As we're approaching the end of May there are many birds that are close to fledging. You may have seen some already as the first brood of starlings, house sparrows, robins, wrens and blackbirds are already up and away in many places!
Coming soon to a garden near you could be young jackdaws and crows, woodpeckers, blue tits, great tits and finches! Out in the woods you might be lucky to catch a glimpse of young tawny owls branching or long-tailed tits lined up waiting to be fed. In the ground level vegetation young blackcaps might be tucked away, it's a very busy time for birds! Remember the golden rule, leave baby birds alone - their parents have the situation under control!
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
For some species it is still very early in their nesting season, late migrants such as the swift and spotted flycatcher may only have just returned to their nesting sites. Their time with us here in the UK is brief and they don't have much room for error, they have to get it right first time unlike the resident birds that can have subsequent broods if things go wrong at the first attempt. Have you got your swifts back yet? If so remember to record them via the swift survey via the link below.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/thingstodo/surveys/swifts/index.aspx
A question often posed to us here in wildlife enquiries is when does the breeding season stop? Well it depends on a number of things, which species you are talking about and what conditions are like in terms of weather and food availibility. Some species like herons and crossbills for example are often in their nests before spring arrives whilst collared doves and woodpigeons often decide to nest well into the autumn and winter. Generally speaking for most birds in gardens the peak nesting activity will occur through the period between March and August. If conditions are favourable, species that have multiple broods like swallows and house martins may continue to nest well into September.
June is perhaps the best time to look out for newly fledged birds, don't forget to record them if you are taking part in our Make Your Nature Count summer survey between 2-10 June, to find out more about taking part have a look at the link below.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount/index.aspx