Wildlife Enquiries

Nature Photography Day – My favourite photographic subjects

2019-06-15T09:00:00Z

Here in the UK we are blessed with a wonderful array of species and habitats to photograph, it can almost be overwhelming at times to try and decide what to photograph and when and obviously with wildlife it’s all about timing but also getting a huge amount of luck!

As a wildlife photographer I do my best to plan out my year ahead, I focus on species and spectacles and try and pick my target subjects, of course things change and often new species present themselves to me shifting my focus but over the course of the year I have a few subjects that I always return to simply because I find them photogenic and a joy to be around. Here are 3 of those species:

Nesting Mute Swans

Each year I do my best to check pairs of Mute Swans in my local area, my sole aim is to find a nest where the adults are tolerant of human presence and therefore I can get close enough to try and photograph those first few days of the cygnets after hatching whilst of course still maintaining a safe and ethical distance so as not to worry, stress or disturb the adults in any way. As a photographic subject goes cygnets are clearly extremely photogenic, being cute and fluffy, however the photographic possibilities are enhanced by the fact that in those first few weeks they spend plenty of time either tucked under the wings of the protective adults or riding on the back of their parents.

Both of these activities are wonderful to observe and with some patience and respect you can capture these moments on camera, my aim every year is to try and get a shot of a snuggling chick just poking its head out from the feathers of the parent, it’s a wonderfully simplistic image but not as easy as it should be, so when I do manage it I am filled with joy!

Water Voles

One of my favourite mammals to photograph is the Water Vole and I am lucky to have a number of local spots to try and see these fairly elusive animals! I enjoy photographing them because they are one of those subjects that you are never fully sure are going to show themselves when you turn up to photograph them meaning I get a genuine rush of excitement when I catch my first glimpse of one!

I really enjoy the habitat Water Voles reside in, it’s often a tranquil place – a canal, stream, river or brook, I enjoy being close to the water, the patience you need to wait for them to appear and the anticipation if they start to move closer towards you, they are a great subject as you can photograph them at most times of the year but for me a Spring morning or evening is best. They are also a really photogenic subject, they are nearly always busy doing something, have engaging faces and a secretive way about them, I just love them!

Jays in Autumn leaves

My final favourite subject to photograph is the Jay – a truly beautiful bird, intelligent, colourful and industrious! I enjoy seeing Jays at any time of the year but in terms of photography I love getting out in an Autumnal woodland setting to photograph them.

Autumn is a busy time for Jays as they collect acorns to cache for winter, this makes it a great time to see them and they are just that more obvious during this season. But for me the colours make it the best time to photograph them, with golden leaves of orange, brown and yellow on the ground and in the trees, these colours really compliment the colours of the Jay, I get a real buzz when I see a Jay perched in a tree or down on the ground foraging in leaves. They are also wary birds, so it can take some real fieldcraft to get them to accept your presence, either careful stalking, a hide or simply remaining extremely still to not frighten them.

All that glitters

2016-12-06T16:20:44Z

It’s that most wonderful time of year (and with Santa’s pending visit) when folk want to put out food for Santa’s reindeer. Now there is no doubt that Rudolf, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen would appreciate the odd carrot and some oats to munch on, it’s worth bearing other wildlife in mind when providing festive food. Birds, for example, will readily polish off any food left out for the reindeer.

Whilst we wholly understand peoples desire to make food attractive, festive glitter can potentially be harmful to birds, so it is best avoided. Why not consider adding some colourful fruit instead; think cranberries, blueberries or apple!

So as to prevent food being taken by unwanted garden visitors, such as rats, why not put the food in a dish or trough up off the ground. If you want to be creative, there is no harm in breaking out the water-based paints and decorating the outside of the trough.

Have a Happy Christmas!

The Wildlife team

ChrisGomersall (rspb-images.com)

Birds attacking my house!

2015-03-23T18:16:43Z

We’re starting to get a few calls about birds attacking a whole host of shiny, reflective things: windows, door handles, cars, TV aerials, metal chimneys, to name a few. We are right at the beginning of the breeding season, and some birds are busy sorting out territories and then defending them from intruders with a vengeance! These defensive birds see their reflection as another bird coming into their territory and start attacking it. Birds can get tunnel vision, and this behaviour can become obsessive, as every time they go to this area, they see the same bird is back to invade! On the whole, birds don’t injure themselves, although the excitement during the fight can be a little messy and may need clearing up. However, larger birds such as Crows can attack windows with such velocity, that they can cause themselves some harm through the repeated drumming on the reflective surface, but they should recover from their minor injuries.

