My family of Easter Chicks (Birdwatching)

Member Name: lellagrace

Product:	Birdwatching
Date:	07/04/07 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating to watch

Disadvantages: Watchout for predators

I am writing this review because I have just found my best ever Easter present - a nest of Robin chicks in my garden!

Over the past few years I have had a pair of Robins visit every winter and a few weeks ago I noticed one of them sitting on my fence with some grass in its mouth. Watching from my kitchen window I spent ages trying to find out where it was going, without success.

Then the other day I cut my lawn for the first time this year and saw a couple of robins darting backwards and forwards towards a conifer next to the garden wall. I decided this must be where they are nesting so when they flew off I took a peep, expecting to see perhaps the nest, but inside there were several beaks, wide open waiting for food! I quickly moved away so as not to disturb either the babies or the parents who might have been watching, but I was delighted they have made their home with me!

Not knowing much about bird watching, I decided to find out more by looking on the internet. There is loads of information if you do a Google search, but as I was particularly interested in robins that is what I looked for.

I have found out that it is not unusual for robins to have two broods of chicks a year, sometimes as many as four, so I am hoping they keep nesting here. Each brood can consist of between 3 and 6 eggs. That is a lot of baby robins! They are probably my favourite birds actually, such friendly little chaps and don't they look cute on those Christmas card scenes! I almost feel honoured that they have chosen my patch out of all the neighbouring ones in which to make their nest!

I have a bird table and fat balls hanging on bushes, but realising the chicks must be ravenous due to the amount of dashing around the parents are doing, I decided to find out what to put out for them. I found out from the web that robins love currants and raisins. So this morning I put a handful of raisins out near where the nest is and within half an hour they had all gone.

It is not good to throw out bread for birds when they are feeding their young, as it is not good for them. Actually, it is not a good idea to do this at any time, it encourages vermin, best buy proper bird feed from the garden centres etc.

My father used to love watching birds from the window, especially as he got older and couldn't get out very much. He derived a lot of pleasure from this and now I realise why. They are certainly free entertainment and what a wonderful way to get in touch with nature.

I also have a blackbird which visits my garden, he has been having a good hunt for food this afternoon as I did some gardening earlier and there are plenty of grubs around where I have weeded. In the evenings the song of the blackbirds is a delight to listen to, especially on a warm evening just as the sun is going down.

In my neighbour's house in the eaves there is a nest of bluetits. I think the young ones have already fledged, which does seem early, but yesterday I was watching the little ones obviously learning to fly. It was fun to watch as they fluttered onto the trees, then stumbled but soon got back into flight and returned to the nest. One thing which was also fascinating was the adult birds were popping in and out of the nesting hole with straw in their mouths and letting this drop to the ground. Do birds spring clean I wonder?

Although I enjoy watching the birds in my garden, I don't think I would want to spend hours in a hide as a "twitcher". I have seen these places when visiting nature reserves and know how seriously some people take birdwatching. For a start I wouldn't be able to keep quiet long enough and I certainly couldn't sit still for hours at a time! But thank goodness there are people who take birdwatching so seriously and do their research, otherwise we would not know about the habits of the birds which visit our gardens.

I am intrigued to know more now and earlier today I went out and bought a book on birds so I can identify the different species. So far I have only seen blackbirds, robins, sparrows, blue tits, starlings and magpies in the garden this year. But last year there was a pied wagtail hopping around on my lawn a couple of days in succession.

We also have bats flying around in the summer evenings just as it is becoming dusk. Apparently on a warm evening as the air cools when it becomes dark, insects flutter upwards and the bats eat them. I can't say I am particularly enthralled by bats though and I am just hoping they don't decide to nest in my loft. Bats are a protected species and if you have them nesting in your house you are not allowed to get rid of them!

Of course all birds are protected and it is an offence to tamper with the nests or eggs of birds. Nests must be left undisturbed until the beginning of August when the nesting season is over.

At the end of the season I am hoping to see the nest when my robins depart as I find it fascinating how they make them. In my garden I have a large pampas grass plant and every spring it is a pleasure to watch the different varieties of birds plucking off the strands from the plumes for nest building. I wonder if my robins have a nice soft pampas lining in their nest?

Like I said earlier, it has been a lovely Easter present, having my very own Easter chicks nesting in my garden!

Summary: A lovely present for Easter!