What birds (are you/have you been) watching? What birds have been watching you?

[LezLee]

I wouldn’t worry. My friend had a blackbird’s nest about 1ft above her back door. They raised 3 young despite frequent opening and closing of the door and the female even popped into the kitchen occasionally!

[oddoneout]

Advice please



What is best strategy for helping these birds feel safe with my movements? I have to do some work near their nest, and I will need to pass by to move down the garden. The garden is very narrow at this point so I have no choice but to pass within less than two metres of the nest. I hope they would just get used to my movements and not feel threatened or wish to abandon the nest.

Any tips?

As the others say I would not worry. If they have chosen to nest there it suggests they are not bothered by your presence. I have wondered in the past if they 'know' that human presence may reduce predator problems? My grandparents had a large wood stack on the back wall of the house, between the back door and the outside toilet door(no the house wasn't that primitive, there was an inside bathroom!) and always had a blackbird's nest there. Nice for us to see when we visited, especially if we were there when the fledglings were in evidence.

[Bryn]

As an adjunct to this discussion, may I draw attention to https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wi...untryside-act/ . It does not really apply directly in this case but the general legal position is worth being reminded of, I think.

[kernelbogey]

Thanks, all, for comments.

One of the pair sat in a nearby shrub earlier this morning, clucking for a while, possibly because the cat was about. Perhaps they'll get used to her superannuated ways too.

[Vox Humana]

Advice please



What is best strategy for helping these birds feel safe with my movements? I have to do some work near their nest, and I will need to pass by to move down the garden. The garden is very narrow at this point so I have no choice but to pass within less than two metres of the nest. I hope they would just get used to my movements and not feel threatened or wish to abandon the nest.

Any tips?

Once the female has started incubating it will be quite safe as virtually nothing short of a direct attack will make her move. When I was a kid we had a regular female (partially leucistic) that nested in the garden every year. I found that I could walk right up to the nest and stare into the bird's eyes and it would still just sit there. Only if I tried to stroke it would it fly. That's irresponsible youth for you. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME! It's illegal now anyway. However, if the birds are still at the nest-building or egg-laying stage, it would be best to give them as much space as possible. If they feel that the site isn't safe, they will certainly desert. A few years ago my wife caused a pair to desert a nest in our hedge simply by mowing the lawn. At that stage the female had laid just one egg.

[Serial_Apologist]

Once the female has started incubating it will be quite safe as virtually nothing short of a direct attack will make her move. When I was a kid we had a regular female (partially leucistic) that nested in the garden every year. I found that I could walk right up to the nest and stare into the bird's eyes and it would still just sit there. Only if I tried to stroke it would it fly. That's irresponsible youth for you. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME! It's illegal now anyway. However, if the birds are still at the nest-building or egg-laying stage, it would be best to give them as much space as possible. If they feel that the site isn't safe, they will certainly desert. A few years ago my wife caused a pair to desert a nest in our hedge simply by mowing the lawn. At that stage the female had laid just one egg.

I read somewhere a long time ago that birds actually raise the volume levels of their singing when competing with loud noise. I think this referred to a report that some London blackbirds had been recorded singing at higher decibel levels than others recorded in the countryside. My own experience of lawn mowing while birds sang nearby seemed to confirmed this.

[Vox Humana]

I read somewhere a long time ago that birds actually raise the volume levels of their singing when competing with loud noise. I think this referred to a report that some London blackbirds had been recorded singing at higher decibel levels than others recorded in the countryside. My own experience of lawn mowing while birds sang nearby seemed to confirmed this.

Yes, I remember reading that too. Not 100% sure, but I think the findings related to the general level of the ambient background noise, rather than intermittent things like lawn mowers or motor bikes.

[oddoneout]

I know there is a book section but this seems more appropriate here. One of the books I grabbed partly at random before the library shut up shop was "A Sky Full of Birds" by Matt Merritt, and it has proved an absolute joy. The writing is concise, skilled and elegant, conjuring up memorable scenes with few words, and also imparting interesting facts. It is essentially a celebration of the bird spectacles to be found in this country, and is definitely not a twitcher's manual, rather a reminder that there are wonderful things happening all around us if only we would look, rather than constantly comparing with other, far-flung, places.

[Serial_Apologist]

I know there is a book section but this seems more appropriate here. One of the books I grabbed partly at random before the library shut up shop was "A Sky Full of Birds" by Matt Merritt, and it has proved an absolute joy. The writing is concise, skilled and elegant, conjuring up memorable scenes with few words, and also imparting interesting facts. It is essentially a celebration of the bird spectacles to be found in this country, and is definitely not a twitcher's manual, rather a reminder that there are wonderful things happening all around us if only we would look, rather than constantly comparing with other, far-flung, places.

Available at EggSavers??

[cloughie]

Listening to the dawn chorus - has anyone analysed the time signatures of individual species - the phrasing is also interesting. Any thoughts?

[Vox Humana]

Listening to the dawn chorus - has anyone analysed the time signatures of individual species

I expect Messiaen did.

[oddoneout]

Available at EggSavers??

Enoeuf already.

[ardcarp]

I expect Messiaen did.

OMG, the irregular barring.....

Enoeuf already.

All white all white lots more eggshellent yolks to quack n'est-ce pas?
Ducks for cover.

[Bryn]

OMG, the irregular barring.....

Would that be the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, (Accipiter nisus)?

[ardcarp]