Book review THE MAGIC & MYSTERY OF BIRDS:

Following on from my review of Once upon a Flock, which was a fabulous book about Chickens, I was recently asked if I would like to review another book about birds. I am always keen to read a new book and birds are a particular passion of mine so I was pleased to receive THE MAGIC & MYSTERY OF BIRDS: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human, by Noah Strycker.

From the press release which came with the book

Do humans have more in common with birds than previously thought? US ornithologist Strycker thinks they do. Here he reveals intriguing parallels between the behaviour of birds and our world, and shows how, by studying memory skills, co-operative nesting, pecking orders and more,  they can help us to understand humanity

 
I say "another book about birds" but as soon as I read the first few pages I realised that this book is so much more than that. Each chapter is a fascinating and interesting self contained essay on a different aspect of bird behaviour, with a wealth of scientific evidence and interesting facts on every page. Author Noah Strycker is a photographer, writer, and associate editor of Birding magazine. Named ‘Young Birder of the Year’ in 2004 by the American Birding Association,  he travels the world birdwatching and it is obvious he really knows his subject.

For example I knew that vultures could scent decaying flesh and that was how they homed in on carrion but I had no idea that they could safely digest rotting meat which is so laden with bacteria (botulism, anyone?) it would kill anything else, something which may well hold clues to combating serious infections in humans.

I knew European wrens liked to huddle in a bundle for warmth but Australian fairy wrens actively help their neighbouring family by feeding and caring for young, not their own.

I knew hummingbirds spent the night in suspended animation every night but I had no idea they were so violent towards each other at the feeders!

This is a book I found I dipped into; a book to be picked up, savoured,  a chapter read and then thought about and digested for a while before moving on to the next one.  In fact I have been carrying this book around on trains and reading a chapter then putting the book down to really think about the contents.

If you are interested in why birds do, what they do, if you have ever watched your chickens sort themselves into a pecking order and wondered how,  if you have ever wondered just how so many starlings manage to fly in a huge group without banging into each other or how homing pigeons get back home, then this book is a must read.



THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF BIRDS
Published by Souvenir Press, 18 September, £18, Hb

 Disclaimer - I was sent a copy of this book in order to review it. I was not paid any money for this review, and it is my honest opinion of the book,

The problem with squirrels

 @JacobiJayne  #feedthebirds


As well the Woodpecker "problem"  I talked about in my last post, we also have a real problem with squirrels. Our wood is home to a number of grey squirrels and, as long as that is where they stay, we adopt a "live and let live" attitude to them. Indeed we are amused and entertained by their antics. One year, though,  the numbers multiplied and suddenly they were eating all the apples, all the growing crops and even chewed into the polytunnel. That year we had to resort to live trapping and shooting some to restore the balance, but usually we all get along together. The squirrels do however love to eat the bird peanuts and seed and will chew up any vulnerable feeder to get to the food. I use squirrel proof metal Droll Yankee nut feeders which work well but have not, so far, come across any squirrel proof seed feeders. I have been resigned to just regularly buying complete new feeders to replace the damaged ones.

So when I was contacted by conservation products company Jacobi Jayne & Co to see if I would like to try out some of their products I immediately said yes.  I had a lovely chat on the 'phone with Graham from Jacobi Jayne about squirrels, gardening, birds and wildlife in general and I outlined my problem with squirrel damaged feeders. As a result I was offered two different seed feeders to try;  one of which says it is 100%  squirrel proof and the other a general purpose easy to clean feeder but in which all the parts can be replaced.

When the parcel arrived I realised I had also been sent a couple of big feeder hanging hooks and a 12.5 kg bag of Special Mix bird food, so thanks Graham!

The One feeder is a standard looking bird feeder but is very easy to take apart for cleaning ( it is a very good design) and I can see it would be easy to just replace any chewed or damaged parts so I was impressed even before I hung it out.

The Squirrel Buster was easy to assemble and I could immediately see how hard it would be for a squirrel to get at the seed!

 Fill up the inner hopper

 Add the outer mesh cover - here it is open for birds to eat the seed

but if a squirrel tries to get to the food  (Compostman's hand pretending to be the squirrel, here)  the extra weight of the squirrel makes the cover slide down and blocks the feed. What a brilliant idea.

