Tag Archives: nest

An Empty Birds Nest – A Video

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I have been taking my Disgo Video Camera with me when I have been on my walks.  I saw this nest swaying high on a branch.  I wondered if it would still be there next year.  I decided to take a short video of it and see if it is used next year.  Yes I know – don’t I have anything better to do!

Isn’t it strange that  birds build this nest  here where  the hedge is not a thick hedge, where the branches sway in the wind and where it is open to the elements. 

A few yards away is a much thicker and more sheltered hedge that seems a better nesting place.

About a foot away is a prickly hawthorn that would have kept any predators away from the nest – BUT this nest was built in a hedge that would not protect them much at all.

Again excuse my voice – but I felt a video of an old nest on it’s own maybe wasn’t a good idea.

My daughter is getting married tomorrow in the Peak District.  I’m setting off in an hour or two  as it is going to be a Wedding Weekend!  I have seen my daughter in her wedding dress and she looks beautiful.  I thought I would put this short video on before we set off and I actually turn the computer off for the weekend. 

I’ve got the bird feeding sorted out.  I don’t suppose it would matter if bird food wasn’t put out for a couple of days but a neighbour offered so thats OK.

Owls nesting in town

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An Young Owl in Town

There's a Young Owl in Town

Hi Trish,  Here is a picture of the baby owl that Penny told you about. 
We have four altogether and are getting bigger by the day. 
The parents don’t seem to bother about us going to talk to them, just keep a watchful eye over us. 
The babies are very co-operative while we are there and will sit for ages.  The one on the wall hadn’t been out of the box that long and he sat there while I managed to get within about 6ft and never even flinched when I took the photo!  Regards – J and W
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Thank you J and W for sending this photographs. 
So owls have been nesting in a town garden.  They have reared 4 young and this photo is of one of the young owls.
These owls don’t seem frightened or wary of humans – just take them for granted.  This is the opposite of countryside owls who stear clear of humans!
It’s great to receive this photograph and read such an interesting story of owls nesting in town.  Amazing. 
If anyone else has any photos (or videos) I’d love to see them.
Owls nesting in a town garden
Young Owl having a snooze

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AND HERE’S AN OWL POEM –
THE TOWN OWL
 

On eves of cold, when slow coal fires,

rooted in basements, burn and branch,

brushing with smoke the city air,

When quartered moons pale in the sky,

and neons glow along the dark

like deadly nightshade on a briar,

Above the muffled traffic then

I hear the owl, and at his note

I shudder in my private chair.

For like an auger he has come

to roost among our crumbling walls,

his blooded talons sheathed in fur.

Some secret lure of time it seems

has called him from his country wastes

to hunt a newer wasteland here.

And where the candlabra swung

bright with the dancers’ thousand eyes,

now his black, hooded pupils stare,

And where the silk-shoed lovers ran

with dust of diamonds in their hair,

he opens now his silent wing,

And like a stroke of doom, drops down,

and swoops across the empty hall,

and plucks a quick mouse off the stair …

Laurie Lee

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Sparrow taking over a nest that has young robins in

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A Robin built a nest under my eaves through this spring.
I watched her sit on them and apparently they hatched as I found blue egg shell in the garden beneath. 
However, today…a male sparrow has taken over the nest and appears to be picking at something in the next or taking food out of the baby birds’ mouths. 
I can’t tell what’s going on. 
He sits on the edge of the next chirping away.  He flies to a fro the nest. 

What do you make of this?
Also…I haven’t seen the Robin come to her next in a couple of days.

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I received the above question the other day.  What do you make of this?

 Here are two other times when sparrows seem to have thrown other birds out of nests. Click on these links if you would like to read about it.

 SPARROW EVICTING A MARTIN

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SPARROWS PLOTTING

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 Here is my reply to the comment :

Thank you for sending this.  I will do an article about it.  I have a reader called Jennie who has told me about sparrows sabotaging a nesting box that had wrens in it!  It is on birdtable news on 29th April.
There is also a story from 1912(!) about sparrows evicting a martin from it’s nest.  That is on my blog dated 31 March 2009. 
I have never heard of such a think until I started birdtablenews.  From what you saw and what Jeannie and the 1912 Gent saw it does seemthat sparrows can get nasty sometimes.  Maybe it is when food is scarce – I don’t know, but will see if I can find out more.
Birds do attack other birds.  Sparrowhawks eat sparrows and other birds, maybe this is a continuation.  I do not know I am only jumping to this conclusion because of my other notes.  Trisha from Bird Table News

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Please contact me if you can think of a reason for the above, or if you have have heard of robins being aggressive with other bird’s nests – or robins being aggressive at all.  I’d love to hear. Trisha

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Nesting Birds

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The nesting season is here and nesting birds are busy building nests, sitting on the clutch of eggs  and then feeding the young.

Adult birds seach for high energy food to feed their fledglings.  So when you feed your birds you will be helping them keep up their energy. 

It’s the time of year when you see more activity in the garden.  This is why it’s a good idea to make sure your feeders and tables are well stocked up.

The breeding in this country runs from about the start of March to the end of August but there are some birds that breed outside these months.

The breeding season may vary from year to year depending on factors such as climate and food.

Below is a photo I took last year of two fledglings sitting on the fence.  They will have had families of their own now!

young birds on a fence

young birds on a fence

Let’s all put some food and water out for the British Birds!

National Nest Box Week

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It is National Nest Box Week

Many species of birds come into gardens in winter to feed, but in some gardens they cannot stay and nest because there isn’t anywhere suitable for them to nest.

A good idea is to put up nest boxes.  Modern houses are built without  any of the nooks and crannies under the eaves in which birds nest. 

Bird boxes come in all shapes and sizes to suit all shapes and sizes of birds.

The ‘ front door’ opening of nest boxes vary to attract different types of birds.

  • Sparrows like a front door of about 32mm across
  • Blue tits like a front door of about 25mm across
  • When the whole upper half of the front of the nest box is open it can sttract robins and wrens.

It doesn’t matter if you are just casually interested in birds, putting up a nest box is a good idea.  The sight and sound of young birds in your garden will always lift your spirits.

Last summer I watched two small fledgling sparrows sitting on a fence together.  I made me realise that our actions can help birds!

The gardens in this country have an area much bigger than all our nature reserves put together so the ability for us to use our gardens as nesting sites for birds is enormous  so go out and buy a nest box and help the next generation of our British Garden Birds.

Why not take a look at the nest boxes that Garden Bird Supplies have