The Birds and the Bees

The Birds and the Bees

  In the previous blog, the Preston Montford team were filling in the Bee hotel with hollow stems to encourage bees to nest and thrive in a time when the current bee population is in significant decline.

However our Eco Centre status means we are dedicated to promoting all kinds of wildlife and we hope to be a leading example in improving our biodiversity.

With the winter upon us we decided to turn our attention to our friendly neighbourhood garden birds, which are also in serious decline. As a result we decided to raid the kitchen supplies for yoghurt pots, lard and muesli. This at first sounds rather farfetched, but these common items are perfect for making some traditional homemade fat balls. This food along with a variety of kitchen scraps were mashed together and frozen in the yoghurt pots to make a feast befitting any garden bird. The feeders scattered over the site were filled to the brim with bird food and a bird table was positioned conveniently outside the office to give the tutors their own private bird show. This rather grainy shot shows a Great Tit enjoying the feast!

 

This extra energy will fuel our passing passerines to get through the chilly winter months and encourage more to nest in our bird boxes. In the future we hope to get a bird station outside Darwin building for customers to enjoy, but until then our efforts will be focussed on continuing to feed our feathered visitors! 

To check on the current status of our bird community, on Sunday 27^th January we participated in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. We logged Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock, Robin, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Greenfinch and Song Thrush in just one hour.

For a wider picture of the birds that use the Preston Montford habitat, check out our Wildlife Review: http://www.field-studies-council.org/media/411801/preston_montford_field_centre_wildlife_review.pdf

Ross Cornish & Angela Munn