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

[Lat-Literal]

I had a glass bird bath on a tall stand. To my knowledge, no bird has ever used it. On inspecting it last week, it was broken. I can only assume that an animal had leapt into it. Now I have bought an identical one. It has an attractive poppy design. But this feels foolhardy. Does anyone have any tips for encouraging the proper use of it and discouraging improper use?

https://www.selections.com/wild-bird-bath-glass-poppy-design-by-smart-solar.html

(the stand is taller than it looks in the picture but I paid a smaller price for it than the price that is shown)

[Richard Tarleton]

I had a glass bird bath on a tall stand. To my knowledge, no bird has ever used it. On inspecting it last week, it was broken. I can only assume that an animal had leapt into it. Now I have bought an identical one. It has an attractive poppy design. But this feels foolhardy. Does anyone have any tips for encouraging the proper use of it and discouraging improper use?

https://www.selections.com/wild-bird-bath-glass-poppy-design-by-smart-solar.html

(the stand is taller than it looks in the picture but I paid a smaller price for it than the price that is shown)

Hmmm, I'd not be entirely confident that yer average bird would recognise that as a bird bath, Lat - not sure that I would..... Here for comparison is the selection of water dishes from CK Wildlife.. Yours doesn't seem to have an obvious place for birds to land, or perch, just an expanse of curved glass - the CK offers have definite edges for feet to grip, the water clearly visible. I think yours was designed by someone with no particular bird knowledge. The meerkat one looks particularly dodgy - they look like potential predators I'm glad you didn't pay top dollar for it

[vinteuil]

We have noticed (or rather not noticed!) swallows seem far fewer in number this May as opposed to previous years. Is this a local thing, or have others noticed this too? Could it be that they're waiting for a good SW wind to blow them back from down south? We've had a preponderance of Northerlies for some time now, and it looks as if the wind will be N or NE for most of next week too. If the swallows leave it too late, surely it will affect their breeding?

... I too felt that there were fewer swifts than usual, certainly at first. But over the last week we have seen them in fair abundance over the skies of west London. The wind direction is due to shift over the next few days, from northerly to southerly - so they may well be on their way to you soon...


.

[Richard Tarleton]

A lot of migration on the slow and sparse side this year. Some things up - for aficionados, lesser whitethroats in abundance - but yes, mostly slow and late. Scattered swift sightings here - 3 screaming over the house a couple of days ago.

[Lat-Literal]

Hmmm, I'd not be entirely confident that yer average bird would recognise that as a bird bath, Lat - not sure that I would..... Here for comparison is the selection of water dishes from CK Wildlife.. Yours doesn't seem to have an obvious place for birds to land, or perch, just an expanse of curved glass - the CK offers have definite edges for feet to grip, the water clearly visible. I think yours was designed by someone with no particular bird knowledge. The meerkat one looks particularly dodgy - they look like potential predators I'm glad you didn't pay top dollar for it

Thank you RT.

Yes - it is really just an expanse of curved glass.

I have taken it off its stand so that the dish with water is on the grass but am still not hopeful.

Would it help to put food beside it?

[greenilex]

I was standing beside the compost bin yesterday when a hefty young robin plonked himself on to our low hazel bough and opened his beak wide. His nervous little mother arrived with her beak full of protein and saw me, so she bobbed several curtseys and stuffed the food where it belonged. Then both flipped off in no particular hurry.

Good thing the dog is with her London family for half term.

[doversoul1]

The rabbit epidemic (by our standard) two summers ago has brought into the garden the neighbours’ cats (regularly four) and a couple of very healthy looking foxes. This seems to have markedly reduced the birds population in our garden.

[Richard Tarleton]

I have taken it off its stand so that the dish with water is on the grass but am still not hopeful.

Would it help to put food beside it?

Worth a try. Round here that would quickly be scoffed by squirrels or crows....

[Vox Humana]

For many years I had a round, stone birdbath that rested on the ground and was hardly ever used by the birds. A couple of years ago I bought a stone one on a pedestal and that has been infinitely more popular. I keep both and both are still used, but the birds' preference for the new one is marked. I guess they just feel that bit safer off the ground.

[Lat-Literal]

Thank you RT and VH.

[Stanfordian]

Sparrows feeding from my hand at Dresden cafes.

[DracoM]

Sparrows have pinched a swallows nesting box on the side of a house nearby.
Returning swallows that used it last year a bit non-plussed and have sulked off to a very close-by set of rafters undercover, which...........eight years ago before latest owners was a key swallow nesting place but had not been used by ANY swallows for the years intervening.

Do these swallows all read the same newspaper, or have access to Google Earth?

[Dave2002]

A cuckoo was in our area today, around 8.30am, so not yet disappeared entirely. Mised the opportunity for recording, though!

[greenilex]

Re:water supply, if you put a pebble or two in the shallow bath the bees will use it to drink. And not all will end up inside a bird...

[Dave2002]

I guess they still have cuckoos in France - perhaps last year. In tonight's episode of Escape to the Chateau - a programme which I've never watched before, but was sufficiently intrigued about to give a try - there's a cuckoo about 52 minutes in.