Birds again

[erastes]

My front garden is full of birdies. They are getting used to me sitting here at the PC and they take little notice of me except if I move quickly or pull the curtains. Today I have a mob of starlings, coaltits, bluetits, sparrows, my robin and several blackbirds of both sexes which surprises me as I thought they were as territorial as robins. Perhaps they are all from the same clutch, or perhaps they are all just too hungry to care. Eat the pyrocantha berries you lumps! Seeds don't grow on bushes, you know!

Some chap on the radio explained why - if you feed the birds you have to continue to feed them. Apparently the smaller birds particularly can lose a third of their bodyweight overnight(!) keeping warm (why can't we do this - think of what a great slimming club it would make!) and if there's no food for them where they know it should be, they often don't have the strength to find a new source! Talk about guilt trip!!!! *runs out to fill up the feeders*

Comments

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I'm out in CA central valley area; we tend to have ravens in flocks (particularly in October, which is way too appropriate to the season!) and 3/4 of the year we have hummingbirds. Because I know I'm unreliable on feeding and cleaning, and we have problems with fungus int he hummingbird feeders harming them, I don't feed them except by planting a lot of things that provide nectar, such as Zauschneria and mint-family things like bedding sage and catmint; I think they like to nest in the fairly heavy cover my bushes provide, too.