These two new feeders went out on to the bird table along with the Droll Yankee nut feeder - the birds immediately began to use the new feeders, and as usual the hens hung around waiting for the dropped seed (sigh)

 

You can buy Jacobi Jayne conservation products in shops or online at their website Living with birds
There is a wealth of useful information on the site and they sell lots of other products for wildlife. The Squirrel Buster retails at £24.95, The One feeder will be launched in mid June and the medium sized one (above, lhs of the pole) I am using would sell for £11.49.

I haven't seen a squirrel try the Squirrel Buster yet but I bet it will find it hard to get at the feed. I will keep you posted and try to get a photo if I can!


Disclaimer. I was sent the feeders, a couple of hanging hooks and a bag of seed to review. All opinions are my own.

Feeding the birds

 #feedthebirds  #rspb

We are very lucky here at Compost Mansions as we are host to lots and lots of wildlife, including lots of birds :)

At the moment I am having to avoid work around the front of the house due to Mrs Blackbird nesting

Can you see her? Click on the photo to make it larger and you can see her yellow beak in the middle of the image.

When we do the Big Garden Birdwatch we always have lots of different birds on our list, and of course we follow the advice from the RSPB on feeding "our" birds all year round. This can be a problem, though, when some of the residents decide to sabotage our efforts by drilling holes in the bird table pole.

This was done by one of our many Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. They come and take peanuts and usually fly to the nearest tree ( we offer them lots here!) to wedge the nut in a hole or crack to eat. But we now have at least one very lazy 'pecker, who hops off the nut feeder (to the right of the pole) and just sticks the nut in this hole to eat! I fear we may need a new pole for the bird table fairly soon.

So I decided to dig out a metal bird feeder pole I was given as a gift ages ago and had never got around to using (sorry, Sue!) to see if that would deter the vandal. It has a mesh food tray, hangers for three feeders and a water tray and I don't think even our Woodpecker will be able to drill into it. I try to put out more food at this time of year so an extra feeder pole seemed a good idea.









The kit was was easy to put together and, so far, the birds love the extra feeding station. The Woodpecker is just taking nuts from this new one and flying to a near by tree to eat them. Hopefully this may fix the pecking problem!

Big Garden Birdwatch - the results!

Ok did mine earlier on so here is the list

6 blue tits
9 great tits
10 long tail tits
6 coal tits

5 chaffinches
4 greenfinches
2 bullfinches ( eating the buds on the magnolia!)

3 robins
3 sparrows
1 dunnock
1 blackcap

3 blackbirds
1 song thrush
10 fieldfares
5 redwing
( actually loads more but they were in the ivy hedge behind the bird feeders area where I was watching so I couldn't count them)

2 wrens

3 crows
2 woodpigeons
2 jays
1 magpie

3 GS woodpecker
1 LS woodpecker (!) Oh joy its come back!
2 Green woodpecker - wonderful exotic looking birds, we have a lot around here in the wood and garden!

AND.....1 sparrowhawk getting a small ground feeder ( chaffinch?) and eating it in front of me, at the very end.....

I forgot to add the
1 Heron
2 Mallards
1 Moorhen

I could see them bobbing around behind the fence...on the pool side.

My area for watching from the house has 2 bird tables, a couple of big oak trees, grass and hedges with ivy etc and also backs on to our little meadow with the pool, so I do get some water birds as well.....

Basically we are lucky enough to own a small nature reserve here, with woodland, meadow, hedges marsh and a pool, so get a lot of different birds.

An enjoyable hour, well spent!

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Today I am about to go and sit at my dining room window, with a cup of coffee, binoculars and bird book to hand, to watch birds.

I am taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Its very easy to do, you settle down for your hour watching and recording the highest number of each bird species seen in your garden, or local park (not flying over) at any one time, on either Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 January 2010.

Thats all there is to! So...why not join in?

I will let you all know what I saw later on today...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch!

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is 30 this year!