The key to changing this behaviour is to stop the bird from seeing its reflection. Closing curtains and blinds does not stop the bird from seeing its reflection in the glass, so any deterrents ideally need to be on the outside of the window. Putting cling film on the outside of the window can defuse the bird’s reflection, hanging old CDs or strips of foil can sometimes scare the birds away from the area. Some people use greenhouse shading or put newspaper over the windows as a temporary measure. Put bags or old towels over door handles and car wing mirrors. If the car is being attacked, a car cover is a quick and economical way of saving your car’s paintwork! It’s difficult to predict how long this behaviour will continue if you choose not to take any measures, but some birds can be particularly blinkered. I did talk to a lady who put her Christmas decorations up on the outside of the window being attacked, which worked at scaring the birds away although she did get some odd comments from her neighbours! I also spoke to a man who watched a Blue Tit fall asleep on the bonnet of his car, due to it being worn out from attacking its reflection in the windscreen – you couldn’t make it up!

Blackbird collecting nesting material - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

We’re already getting some calls about birds that are already nesting and some already have chicks! It’s not too late to put a nest box up, so check out the range we sell on the link below. Don’t forget that any active nest is protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981), so once a bird starts to build a nest, you need to leave it alone until the chicks have left naturally. Hopefully we’ll have a fantastic spring and summer and our bird life will have a successful breeding season.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/nestboxes/garden-bird-nestboxes.html

Bolshie Feeders

2015-01-16T21:27:23Z

Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

Over the festive break I’ve been watching the birds in my garden. There was nothing out of the ordinary; apart from a Greenfinch spotted two days running, which is a rare sight these days. There was also a mixture of Tits, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks and a charm of Chaffinches on a daily basis. A Fieldfare was another unusual visitor.

I also saw a female Blackcap, alone on the fat ball feeder. These rather plain looking warblers can often be seen in the winter months, as birds from Northern Europe migrate to the UK to over winter in the milder conditions, rather than migrating south to the Mediterranean. While our native birds head south for winter, these winter migrants can often be seen on feeders in gardens. They are known for not sharing the feeders and will chase other birds away while they are trying to feed. They will even defend feeders if they think the regular food is worth fighting for. As their name would suggest, the male has a black cap and the female has a chestnut-brown cap, but otherwise they look the same. They are about the size of a Chaffinch, but have a slender, dark beak. Juveniles have a chestnut-brown cap, which can make them hard to distinguish from the females. They can sometimes become regular visitors, especially in colder weather, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your feeders.

So far, the winter has been a bit strange weather wise, from snow and haw frosts to mild sunny days, but we are now going through another unsettled period with winter storms crossing the country with a vengeance! Whatever the weather, enjoy the wildlife around you.

Male Blackcap - Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com)

You may or may not be aware that our Big Garden Bird Watch is taking place at the end of January on the 24^th and 25th, and you can register on our web site now to take part. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to register before the event, you can still do your count and then summit your results on our web site afterwards (see link below). Keep your feeders topped up as natural food will be diminishing by now. Also try to keep your birdbaths topped up, or defrosted depending on the weather, and take a look at our on line shop for food, feeders and birdbaths to encourage the bird life into your garden.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdwatch/index.aspx

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/?utm_source=rspbwebsite&utm_medium=navigation&mediacode=T06ITH0221

Why are you getting all up in my grille?

2015-01-16T16:18:35Z

A rescue operation greeted the wildlife team at 9 am this morning. Lorna from our trading team was alarmed to hear shrill whistled calls coming from the grille in the front of her car as she arrived at work. The bird in question was a beautiful kingfisher that had gone gotten himself stuck near the radiator.

The poor chap would not budge as he was gripping his perch inside the grille very tightly. But after a few attempts we were able to free the bird. Although the RSPB is not welfare organisation we endeavor to help all wildlife in need on our doorstep. Well Done Claire and Chris!

The Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is a beautifully striking bird. Poet Frederick William Faber descries seeing it in flight as “Swift as a meteor’s shining flame” and the ancient Greeks gruesomely believed that the birds’ body dried and hung up would keep away Zeus’ lightning.

