Bird Table News

We have been looking after an injured young swallow that we found on the 23rd August – we have had it for a week now.

We found it on the ground with an apparently broken wing. Amazingly, it made no attempt to get away and allowed us to pick it up.

We decided to look after it, rather than allow it to end up the meal of a cat or fox or such like. We now have it in a canary cage and are feeding it live and dried mealworms, flies etc.

We are trying to teach it to help itself to food and water! We are are considering ways of maintaining a live food supply throughout the winter.

We will also have to make sure it is kept warm but we do not know what an appropriate temperature range would be.

It is really cute but we are saddened by the fact it is on its own. Is it possible to get hold of another (injured?) swallow from somewhere to keep it company.

How can we find out if ours is a make or female?

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I received the above comment.  Does anyone have a detailed knowledge of swallows?

Temperature – I have found out that Swallows follow a 48 degree isotherm (an isotherm is a line on a map connecting same monthly temperature).  I don’t know if that helps.  Will see if I can find out more.

The temperature will be important, but in Summer in England you do get cold, wet weather as well as warm weather.  Swallows migrate when  the food supply here becomes non existant.  Your little swallow has food, warmth, water and care. 

I will try and see if anyone else is looking after an injured swallow.   Perhaps you could put it near a window where it could see other birds.  Or put a recording on of birds singing. 

Maybe it doesn’t matter if you know if it is male or female

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I have only just received this comment ten minutes ago.  I’m sorry you have had difficulty posting this question on Bird Table News.  I’ll look into the reason why.

I have put your questions on a birding group that I belong to on Twitter.  I have also put it on a Bird Forum I belong to. 

I would like to thank you  for taking the time to care for it.  I hope you succeed.   I’m sure you’ll connect with the swallow and be prepared to look after it all winter.  I will research and see what else I can find.

Please keep me in touch with how you are getting on. 

I know I haven’t answered all your questions but wanted to get this problem onto Bird Table News so that other people can help.

Trisha

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WHY DO BIRDS MOULT?

The feathers of birds do get  worn, damaged and discoloured.  Birds need to be in pristine condition to see them through the long winter which, to birds, is just round the corner.

It takes -

• A certain amount of time to grow new feathers
• A certain amount of protein to grow new feathers

Which is why a lot of birds grow new feathers in one go.

Birds are moulting now.  It is amazing how they fit in with nature.

August is the best time for birds to moult because -

• The weather is warm.
• Birds need warm weather when they moult because fewer feathers means they cannot keep as warm – and also means they do not have much energy.
• If they moulted earlier it may be colder for birds
• If they moulted earlier   they would not have enough energy to  feed their young and  moult at the same time
• Birds are vulnerable when they are moulting so they shelter during the day.  This is a good time of year for them to shelter – when the young have fledged and they only have themselves to feed.

So birds moult when the weather is warm and when breeding has ended.

So the gardens may seem quiet – but it will still help many birds if we put bird food out.

[ad#125x125square]As the scruffy moulting birds appear at the feeders we’ll know we’re giving them a helping hand and after they have eaten their fill at the bird tables they will hop into a hedge, shelter and rest – and prepare to be at their best and fittest to face the coming winter

So the seasons progress and birds (along with other wildlife) have learnt the only way to survive is to fit in with the seasons.

We are removed from the seasons in a lot of ways.  I wonder if we lose something by not being connected to nature.

It is really amazing how they know that August is a good time to moult and how the different seasons give them  different challenges in their  lives!

So don’t forget to put bird food out – it will help.

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Cockney House Sparrow

The Cockney Sparrow  (The House Sparrow ) is declining in many parts of Britain. 

London is one of the places where numbers are reducing – BUT

At the Tower of London there are a happy band of sparrows that are fit, well and thriving.

There is going to be a viewing area set up near the Tower Shop at the Tower of London so that visitors and Londoners can see  these little sparrows – and hopefully find out what they can do to help the House Sparrow.

