Bird Table News

Have had a few questions about how to stop Blue tits continuously flying into windows and hurting themselves.  The links to the earlier posts are at the bottom of this article. 

I’d like to say that birds see light slightly different to us, in a wider spectrum, so the blue tits t might be seeing things in the reflection that we cannot see.

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Here are two readers who have had success in stopping the blue tits flying into windows. 

LIGHTER MORNINGS STOPPING THE BLUE TIT ATTACKING WINDOW 

Hi,  Just to update that blue tit stopped appearing every morning and has now disappeared.

The dawn chorus getting earlier and the lighter mornings did seem to mark a bit of a turning point which is odd as we were being woken at about 05.30h and that was getting annoying and then it just stopped. I am pleased, but still a bit intrigued, as all the other comments above seem to be….

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CLING FILM STOPPING BLUE TITS FLYING INTO WINDOW

Instant success with cling film. Had to do window next to it as well but he has now stopped altogether! Thanks everyone.

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OTHER WAYS TO STOP BLUE TITS FLYING INTO WINDOWS

1. If its attacking its reflection, put a couple of strips of masking tape on the inside of the glass, this might deter the  blue tit. Just something to make it look less like transparant glass.
2.  Try drawing the outline of a bird of prey on some paper, cut it out and stick it on the glass. I’ve  never tried this but i have read that it works. A large enough picture or photo might work but try and get as close to actual size as possible.  If it does work remember to remove it after the Blue Tit has ceased. Otherwise you might not see another bird anywhere near.
3. If it’s while he’s feeling territorial during the breeding season, is there no way you can put a blind or other covering on the outside of the window at the times the sun’s shining on it? A pain in practice, but may work. Obviously not an option on upstairs windows.

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This is the start of the questions in 2010   

http://birdtablenews.com/2010/04/distressed-blue-tit-continuously-flying-into-a-glass-window/

http://birdtablenews.com/2011/04/distresed-blue-tits-flying-into-the-windows/

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I really hope that this is the end of hearing about blue tits continuously  flying into windows.

It seems to me it must be something to do with the light.  The lighter mornings seem to have stopped one blue tit and cling film has helped as well.  But why Blue tits only do this on certain windows is a mystery.  I feel it could be that they do see things differently to us – but we will never know.

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Every year we have several pairs of house sparrows nest in it successfully.

Yesterday, there was a commotion and several sparrows emerged from the ivy, fighting in the air.

They were pecking and harrassing one particular male, who then fell to the ground – stone dead. I have never seen such behaviour before.

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Thank you Lincoln Birder.  Amazing.  We see a flock of sparrows every day.  They are tree sparrows though.  These sparrows spend ages on the grass together pecking at the bird food and some open soil that I have near the feeders.  I still find it hard to realise that birds do kill birds.  I know robins fight to the death sometimes, but watching robins it is hard to believe that as well.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Here is a report from 1912 about sparrows evicting a martin from its nest.  But in this case the sparrows met a grizzly ending

http://birdtablenews.com/2009/03/sparrow-evicting-a-martin/

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This is the original thread about sparrows attacking other birds

http://birdtablenews.com/category/do-sparrows-attack-other-birds/

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The countryside is lovely all year round, but especially this time of year.  It is spoilt by people dumping their rubbish on the grass verges. and all over the countryside

Here is a poem written sometime in the 1920′s or before that date

PICNICS

If you go a-picnicking and throw your scraps about
You’ll never see the little folk go running in and out;
And if you leave your orange-peel all littered on the grass
You’ll never go to Fairy Land or see the Fairies pass.
For empty tins and tangled strings
And paper bage are not the things
To scatter where a linnet sings.

So if you go a-picnicking remember you’re a guest
Of all the tiny people, and you’ll really find it best
To leave their ballroom tidy and to clear away the mess,
And perhaps you’ll see a fairy in her newest dancing dress.

But paper bags and broken combs
Will really wreck the pixie homes
And frighten all the tiny gnomes.

But if you go a-picnicking and you are elfin wise
You’ll maybe  hear with fairy ears and see with goblin eyes;

The little folk will welcome you, and they will open wide
The hidden doors of Fairy Land and you will pass inside,
And maybe see a baby fay
White cradled in a cherry spray,
Although it is Bank Holiday

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Isn’t that a lovely poem?  I wish it was as easy as that to stop fly tipping. 