The bird is usually found among waterways and will fish from an overhanging perch, but when no perch is available the kingfisher will make a series of short hovering flights over the water. Come May-July Kingfishers will nest in deep tubular tunnels lined with fish bones in a bank over water where they lay 5-7 eggs and usually have 2 broods. They are widespread, especially in central and southern England, becoming less common further north but following some declines last century, they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.

Images: Naomi Rose and John Bridges

Winter feeding – let them eat cake (well... bird cake)!

2014-12-09T16:13:56Z

We should all be busy filling our feeders regularly now, but this year has been unusual and particularly mild for a long time, resulting in plenty of natural food for birds and other animals to feed on. Their instinct is to use this natural food source over the supplementary food we put out for them. Some of you may have found that your feeders are already being regularly used and others are apparently being shunned or used infrequently by the odd passing bird, there is no right or wrong, it just depends on what the birds need in your area. If you are finding that the birds are not using your feeders much and the food is going stale, discard the old food and give your feeders a good clean, but when you top them up only half fill them (this will save you money and the food won’t go to waste). This way there is always some food for the odd bird that uses your feeder. When the weather changes there will be food for when larger numbers of birds come into your garden. You’ll soon be able to see when the food is being eaten, and then you can go back to filling up your feeders again. Once the natural food starts to run out you should start to see more birds coming onto your feeders.

During cold weather, birds can lose up to 40% of their weight overnight, just trying to keep warm. A bird’s body clock works on daylight hours, so in the winter months we are given great opportunities to view the birds feeding at first light, which can become a bit of a feeding frenzy. If you watch your garden birds regularly you’ll notice that they’ll come down to feed again in the late afternoon, before they go and find somewhere to roost overnight. Keep your nestboxes up all year round, as they can give valuable roosting sites for smaller birds and allow them to get out of the worst of the weather, and it may encourage them to nest in the box in the spring.

Robin tucking into some Peck n Mix bird food - Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com)

What to feed?

Food that’s high in energy is fantastic for the birds in the winter months; peanuts, any of the fat or suet based foods (you can put these in hanging feeders but also on the ground), seed mixes that contain sunflower seeds or hearts, mealworms and fruit will all go down well. If you can, try to feed at the same time every day, and keep your feeders topped up when you have lots of birds coming onto them.

You can make up your own fat ball and cake mix using lard and suet (you can use vegetarian suet for this mix too). Have the lard and suet at room temperature in a mixing bowl, add in things like porridge oats (uncooked), mild grated cheese, peanuts, sultanas, raisins and bird seed. Mix it all together and create fat balls or press the mixture into old yogurt pots (so you can hang them up, you can attach string to the pot before you add the mixture), or use shallow dishes to create bird cake. Put them in the fridge to set, and when they are solid place them outside. Remember not to feed turkey fat to feed your birds as it’s too soft and can get into their feathers, which can cause them problems.

If you don’t want to do the ‘hands on’ suet cake mix, you can buy a variety of suet based food and feeders for your garden birds from our web site or shops on our reserves. Don’t forget your nestboxes, and fresh water for all the wildlife in your garden.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/nestboxes/all-nestboxes.html

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/bird-food/suet-and-fat.html

Dissecting owl pellets

2014-10-10T15:15:20Z

Friday October 3^rd

With some of our team out training our colleagues in the world of wildlife enquiries Claire and I decided that we would use our time to brush up on our wildlife skill set. Having taken delivery of a fresh batch of owl pellets we set about dissecting them on Friday...at lunch time.

First we selected a pellet that we felt would have a good haul of bones and hopefully an intact skull having never actually dissected owl pellets before we chose a rather large one and set it to soak in water with some alcohol disinfectant. The pellet was produced by a barn owl. They are quite large and characteristically black in appearance often with a varnish like gloss when fresh.

They are also the best material for pellet studies as many are produced at the same site and the bones they produce are remarkably intact.

Having bought in my dissection kit and put on gloves that Claire had provided we set about pulling the soaked pellet apart. It was easy enough and the fur parted like meat that had been cooking for hours. Although the large white grub of a clothes moth was enough to put us of eating for the rest of the day.

We removed 3 skulls from one pellet as well as scapulars, jaw bones, ear capsules, what felt like thousands of rib bones and vertebrae.