These Tower of London House Sparrows are happy chappies who spend a lot of their time hopping onto the cafe tables, chirping as loud as they can and generally enjoying themselves unafraid of anyone or anything around them. 

In other places in London city the numbers of sparrows are reducing – it would be really good if something could be done to increase sparrow numbers.

The RSPB are running a Nature event over four weekends

From July 31st to Sunday 23rd August the events will be each Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Tower of London

I won’t be able to go, but if anyone can get I’d love to know about it.

 SPARROW BIRD FOOD -  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO BUY  NOW

HOUSE SPARROW  IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Male House Sparrow

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These are the most read articles in July 2009

 Two of these articles tell a story .  Number 1 was written in Feb 2009 – it was talking about a bird feeding problem.  The 3rd article is about the same problem.  I wrote it because I had received a very good solution about how to keep large birds off bird tables.  So the story has  unfolded and a bird feeding problem has been solved.

1. HOW TO KEEP PIGEONS OFF BIRD TABLES

 2.     BLACKBIRD IN USA WITH WHITE TAIL FEATHERS
This has been an interesting, ongoing source of discovery.  some reasons why blackbirds have white tail feathers  – CLICK HERE TO READ SOME OF THE REASONS 

3.  HOW TO KEEP PIGEONS AWAY FROM BIRD TABLES. 
This carries on from No. 1.  - another way to keep large birds off birdtables.

4.  BIRD TABLE FOR SALE

 5.  COVERED GROUND BIRD FEEDER – PRODUCT REVIEW 

 6. HOUSE SPARROW FACT SHEET

 7.  WOODPIGEONS STAGE A COO

 8. WHITE TAIL FEATHERED BLACKBIRD - How I became interested in blackbirds with some white feathers.

 9. HAWTHORN HEDGES FOR BIRDS - How hawthorn hedges can be used for roosting, food and protection

Strangely enough Article Number 10 shows how useful Hawthorn could be.

10. SPARROWHAWK WITH ITS TALONS ROUND A BLACKBIRD

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Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the most Popular Posts for July 2009.

If you have any ideas for articles, or would like to write a guest article please let me know.

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It is fascinating how starlings got their name.

In summer starlings do not have many spots.

In winter starlings have the pale spots all over their dark bodies.

The white spots on black plumage were thought to look like the night sky

So the bird was named the Starling

Starling in England

 Is this a UFO or is it a formation of starlings

Starlings or UFO

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For the first time in 20 years a pair of Ospreys have nested in England.

Osprey’s are one of England’s rarest birds of prey.

A pair have nested and hatched Osprey chicks at Kielder Water and Forest Park Northumberland.

They were enticed there by a specially built nesting platform. 

Kielder Water is an ideal place for Ospreys as it means they are close to a large man made lake where they can fish.  The land provides conifers where Osprey can build their nests.

The male Osprey has been seen flying over the water, catching trout and taking them back to the nest for the chicks.

This is a success story amidst all the news we get of other birds declining.

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The gardens in this country have an area much bigger than all our nature reserves put together.

WOW!

 The ability for us to use our gardens as nesting sites for birds is enormous.  

Why not go out and buy a nest box and help the next generation of our British Garden Birds.

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The other morning I woke up to a winter’s scene.

Snow had covered the ground and the garden pond was frozen, so I knew I’d best feed and water the garden birds straight away.

At noon I had put bird food out three times that morning

• In the early morning gloom
• mid morning when I saw the empty feeders and saw the snow was still coming down
• At noon when I threw some mixed bird food onto the bird tables. 

The photo below shows a frozen, snow covered, boring bit of garden just outside our kitchen window, but it always becomes a vibrant Cafe For Birds full of bird food and birdy customers. 

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Well, Birdtablenews has greated 2009 with a small webserver problem. Due to a mistake by the hosting company,  some of my webpages have been lost temporarily.   I’m in the middle of  getting a lot of my pages back. 

It’s my blog diary and I want the pages back!!  So I’m goint to start getting  my pages back from Google.  

In the meantime if some pages come up as missing – you know the reason why.

Luckily with a lot of technical help it will all work out.

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