Ramblings from the Office Temp Until I moved to the country, I totally took birds for granted. I heard them sing sometimes, but didn’t stop to enjoy it, I saw them fly around but never took the time to identify the species, and when winter came, I never thought about the struggle they had to go through. All that changed when I pointed my camera towards a sparrow for the first time. It was eating some of the chicken food that was lying around, and while keeping an eye on me, he came pretty close. I took a few shots. I knew they wouldn’t be good because I was using my macro lens, but looking at them later I realized I had never looked at a bird like that, and it looked beautiful! I felt a little ashamed for not knowing for sure what kind of bird it was… I am sure a lot of you are like that. So here I am….trying to achieve some awareness and maybe even interest in the creatures that need our help to get through the winter. Did you ever wonder where birds sleep? In trees, hedges, bushes of course. But did you know they are very grateful for our nestingboxes? They will use it for a bedroom in the winter because all those trees and bushes don’t provide much shelter if they don’t have leafs. So by all means, cover your garden in bird boxes, but consider a few things when you pick a place. First of all, birds that stay here in winter, don’t like to migrate. So if you put up a bird box, it should stay there for as long as it doesn’t fall apart. So the spot has to be right, and that means you have to consider the sun. Unless you want to end up with fried baby birds, keep the box away from direct sunlight. Second, papa and mama bird are extremely busy feeding the babies, care for them and protect them. Put their lives on the line, give away all the favorite snacks, and try to stay healthy themselves too. That would all be a waste if the new babies leave the nest for the first time and fall directly into the open mouth of your or your neighbors’ cat. Cats are not good at nursing baby birds you see. So make sure the nesting box is high up and not in your cats’ favorite tree. There is one more demand for a successful nesting box, it requires a good approach route. The birds have to be able to land in front of the opening, directly from flight. But at the same time, they like their nest to be a bit out of sight, and in a quiet place. Best you place bird boxes in September, and they might be occupied the next spring already. So …the bedroom issue resolved, think about food and water. Bird food is so easy to come by, in all shapes and sizes. You can go for the funny stuff where seeds are glued to funny shapes like hearts and stuff. They don’t care, that’s all for you. So here’s
another consideration before you buy bird food…. Do you want to just help the birds? Or do you want to help the birds and create the opportunity for yourself to photograph them….because if you want to make photos, you might not want food to show on them. It’s very easy to create a place where birds will come, especially in winter. Here’s what I did: I picked a spot where I could be in the house with the backdoor open, and use a 300 mm zoom lens to make photos. I used bricks to make a square on the ground, two layers high, covered the whole thing with rubber foil and put old boards, branches and moss to cover the edges. Voila….a birdbath, very natural looking and according to the amount of birds taking baths in it, a success. And because I just piled it up, and not use any cement or nails or whatever, I can just remove a few bricks and let the water out if it needs cleaning. So there I sit, on a little stool, camera on a tripod, curtains closed, lens sticking out, making incredible photos of birds feeding their young, taking a bath and doing all kinds of funny things that you wouldn’t see otherwise. So there’s an idea. But the main issue is providing food in times that it’s hard for birds to find it in nature. A setup like this requires food in ready mixes, special for wild birds. And the more different kinds of food you use, the greater the verity of birds that will come to visit. Add some fat products to it and you might even see bigger birds like woodpeckers. Add peanuts and Jays may enter your garden. There is a downside for the birds to this, and that’s bird of prey….It is inevitable. They need to eat too and a large amount of little birds coming together is something they can’t resist. So let nature take its course and sent your dog after him :-). But take pictures first. Providing food really does make a difference. The birds will be stronger when spring comes, more babies will be born and if you keep feeding the birds through the whole year, you will see an increase in numbers, just like I did. Sparrows are on my countries list of endangered species, and I tripled the community in my garden in just a few months. So when you are cuddled up on the couch by the fireplace with your family, opening your christmas gifts and eat way too much, consider the little ones outside that have a really hard time and help them out a little. They will thank you later with great photos and lots of singing!
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