Each dish was a soup of fur and bones, the fur lead us to expect mammal remains and we were right as we pulled the remains of three (Blind, after being eaten and regurgitated) mice.

On the dark blue card we arranged the bones and examined them under the lamp placing them into position and identifying them with the key. Feeling like we were in Wildlife silent witness or CSI RSPB we thoroughly enjoyed our day brushing up on our wildlife skills and I would encourage anyone to have a go as well.

Pigs in the garden!

2014-10-03T17:52:09Z

Well, Hedge Pigs really. I hadn’t seen hedgehogs in my garden for years, but this year I’ve had two or three adults visiting most nights. I had my suspicions when I kept noticing a very neat corner of the buggy nibbles I put out for the birds in the ground feeder tray had been eaten away. I’ve managed to watch them feeding a few times and found them mooching about in the garden too.

I’ve always considered my garden to be wildlife friendly, but I have been adding a few things and making a few changes to improve the habitat and hopefully increase the wildlife. I’ve left more parts of the garden to go wild by only cutting back new growth where it’s in the way. This is an easy thing to do and it costs nothing, I’ve also been planting more wildlife friendly plants in order to encourage more insects into the garden. I’ve also installed a new nest box, the old one fell apart, which was used by a pair of Blue Tits a few weeks after putting it up.

Hedgehog - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

If you have hedgehogs in your garden, I thought I’d outline a few do’s and don’ts and give you some pointers about their hibernation habits. It’s long been thought that hedgehogs hibernate in the autumn and don’t wake until the spring. We now know this isn’t true. Depending on the weather hedgehogs will start hibernating around October time. This is why you need to be careful about bonfires on and around November 5^th.The best advice is to build them on the day or go to an organised firework event. If the weather is mild the hedgehogs can wake periodically during the winter. However, it takes them a lot of energy to wake so they are likely to be hungry. A hedgehog needs to be about 600g in weight before hibernating, so if you find one in your garden which is a good size and is fit and healthy, leave it alone, it will hibernate when it’s ready. A hedgehog will use 20% of its body weight to hibernate, so if you find one which is underweight and we have a cold winter, you’ll need to find an animal welfare charity to care for it over the winter months. Now is a great time to put a ‘hogitat’ in your garden to give your hedgehogs somewhere safe to hibernate.

Food – Some dos and don’ts

Don’t give them milk, they are lactose intolerant and milk can make them quite ill
Don’t feed them bread. Bread isn’t very nutritional and just bloats them up (combined with milk it’s even worse)

Do put out fresh water
Do feed them cat or dog food including dried cat biscuits as these won’t go off as quickly as the fresh food or hedgehog food

If you find a hedgehog out in the open asleep in the winter, it needs help as it won’t be hibernating. You need to pick it up and bring it indoors (gardening gloves are a good idea). Place the hedgehog on a towel on top of a hot water bottle and call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. You can also look on the Help Wildlife web site below to see if there is someone nearby who can help.

You can view the hogitats and hedgehog food we sell on the link below, where there is additional advice on where best to site your hogitat.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/wildlife/mammals.html

http://www.helpwildlife.co.uk/index.php

In at the deep end

2014-09-04T22:03:59Z

Summer is drawing to an end and the signs of change are all around us. If you have a pond in your garden, now is the time to take action and do a bit of pond maintenance, if needed! So, you’ve been marvelling at all the wildlife making the most of your pond, some are more easy to see than others, but there’s a whole ecosystem going on in there. We often get asked how to encourage more birds into people’s gardens. Supplying water is just as important as providing food, whether it’s a shallow dish on the ground, a birdbath or a pond. Water will also encourage a whole host of other wildlife into your garden, so don’t think it’s only the birds and the fish that will benefit from all your labours.

The best time to do some pond maintenance is in late September and October. Tadpoles should have left the pond by now and other adult amphibians have not yet gone into hibernation. Avoid doing any pond maintenance in the winter as this will disturb hibernating amphibians and expose them to the cold.