In the late 1970s, the RSPB asked its junior membership to count the birds in their garden - over the same weekend. This 'one-off' idea was so successful, it has grown into the world's biggest survey of its kind. Thirty years later and more than three million Big Garden Birdwatch hours have been clocked up by people watching and enjoying the birds in their gardens. That's more than 380 years – wow! We have also spotted 6 million birds, helping reveal the winners and losers in the garden bird world.

Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch is simple and fun!

All you need to do is watch in your garden or local park for an hour on either Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 January 2009.

Simply record the highest number of each species seen in your garden (not flying over) at any one time.

Download the counting sheet to help you keep track of how many birds you've seen. The sheet has pictures of the commonest birds seen in gardens, as well as space to cross off how many of each species you have seen together.

You don't need to send this sheet back to the RSPB - it is just to help you record your counts.

Submit your results using the online form provided, which will open on 24 January 2009 for you to enter your 2009 counts. The RSPB will collate and publish the results in March 2009.





And if anyone reading this is involved with a school or youth group, why not join in with The Big Schools Birdwatch?

This is a free activity for schools and youth groups (brownies, scouts etc) throughout the UK, which the RSPB run every year in January and February.

By observing the birds that visit your school grounds you will be helping them monitor UK bird numbers.

A free teachers activity pack is available. the RSPB also have loads of information and resources on these pages to help you carry out this activity with your class.

New for this year, build your choice of graphs and charts. Submit your results online and get access to these new, interactive class activities. A series of cunning questions provided by the RSPB will also get your class really exploring and interpreting their data.

Print out the tables, graphs and charts and use them as a record of data handling work, or put them up in your classroom as part of a Big Schools' Birdwatch display.

If you don't have access to a whiteboard, they still want to hear from you. Please submit your results using the paper form provided in your activity pack.

If your school does not have suitable grounds you can carry out your birdwatch in a local park.

The next Big Schools' Birdwatch runs from 19-30 January 2009.

It is NOT too late to apply!

We will be doing the Big Schools Birdwatch at both our Eco club sessions in January AND doing the Big Garden Birdwatch at Compost Mansions on the weekend of the 24th and 25 Jan

So why not join us!

A visitor in my kitchen today

While I was wrapping some presents in the lower kitchen today, I went to throw some crumbs to the hens, and the "back door" robin came and sat on a bucket by the opened back door. He/she often does this, and occasionally gets some crumbs or bits of food....

but today the silly thing decided to come INTO the house to get the crumbs...

and then got panicked and couldn't get out again..
I eventually managed to catch the poor, scared little bird in my hand, it let me gently take hold of it and release it outside again.

but not before it had blessed my kitchen floor.....
Sidney was VERY annoyed that he had missed a "lunch on the wing". I had had to throw him out pronto during the robin catching session, as he came to see what all the fuss was about and wanted to do his own brand of "helping"! so I had to unceremoniously throw him out of the kitchen while we caught the Robin and released it.

Some Wildlife

Today, much to our relief, we spotted some toad spawn in the pool. February is the usual time for us to see them here and last year we had toad spawn in early Febuary and saw lots of toads around. This year, however we had begun to worry as we had not seen the usual writhing mass of mating toads on the gravel nor any toad spawn!!



So we are pleased to welcome them back again!

Also the other day I saw a Green Woodpecker eating on the lawn...we get all three sorts of Woodpecker here but Green Woodpeckers are usually heard rather than seen ( they are the ones who make the "Yaffle" sound in the trees!)

This is a photo I took of one in the same place in the garden last year, as I didn't have my camera handy today!

Nest boxes for Birds

Today we put up some nest boxes on various outbuildings. My husband built some boxes which were suitable for various birds, he built a robin box, a blue tit box and also a bat box. These will hopefully be inhabited very soon and I can regale you all with pictures and stories about the birds and their young.If anyone reading this is interested in building and erecting nest boxes, the RSPB have really good and very clear instructions at the following site:-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/nestboxes/making.asp

a similar RSPB site, more suitable for children is:-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/youth/makeanddo/activities/nestbox/index.asp

This is from the RSPB Wildlife Explorers club set of pages and I can strongly recommend any children joining this club - we are family members of the RSPB and my daughter loves the stuff she gets sent!