RSPB's Morwenna Alldis reveals what kick starts nesting season for our birds, how songbirds construct their incredible nests, and how we can help our garden friends feather their nests this spring.
I don’t know about you, but to me it’s felt like a long winter this year, especially with the challenges we’ve all faced during this second lockdown. So as soon as January finally packed her bags I started to get itchy feet for the arrival of spring – the season of new beginnings and new life as nature starts to bud, bloom, buzz, and breed. And one of the most exciting, and noticeable signs of spring, is the start of the bird nesting season.
Image: Blue tit fledglings ready to fly the nest. Credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Exactly when birds start to build their nests depends on a number of factors which the coming of spring enhances:
Typically, you may spot signs of nesting activity from around March, however, there are some species that buck this trend. Pigeons are monogamous and clearly quite randy - raising four-five broods across a single year. And crossbills will nest in December and January when their preferred food, pinecone seeds, is most abundant. An unseasonable rise in temperatures due to climate change may also cause some species to nest earlier. For example, in Brighton, a brood of song thrushes left the nest in early January 2005 – meaning the eggs were laid in December 2004.
Image: Pair of crossbills meeting in their nest. Credit: Mike Richards (rspb-images.com)
One of the first indicators that birds are gearing up for nesting is when we notice more birdsong from around mid-January onwards. If you hear more song over the coming weeks, it means that your local birds are starting to attract mates and also mark out their chosen territories for nest building. A couple of days ago my neighbourhood blackbird began serenading dawn at around 6am, a definite mood booster for us early risers.
Image: Wren singing. Credit: Ben Andrews (rspb-images.com)
Over the next month you may notice birds becoming skittish in behaviour, darting between gardens or even getting into a flap and having a dust-up in the middle of the street. When the proverbial sap starts to rise, there’s an urgency in the air for birds to pair-up, claim their patch, and get on with their most important job - creating the next generation of songsters. You’ll probably spot your local birds gathering nesting material such as twigs, grasses, or moss.
Image: Blackbird gathering nesting material. Credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Songbirds are incredibly sophisticated nest builders. Their meticulously woven nests put other birds to shame, such as woodpigeons. It’s baffling how their precarious twiggy platform actually supports their size and weight, let alone a clutch of eggs too. Sometimes a woodpigeon's nest is so flimsy you can see the eggs through the underside of the nest.
*Did you know a blackbird will sit in the nest she’s building and lay a strand of grass on top of the nest walls, she’ll then turn herself around in the nest to carefully weave this new strand into the perfect position.
* Did you know long-tailed tits can travel up to 700 miles gathering materials for their nests.
Image: Long tailed tit with feathers in his beak to line the nest. Credit: Ben Andrews (rspb-images.com)
Image: Long tailed tit feeding chicks in the nest. Credit: Ben Andrews (rspb-images.com)
Image: House martin collecting mud for their nest. Image: Tom Marshall (rspb-images.com)
And of course you can always pop up a nestbox to give a helping hand too – find out how to make your own nestbox and where to best place it here. Or purchase a pre-made box here
Maybe one positive to come out of our year of restrictions is that whilst our lives have narrowed, hopefully lockdown has unlocked for us more of the incredible world of nature that we share our gardens, windowboxes and local greenspaces with. And this natural world is about to get even bigger over the next couple of months with spring’s baby bird boom.
Image: Mistle thrush fledgling. Credit: Ben Andrews (rspb-images.com)