blue Tits
Aug 11th, 2007 by Birdy Trish
My daytime friends have visited again. I have been sitting watching them. Thought I would tell you about three of them.
The Wren
The wren is one of the smallest birds. It’s only 3 ½ inches long and weighs only 1/3 of an ounce. Yet there is such vitality in this little bird.
Wrens often live in gardens. I think they sometimes look strangely like mice as they run up and down the tree trunks. Even though the wren is such a small bird it builds a lovely little nest. The nest is shaped like a ball and it has a hole in the side. The nest is always well hidden.
The Robin
Robin Redbreast is famous for being so tame. They love worms and small snails. We think of robins as being friendly birds but they are quarrelsome with each other and can spend quite a lot of time fighting. The fighting can often be about territory. Robins have a lovely song which can also be heard in winter – the time of year when a lot of other birds have stopped singing.
Robins are reckless in their choice of nest and will use anything to build a nest in. They would use an old boot, tin cans etc.
Note for winter: Robins can’t store much energy. In winter they use a lot of energy looking for food during the short, cold winter days. We can help them, and other birds stay alive, by feeding regularly.
Blue tits
I really like this little bird. They hang from my bird feeder and their colour and acrobatics keep me amused in a morning.
Their milk bottle opening habits used to be a nuisance for some people. But I thinks it shows great ingenuity. How did blue tits know there was food inside the bottles?
I have just found out that blue tits lay one of the largest clutches of any British bird so a lot of food is needed. This explains their frantic activity in my garden.
Blue tits will nest in hollow posts, letter boxes – and also nest boxes.
I look forward to seeing them all again tomorrow. Had better mention that the starlings are still coming in great numbers. There are parts of the day when we are free of these pesky starlings - but not for long.
