It's time to build, build, build

It may be the middle of May already (how did that happen?!), but nest-building season is still very much underway in gardens across the country.

Only this week, some of my House Sparrows have been continuing to take dried grass into their nestboxes.

However, my eye was drawn to a bird bounding around the margins of the pond with all the boing of a kangaroo – it was a Mistle Thrush.

Her target was the scattering of mushy leaves that I purposely leave along the edges, including their tough wiry midribs. I think we can accurately say she was collecting beakfuls of the stuff!

In autumn, great drifts of oak leaves tend to blow towards the pond, where the stems of the marginal vegetation catch them; I hoick out most and net out any that are floating, but I leave a few to gently decompose. My Blackbirds enjoy flicking through them during the winter, so it was great to see that a few were left for the Mistle Thrushes, which breed in the tall trees in the nearby park.

The female is the nestbuilder – clearly Mr Mistle Thrush doesn’t have the requisite eye for quality soft furnishings. Nevertheless, he accompanied her on every visit to the pond, an attentive chaperone following her every move . His job was clearly to keep a watchful eye for danger from his perch in the apple tree as his mate chose the best bedding.

A Mistle Thrush nest is a three-layer affair – sticks on the outside with some moss and grass; then a muddy middle layer with leaves, and then a plush lining of fine grasses.

It is a good reminder of how important it is that gardens contain a rich assortment of nesting materials for birds to choose from. ‘House building’ has to happen afresh each year for millions of pairs of birds, and they need good quantities of supplies close at hand.

If we just consider the nesting needs of Robins, Blackbirds, Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits, then we’re talking quite a diverse list of items: twigs, rootlets, spiders webs, moss, feathers, grass, fresh herb leaves, mud, animal hair and fur, lichen, and leaf-buds.

So, have a think whether your garden offers the full shopping experience that our garden birds need, and ensure you are proprietor of the best DIY superstore in town!