We are such a consumer society.  A throw away society.  It wasn’t like this when I was young.  For instance we had milk bottles that were recycled for ages.  One milk bottle would  be re-used again and again and again.  Now we use one plastic container every time we buy a pint of milk.  Ridiculous when you think about the millions of people who buy milk.  Why have we gone in this direction?  That is just one instance , but there are many more.

Here’s hoping in the future the countryside is left neat and tidy for wildlife.  Rubbish in the countryside can and does harm wild animals and birds.  We don’t have a right to thoughtlessly tip rubbish, harm wildlife and damage this countryside.  But we do – well some of us do.

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Hello, have just seen this thread after googling this issue. We have within the last year built an extension to the rear of our bungalow and since mid March we have been having, initially, blue tits, flying at the windows and pecking at them. We were baffled at why they would do this as prior to the extension being built we did not have this problem. After a couple of weeks the blue tits stopped and now we have the larger great tits doing the same at a larger conservatory window. We believe after much brain racking that the birds used to nest in an area where our extension now sits. The blue tits nested close to the window they were attacking and likewise with the great tits. Could anyone clarify if this is a likely reason why the birds are flying at our windows? Len Rendell

 I  replied

Could you keep the curtains closed.  Do you have any window stickers ?

I heard of one bird trying to get at some putty that was in a window. Are
yours plastic window frames.

 A pal gave this reason  Birds attack shiny surfaces
because they see their own reflections.

With windows the bird sees a reflection of the outside – maybe trees, sky and another bird (which is in fact itself) 

Your blue tit maybe has mistaken its own reflection for a competitor for its own  mate or for the area of land where your bluetit lives.  So it thinks it is defending its own territory against an intruder.
It could damage itself,but it is also a waste of energy.   The ‘reflected bird’ will always be behind the glass of course, so your blue tit can’t win

maybe some type of cover partly covering the oustide of the window. 

A  Suggestion has come my way that if you use cling film on the window that stops the reflection,    Once you stop the reflection  then the  the birds automatic behaviour stops

It also seems that some birds attack different windows depending on where
the sun is reflecting on the window.

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I know this is a repitition of what has been saidbefore.  Please let me know if you know of other reasons for this strange behaviour

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I had a couple mallards visiting when I lived in a remote cottage in Scotland. They would fly in for bread cubes every day which eventually they ate from my hand., but when I didn’t see them arrive the female would waddle around the cottage and jump up on the window sill to the living room where I was sitting and tap until I went around to the front door and fed them.

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Wonderful.  thank you Fred for sending this.

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I have been asked how to build a blackbird nest box as Magpies are taking eggs and chicks.  Here are some ways

• Tray or open fronted box with a floor area o 12 inches x 12 inches.
• An inverted cone made from roofing felt could be used.  Cut into a circle 9 inches in diameter.  Cut out and reject a V-shaped sector from centre to a 2in arc at periphery.  Cut a 1 inch section from centre (to provide drainage).  Now overlap open ends 3in and staple strongly.  Resulting cone is approx 7 in in diamater with a depth of 2 inches.
• Or try a bundle of pea sticks arranged with a central cave

The Above Was Taken from Tony Soper – The Bird Table Book

Here is a link to the copy I have of the   TONY SOPER THE BIRDTABLE BOOK

Here is a link to newer versions of  TONY TOPER THE BIRDTABLE BOOK

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If you don’t have time to make a nest box for a blackbird why not think about

BUYING A BLACKBIRD NEST BOX

Here are two links showing blackbird nest boxes

CJ Wild Bird Food   -   BLACKBIRD NEST BOX – TO BUY
http://www.birdfood.co.uk/product_details.php?area_id=2&nav_id=40&prd_id=887

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Amazon  -  BLACKBIRD NEST BOX TO BUY
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riverside-Woodcraft-Blackbird-nest-box/dp/B0018558F8

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This is the question Anthony asked me -

I want to build a nestbox for blackbirds but i have a lot of magpies in my garden and i have seen them taking eggs and CHICKS . \\whats the best design please?

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I have been told about a shop that sells quality bird food.  I haven’t been there yet, but am going to try some to give to my garden birds.  Below is a photo of one of the bags full of bird food.

The Shop is called  http://petshoptoyou.co.uk

It is in Market Weighton. Has anyone bought wild bird food from them?

I will keep you posted or you could take a look at their webpage details

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