Feeding Birds

 

 

I was reluctant to feed my bid population artificially at first: given the amount of fruiting and berrying trees and shrubs that we have planted. Not to mention all of the seeds from grasses, thistles, etc.

 

                          

                                    Redwings feeding on windfall apples

 

 

But I do like to know what species we have on-site and attracting them to a feeder is a good way of finding out. I also feed in periods of very bad weather and in the late winter/early spring when birds need to get into breeding condition.

 

The problem with feeding is that it is often the species that you don't want that get the food. This is how my long and bitter battle with the local Corvid population began.

 

Crows are very intelligent birds. They soon noticed when I started to place seed on bird-tables and flocked to them whenever I put in an appearance: in the confidant expectation that I would provide them with an easy meal.

 

I went to ever greater lengths to thwart their efforts. The site is enclosed by 800 metres of rabbit fencing, with a post every 5 metres. I have screwed a plastic saucer to the top of every post. During the winter and spring months I put very small amounts of food on these saucers at random. I also have to be careful not to do this when I first arrive as the crows usually spot my car (I know this sounds paranoid but it actually does happen).

 

I naively thought that it would be too much trouble for them  but the crows simply responded by appearing in ever larger numbers and operating in relay teams.

 

I have also experimented with fatballs. I wedge these into the forks of Hawthorn, Crabapples or other dense, spiney species. The Crows find it impossible to access these places (frankly, so do I).

 

The small birds love these things and the balls reduce rapidly in size under their determined onslaught. So much so that I have to keep checking to ensure that they are always tightly wedged in place. Otherwise they drop out and I end up feeding the rats instead.

 

During the summer I put plastic water bowls onto the trays to provide water for drinking and bathing.

 

                           

                        Feeding "table" converted to summer water station

 

 

 

As well as directly feeding birds I also try to improve the abundance of insects during the spring mating and breeding season. Coppicing aims to utilise all of the tree, but there are always some small branches that are waste. I collect these up and arrange them into piles: the aim being to provide some cover as a newly coppiced area is a bit of a wasteland. Next, I tip out a bag of horse manure by each of the piles.

 

Hopefully this manure attracts insects and provides food for the adults and their chicks, as dragging heavy loads of smelly manure over 10 acres of woddland must be one of my crazier stunts.

 

When I return to the section after 3 years the manure has rotted away and I collect up the branchwood for kindling.