Another month has already come to an end and Summer is well and truly here. Find out what’s been out and about this June in today’s sightings blog.
The top ten sightings at RSPB St Aidan's recently have been:
Our star species this month is the cuckoo. These summer visitors are usually heard more often than they’re seen due to their distinctive ‘cuck-coo’ call. They are known as brood parasites as cuckoo’s will lay their eggs within nests of other birds and depend on a completely different species of bird to raise their chicks. Once the cuckoo’s eggs have hatched, they’ll often push the host’s eggs or chicks out of the nest to reduce competition over food and space. Cuckoos are rather large birds however despite looking remotely different to the adoptive parent, they usually continue to feed and raise the cuckoo chicks until they fledge. This brutal behavioural adaptation is super successful as while the cuckoo’s chicks are being raised by another bird, the cuckoo parents can leave the UK earlier than most species to winter in Africa.
Here is a more extensive list of the sightings:
The top ten sightings at RSPB Fairburn Ings recently have been:
Our star species this month is the kingfisher. This small but striking bird will typically sit on riverside perches waiting for its next meal. They’ll eat small fish such as minnows and sticklebacks as well as aquatic insects. We have a dedicated kingfisher viewpoint here at RSPB Fairburn Ings where, if you remain patient and quiet, you might be lucky enough to see this beautiful bird for yourself!
Although this summer heatwave has been lovely for us to enjoy, it can make life particularly challenging for our native wildlife. There is however plenty of ways to support your local wildlife during this hot weather. The most obvious way is to of course provide clean, fresh water. This can be done using a bird bath or, in order to help a wider variety of species, by adding a pond to your garden. It doesn’t necessarily need to take up too much space (a popular option for small gardens is to just put an old washing up bowl into the ground) but water will not only massively help wildlife already in the area but will also help to attract many new species to your garden. It’s important to also add a small ramp into your pond so that hedgehogs have an escape route in case they get stuck.
It's often asked whether you should only feed garden birds during the winter or all year round. It’s actually very helpful to provide your garden birds with food during the summer as well as winter due to the fact that it can become increasingly difficult for birds like blackbirds and robins to find worms and other minibeasts due to the ground being so hard. However, please make sure to keep your feeding station clean and disinfected to prevent the spread of disease. Food will also rot much quicker in the heat so avoid putting too much food out for too long and make sure to bin anything which starts looking a bit gross.
Thank you for reading todays blog. I hope you have gained a better insight into what species can be seen around the Aire Valley as well as considered any of these steps to support your local wildlife. Next time that you’re out and about around the Aire Valley, make sure to record your sightings within the visitor centre sighting books or by letting us know on social media!
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Written by: Reece Smith
Photo credit: Maps- Reece smith
Blackbird on bird bath- Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images
Cover photo- Nick Upton, RSPB Images