Planting Yellow Flag Iris - David Levenson (rspb-images.com)

Remove any blanket weed; this can cover the pond surface in warmer weather. If your pond is new, it can take a few years to settle down, but once it’s established the wildlife in the pond should keep the blanket weed under control
Plants can quickly take over a pond, so thin them out carefully. Having plants in aquatic baskets can make this job a bit easier, as it can control the amount of growth and make then easier to control
It’s very important that any vegetation you remove from the pond is placed on the edges for a few days. This will allow any wildlife to make its way back into the pond. After a few days you can compost the vegetation you’ve removed
Only clear a third of your pond at a time. This will allow areas to stay established while newer areas settle down. In this way you will develop a rotation for the pond
Don’t be too concerned if the water level has dropped during the summer. If your pond requires topping up try to use rainwater as tap water is higher in nutrients and can cause algal blooms to increase
If the water conditions are right in your pond, you shouldn’t have too many problems. Ponds which are overstocked with fish can have problems as the fish will increase the nutrient levels. Long, hot spells and calm water can also have a detrimental effect. Installing a pump and a simple water feature can help keep the water moving, but the most important factor is not allowing the water level to drop too low.
You can reduce the amount of algae in the water by using barley straw. A chemical reaction between the straw and algae slows algae growth, allowing established algae to die off naturally. The straw needs to be packed in net bags and floated on the surface of the water. Plastic water bottles tied to the net will help to keep it on the surface and enable the water and algae to pass through it. You need at least 10g per square metre of surface area (approximately 0.5oz per square yard). If the algae bloom is particularly bad you can increase to 25g per square metre and reduce the amount as the algae diminishes
Remember, if your pond is fine you don’t have to do any maintenance. Any removal of plants will cause disturbance, so whatever work you need to do, try to keep it to a minimum

If you want to create a wildlife pond or improve the one you have, there is more information on our website (see link below). You could also add a purpose built home to the edge of your pond to help the frogs and toads in your garden too (see links below).

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/pondsforwildlife/index.aspx

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/wildlife/giving-nature-a-home/frogilo-frog-and-toad-shelter.html

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/frogitat-frog-and-toad-house.html

Time for some nest box maintenance!

2014-08-12T16:31:10Z

Apart from the odd storm, this summer has been brilliant for our wildlife and has enabled us to get outside and enjoy watching everything that’s going on around us. I’ve been watching some butterflies, moths, bats, hedgehogs and a variety of birds in my garden, including recently some families of Goldfinch. Earlier on this year, Blue Tits successfully raised a brood of chicks in my new nest box.

It’s always a good idea to give your nest boxes a clear out once a year, and it’s also interesting to take a look inside at the nest. Cleaning the box ensures that nothing untoward is lurking in there over the winter months to infest the new nest in the spring the following year. You can sometimes get parasites and insects that will lie in wait for an unsuspecting brood of chicks, reducing their chances of survival.

Take the box down and open it up. If there is a nest in there you can dispose of it as you see fit, but it’s a good idea to put it in your compost bin. Any dead chicks can also be put in the compost bin and so can any unfertilised eggs, but legally, the eggs should be destroyed. Brush out any loose material, and pour boiling water throughout the box, but take care not to splash yourself with the hot water. Allow it to dry completely before putting the box back together and back in place for another year. We sometimes hear of people that only put their nest boxes up in the spring and summer, but if you leave the box up all year round it can give the birds a safe place to roost in over the winter months. You also stand a better chance of the box being used in the spring.

Blue Tit nest from this year - Deb Depledge

You don’t need to put any nesting material into the box, but if you want to you can put some hay or sawdust in the bottom of the box, but not straw as it can harbour mold. You may find in the spring that you see birds taking this material out of the box, but that’s okay as it means they may be nesting soon and are just having a clear out, or they may just be using the material as the base for their new nest. If birds do show an interest in the box, resist the urge to take a peek as it may put them off. Birds can check out a few potential nest sites before they choose the one they like, so they may start taking nesting material into the box and then give up. Hopefully, that won’t happen and they will make full use of your nest box and raise their young successfully.

You can put nest boxes up at any time of the year, so you don’t need to wait for the spring. If you put boxes up that have different size access holes, you may have more than one species of bird nesting in your garden. Don’t forget your open fronted boxes too, which are excellent for Robins and Wrens and can be cleaned out in the same way.

Give the birds in your garden a winter roosting site and check out the nest boxes on our website. There is also a link to a page which explains the best place to put up your box and give it the best chance of being used.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/nestboxes/garden-bird-nestboxes.html

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/smallbirds/siting.aspx

It’s a lot less bother with a hover!

