While we are all staying home, one of the everyday lifts to our spirits can be observing the bird life in the garden.
Here in Flatford Wildlife Garden, our regular visitors at this time of year are:
Goldfinches,
Tits,
Blackbirds,
Dunnocks,
Greenfinches and even occasionally a song thrush!
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/song-thrush/
The tits and finches particularly like a mix of birdseed, but tits do need insects as well, particularly when feeding their young. Blackbirds and song thrushes are both fruit and insect eaters, dunnocks are mostly insect eaters, but will also sometimes take seed.
As the days warm up there will be more and more insects about to feed the young birds, especially as plants and flowers begin to bloom to attract them.
Bird seed will of course not be regarded as an essential item on the shopping list at the moment; but it is still possible to obtain if you wanted to provide some to keep the birds coming to the garden and supplemented until their natural food becomes more abundant. Sunflower hearts are a favourite for many garden birds including tits, greenfinches, goldfinches, blackbirds and house sparrows.
With some seed mixes, the birds pick out their favourite varieties first leaving others seeds scattered over the ground or in trays to sometimes get dirty or damp if left for a while. With sunflower hearts it’s a rare occasion to find any of these left at all as they’re a popular, nutritious seed rich in proteins and natural oils for extra energy.
The RSPB online shop is also still taking orders and delivering at present and there is a little more information about ordering bird food from us whilst the Covid-19 restrictions are in place on our website here:https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/page/delivery-and-returns
We’ll be keeping our feeders topped up here when necessary by just one volunteer each day.
Stay safe everyone and enjoy the activity of the birdlife around your area.