May is a really busy month for garden birds as many are in the full swing of their breeding season in one way or another. They could be busy building nests, incubating eggs or already looking for extra food for their chicks.
David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
“Busy” incubating eggs? Surely that’s just a matter of sitting on them? Incubation can actually require a lot of attention and effort throughout the day shuffling eggs around to ensure equal coverage, turning them and arranging the nest around them. Females will also already be exhausted from the act of egg laying which requires a great deal of energy. Many species lay one egg a day; a blue-tit for example will usually lay a clutch of between 8-12, occasionally more so that’s a week or two of egg laying every day! Her mate may bring her food during the day but she will also need to leave from time to time to feed herself so the less time spent out searching the better.
If eggs have already hatched, delivering food to the hungry mouths is an ongoing duty and anything we can do to help at this time is very much appreciated by busy parents who will also require extra food for themselves to keep up their duties.
Blackbirds, Song-Thrushes, Tits, Sparrows and many others need insects to feed their young for their essential moisture and protein content rather than only seeds and nuts.
To encourage insect habitat, leaving some areas of the garden untidied is hugely beneficial so don’t rake up all the leaves, twigs and debris; try to leave as much of it as possible for birds to forage in. This is easier said than done when we are trying to make our gardens as beautiful as possible, but what is a beautiful garden without thriving bird life? Log piles and long grasses are also particularly attractive to insects. Leaving areas as they are is the most natural way to ensure enough food is around for birds and it's free!
If like me you are a regular bird feeder, some of the most beneficial food for birds at this time of year are live mealworms, dried mealworms, buggy nibbles and favourites blend extra.
It's worth remembering to check shrubs, climbers, hedges and trees before cutting or trimming to ensure there are no nests in use.
If you’re keen to have plants in the garden that are particular attractive to nesting birds, the RHS has some suggestions here: RHS plants for nesting birds
To really appreciate our garden birds and take some time out to observe the comings and goings, the breakfast birdwatch takes place every weekday morning 8-9am when many of us would have been commuting; a much more pleasurable way to spend that hour! There’s more info about it here: breakfast bird-watch
and watchers are sharing their sightings on social media using #BreakfastBirdwatch.
We should be seeing a lot more birds about looking to stock up now that the rain has subsided!