2014-07-01T16:32:03Z

Amazingly, there are about 250 species of Hoverfly in the UK, but most of us will only have seen a few species in our gardens, if you can keep up with them! They are not all brightly coloured, bee and wasp impersonators, but can be dark in colour and harder to spot. Mimicking bees and wasps will warn off predators as this type of marking and colours normally depicts a stinging insects or one that’s bad to taste. This type of mimicry is called Batesian mimicry and is named after the naturalist Henry W Bates, who first published his idea in 1862 after discussing his idea with a certain Mr C Darwin. Hoverflies are true flies and are two winged insects of the Diptera order.

Hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen, and as their name suggests, have this amazing ability to appear motionless in the air, then dart off quickly before hovering again. The young larvae vary in behaviour and appearance. They can be either vegetarian, feeding on vegetation, or carnivores feeding on aphids. So there are good reasons for attracting them to your garden! You can see these amazing insects from March to November, depending on the species.

One of the most common species you’ll see is the Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, and I was lucky to spot a Hoverfly mimicking a white-tailed bumble bee Volucella bombylans, here in The Lodge gardens; the compound eyes were a tell-tale give away. A compound eye consists of hundreds or thousands of photoreceptors on a convex surface, creating a large viewing angle that can identify fast movement (the eyes appear to almost touch in the middle). Unlike wasps, Hoverflies don’t have a sting and are completely harmless. They are important pollinators, but are unable to carry as much pollen as bees do, but more frequent visits help to make up for this.

Marmalade Hoverfly - Chris Sheilds (rspb-images.com)

You can help these agile flyers by having lots of flowering plants in your garden all through the summer. Don’t think that gardens on a grand scale are the only ones to attract these fascinating creatures. You can garden in pots and containers having bulbs flowering early in the spring, with shrubs and bedding plants through the summer months and into autumn. Your local garden centre will advise you on what’s in season and what will grow well in containers, but for more ideas take a look at our gardening for wildlife pages on our web site (see link).

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/planting/index.aspx

What’s all the buzz about?

2014-06-10T17:21:00Z

We get a number of calls coming into Wildlife Enquiries about bees taking over nest boxes with people wanting to know what can be done to remove them. Well, the best thing to do is to leave them where they are and enjoy watching these industrious creatures. You could put another nest box up for the birds (which is unlikely to be taken over by the bees), but in the autumn you’ll be able to clean the box out as you would have done if a bird had nested in there. The bees that have taken over the box are likely to be Tree Bumble Bees Bombus hypnorum. These bees are relatively new to the UK and have arrived from mainland Europe.

The queen bee will have overwintered, probably in the ground, and in the spring will be on the look out for a suitable site to start a new colony. In the spring you can often see queen bees flying in a zig-zag pattern, either low to the ground or in higher areas as they search for a potential nest site. In higher areas they may select nest boxes or sites near the roof line, depending on the species. The nests can be either underground or above ground in a variety of places; rodent holes, thick grass, holes in trees, roofs and some in nestboxes, which have a convenient entrance hole and is dark and dry inside. Like birds, bees don’t like their nest to be in full sun as it can overheat, so they’ll look for somewhere that’s in partial shade. The bees you see flying around the nest are males and are waiting for the chance to mate with the queen. So just keep your distance and enjoy watching them and they won’t be bothered by you.

I’ve been very lucky this year as I have a Bumble Bee nest in my compost bin. They are fascinating to watch and aren’t at all bothered by us when we need to go to the greenhouse. The compost bin is the plastic kind with slits in the side and it’s in partial shade so it’s ideal for them. I’m looking forward to the end of the year when the queen has left to overwinter and I can take a look inside. It won’t look like the inside of a bee hive, with the uniform hexagonal chambers, but will be a random mass of chambers, probably with some dead bees near the entrance, where they’ve been removed to keep the nest free from disease.

Bees on Globe thistle - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

How you can help

Provide plenty of food for the bees by adding flowering plants to your garden. Try to have plants which flower over the spring and summer, so as some fade when others come into bloom. Single blooms are more accessible than double blooms for the bees and other insects. For more information on how to help the bees and insects in your garden, take a look at our web page for gardening tips and how to create an insect hotel, or take a look at our online shop for seeds and bug boxes (see links).

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/insects/index.aspx

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildlife/wildlife/insects.html

Getting the wrong end of the stick about hedges and trees!

2014-05-01T22:19:49Z

At this time of year, we get a number of calls about hedge cutting and tree pruning in the nesting season. It’s amazing how many people think you cannot touch hedges and trees while birds are nesting, but you can. People are very passionate about protecting our bird life, quite rightly, but I thought I would do a bit of myth busting.

All birds in the UK are fully protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - WCA) from intentional harm. Under the same act, any active nest, including nest building or a nest with eggs or chicks in, is also protected from intentional destruction or removal and you cannot block access to any active nest. So, if you see a bird carrying nesting material or food into an area, this indicates that there is an active nest there.
There is no law in the UK preventing any one from felling trees or pruning hedges at any time of year. However, we advise that you try to do any tree work over the winter months, when you can see into the tree and the tree itself is dormant. This also avoids the peak season for nesting birds, which is from the beginning of March to the end of August.
However, some birds can nest at any time of year and this winter has shown us that milder weather can tempt many birds into nesting early. This year we’ve had reports of Blackbirds with chicks in January, Robins with chicks in February and Ducks with ducklings in March. It does not matter when or where the bird’s nest is, it is still protected by the WCA all year round.

So, what does this information tell us? Well, it’s all about common sense and timing. One of our most frequent calls is about felling conifers; they are normally very big, out of control, difficult to see into to check for nests and when people decide to get rid of them, they want to do it now! Although it can be more difficult with the weather, try to aim to get the work done in the winter months. Cutting the lower branches off of a conifer will allow you to look up into the tree for nests, and old nests and roosting sites are not protected by the WCA. Regardless of the time of year, if you find an active nest you need to leave the tree or hedge until the fledglings have left the nest, then you can carry out the work.

Song Thrush - Mike Richards (rspb-images.com)

With our warm and wetter springs and summers, hedges can quickly become unmanageable. It’s OK to use secateurs or sheers to keep a hedge under control, and if you do disturb an adult from their nest, they should return when you leave the area. Birds have different strategies for raising their young; some only nest once a year and others have multiple broods. On the whole, they tend to build new nests in different locations, but some birds, for example House Sparrows, will use the same nest all year, but the WCA still applies while the birds are actively nesting at any time of year.

What can you do?

Most gardeners are aware of the wildlife in their gardens, and have a good idea where and when there are birds nesting. Carry out a visual check if you can, and if necessary just leave the work until the fledglings have left the nest, then you can do the work you need to.
If you are aware of an active nest and you see someone about to do some work, let them know so they can avoid that area, as they may be unaware of the nest. If they are felling a tree, again let them know so they can come back when the fledglings have left the nest and fell the tree. As all species of bird are protected by the WCA, if they continue and destroy the nest they have committed a criminal offence, which is a police matter. Call your county police station on 101 and report the incident to the local Wildlife Crime Officer for the area.

Hopefully, your garden won’t get too out of control while the birds are nesting! If you’d like some ideas on how to encourage wildlife into your garden, check out our gardening pages on the link below.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/

Batty about Bats

2014-04-24T22:06:43Z

You should be able to start seeing bats active at night, as they come out after their hibernation over the winter months looking for food. There are over 1000 species of bat in the world, but there are only eighteen (seventeen breeding in this country) species in the UK. Bats are the only flying mammal and the thin bones that form their wings are like the fingers on our hands, with skin stretched between each finger. They vary in size from the Greater Horse Shoe bat, with a wing span of 40cm to the Pipistrelles with a wing span of up to 23cm. It was only in 1990 that scientist realised there were two species of Pipistrelles bat (Common and Soprano), which can be told apart from their echolocation calls (the Soprano being the higher call). Bats have hair on their bodies, are warm blooded and usually have one pup a year (less than an inch in length), which suckles milk from its mother.

Bats have quite good eye sight, but use echolocation to find their way around in the dark and hunt for food. The frequency is too high for us to hear, but if you use a bat detector it changes the frequency into a sound we can hear. I can thoroughly recommend going on an organised bat walk where you can learn all about echolocation and listen to the bats catch their food. Listen out for the ‘raspberry’, which is when the bat catches its prey and the echoes are so close together it sounds like a raspberry being blown. UK Bats have a diet that consists of beetles, crane flies, moths, flying ants and other insects. They are so skilful at what they do; a Pipistrelle bat can catch up to 3000 insects in one night!

Although Pipistrelles are our most common bat in the UK, bat numbers in general are declining, mainly through loss of habitat, fragmentation of navigation routes and lack of roosting sites and food. You can help Give Nature a Home by planting your garden to help the bats in your area and provide the insect food they need. Try to incorporate flowers which vary in size and shape, colour and have single blooms which provide a better nectar source than double blooms, making them more attractive to insects. Plants that you can put in your garden to attract insects are: English Bluebell, Evening Primrose, Wallflowers, Primrose, Red Campion, Ice Plant, Corn Flower, Common Poppy, and Honesty to name but a few. There is more information on our web site, at the link below.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/planting/index.aspx

You can also put up a bat box or two, giving them a vital roosting site. You need to put boxes up as high as possible (under the eaves is perfect), but they can face any direction as the bats will move from box to box and chose the one they want to be in. Bats, like birds, are protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981), but a bat roosting site is also protected under the law, unlike birds. So be careful where you put your bat box up, because you won’t be able to look in it or move it once it’s in place.

Bat box (RSPB Images)

Bats are a good indicator species, as their connection to the environment they live in shows how good it is at supporting them. For more information on these nocturnal creatures, take a look at our web page below. Please be aware; if you find a sick bat, please do not handle it but call the Bat Conservation Trust hotline on 0845 1300 228 for advice.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/law/whatsintheroof/bats.aspx

This year’s International Bat Night is on the 30^th-31^st August. Keep an eye on our events pages for bat walks on our reserves.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/

Ducks on the march!

2014-03-24T19:42:07Z

The warm, mild weather has triggered the start of the nesting season, and we are already getting calls about ducks nesting in people’s gardens, and what, if anything, they can do. If the duck is already laying eggs, then there isn't anything you can do, as the nest and the eggs are fully protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Ducks build their nests on the ground, which can be just a scrape in the ground, or in a hollow in a tree, but sometimes they line it with grass and other materials. A duck will lay an egg every day until she is ready to incubate them, and she won’t sit on them until she gets to that point. She will then, in order not to be seen, sit very still on the eggs for about twenty eight days when the ducklings should hatch. She will only leave the nest to find food and water but will return soon after. Many birds will adopt this behaviour as they want the chicks to hatch around the same time. This means that the adults are feeding the young birds at roughly the same age. This also ensures that the chicks or ducklings leave the nest at the same time. After a day or two, once all the ducklings have hatched, the female will want to lead her ducklings to open water. This is fine if you have a large pond and are happy for the ducklings to grow up there until they leave of their own accord. However, we do not advise that you feed them or they will be reluctant to leave and you may end up with fifteen adult ducks in permanent residence! If you need to move the duck and her ducklings to a more appropriate water body, this is what you need to do:

Start by feeding the female so you befriend her and you’ll stand a much better chance of catching her later. You can use ordinary bird food, but avoid too much bread as it’s not very nutritional and it won’t be good for your pond.
Try to feed her in the same place so she is happy feeding there, this will make her easier to catch when the time comes
Prepare two boxes that the duck and ducklings won’t be able to escape from. You can use pet carriers if they are suitable. Try to move the family in the morning to give them the best chance of settling to their new surroundings.
Catch the mother first. Ignore any sounds she may make and place her in one box. You can use an old towel or sheet thrown over her, which may stop her from flying off.
Catch all the ducklings (a quick head count is a good idea) and place them in the other box. This just ensures that the mother doesn't stand on any of the ducklings in transit.
Take both boxes down to a local pond, river, canal or any open water source. Find a quiet spot and release the ducklings first and then the mother in sight of her ducklings. Try to find a spot close to the water’s edge where the ducklings can get in and out of the water easily.
If the duck and ducklings are close to water, but have just nested in your garden, you can walk them to water. Again feed the female so she trusts you, and I suggest using bread at this point so it’s easy for her to see and then she should follow you.
Most motorists are reasonable and will stop to allow you and the ducks to cross, but some additional help may be a good idea if you are going for this option. Please take care of yourself, and if you have any concerns use the method above for moving the ducks.

Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com)

Ducks are known for nesting in unusual and unsuitable places, and if you feel that you can’t move your duck family safely, please contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 and take the option for injured and distressed animals, who may be able to help.