"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours …"
William Wordsworth
Getting and spending we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours …"
William Wordsworth
Eastern Spinebill and Silvereye. Illustration: Patsy Hunt By Patsy Hunt
MY WALKS around the nearby streets of Cowes can be upsetting if I discover that another tree has been removed, especially if it was a significant one where birds fed and nested.
So I return home to our garden. Our garden is full of shrubs and some taller trees and is not particularly tidy but it provides food, water and shelter for birds. It is not really high maintenance as there are lots of ground cover plants. The plants are a mixture of indigenous, native and some exotic species but they provide the nectar, seeds and insects necessary to feed many bird species.
MY WALKS around the nearby streets of Cowes can be upsetting if I discover that another tree has been removed, especially if it was a significant one where birds fed and nested.
So I return home to our garden. Our garden is full of shrubs and some taller trees and is not particularly tidy but it provides food, water and shelter for birds. It is not really high maintenance as there are lots of ground cover plants. The plants are a mixture of indigenous, native and some exotic species but they provide the nectar, seeds and insects necessary to feed many bird species.
Outside the kitchen window we have a bird table – a homemade one, just over a metre tall with a shallow water dish - an old fridge ice tray – on top. On a stool below there are three more water containers of various sizes. In the front garden there are two more deeper water containers - a round tin one and a glass casserole bowl under the garden tap. The number and variety of birds that use these water supplies is astonishing and a joy to watch. Thus do I take solace from the birds.
There is no need to provide extra food for birds, which is actually not a good idea as they can become dependent on you, and it can also upset the balance of species. If you have a supply of water and a garden that provides a food supply the birds will come.
Part 1: The residents
There is no need to provide extra food for birds, which is actually not a good idea as they can become dependent on you, and it can also upset the balance of species. If you have a supply of water and a garden that provides a food supply the birds will come.
Part 1: The residents
Spotted Pardalote. Illustration: Patsy Hunt The tiniest bird that is always present in our garden, but hard to find, is the Spotted Pardalote. This brightly coloured bird, less than 10cm in size flitters like a tiny gymnast, feeding in the branches of the trees. Its bell-like call echoes, making it hard to ascertain exactly where he is, but when you finally spot him what a delight! With his black cap and wings spotted with white, his yellow chest and red rump, no wonder he is sometimes called a diamond bird. I regard a pardalote as nature's tiny jewell. These birds only seem to come to drink when the weather is dry, presumably getting most of their moisture from the food they eat - small insects in trees and shrubs. "Our" pair this year decided to try and nest in the back garden and the way they create their home is perhaps their most remarkable feat. The two tiny birds make a tunnel in loose piles of dirt or embankments to create a burrow with a nesting chamber at the end. It is hard to believe how two small birds with tiny beaks can manage to do this. It shows great persistence and amazing patience. Sadly, the attempt to nest in a dirt pile in our garden failed after several days work but the pair are still around calling in the trees - one bird making two bell like sounds, the other replying with one note as they keep in touch. The male often looks at himself in the car's rear vision mirror, probably seeing a rival, and is so intent we are able to watch him close up and marvel at what a colourful little bird he is.
Brown Thornbill. Illustration: Patsy Hunt The Brown Thornbill couldn't be more different when it comes to colour. Still only 10cm in length it is brown with a brown striped off-white front. It is at the bottom of the pecking order but quietly goes about its inconspicuous life in the undergrowth happily warbling its pretty tune as it feeds on small insects. It waits its turn at the shallow bird bath and then thoroughly enjoys a bath, changing from a skinny bird on spindly legs to a fluffy little pom-pom.
Where their small nest is usually remains a mystery but, suddenly, the adults turn up at the water bowl with young already flying but still being fed. Thornbills are probably not noticed by many but they are sweet little birds. I always think of the biblical text "the meek shall inherit the earth" as I watch them getting on with life without fuss.
Where their small nest is usually remains a mystery but, suddenly, the adults turn up at the water bowl with young already flying but still being fed. Thornbills are probably not noticed by many but they are sweet little birds. I always think of the biblical text "the meek shall inherit the earth" as I watch them getting on with life without fuss.
White-browed Scrubwren, Illustration: Patsy Hunt The next garden resident is the White-browed Scrubwren . This sturdy little brownish bird with a distinctive white eyebrow and a white stripe below its eye lives up to its name by spending life in the undergrowth and bushes, often feeding on the ground, and flying at a low height from shrub to shrub. Our scrubwren pair don't venture far from the garden all year round and bathe together in the bird bath displacing a surprising amount of water for their size. They have a pretty little call but also have some sharp little scolding notes if you invade their space too much. Like the thornbill their young seem to just suddenly appear, already flying but still being fed, often as they scurry along the ground. In spring the male often gets quite cross with his reflection in the car mirrors and windows to the point of becoming quite exhausted!
Eastern Spinebill, Illustration: Patsy Hunt The Eastern Spinebill is another frequent visitor. This colourful little honeyeater with black cap and back, white throat bordered by a black crescent and a cinnamon brown stomach (the female is similar in colour but not as bright) flits swiftly from flower to flower feeding with its long thin curved bill. It often hovers as it feeds, a bit like a slow hummingbird, and has a cheerful piping call which makes it fairly easy to locate. It can be bothered by larger birds but its quick flight helps it make a fast escape. Its bathing technique is very particular as it just flits through the water without landing before retreating to a high branch to preen its feathers. Spinebills love the flowers of indigenous plants but will also happily feed on more exotic flowers like fuchsias.
Grey Fantail Illustration: Patsy Hunt Another small bird with a distinctive flight is the Grey Fantail. It never seems to keep still with its grey fan-shaped white tipped tail fanning constantly as it flies up catching insects on the wing. Even when perching its tail is constantly on the move. Bluish grey with a white eyebrow and throat and creamy underparts it makes its presence known with a pretty trill and then constant chattering when it knows you are nearby.
The fantail is a friendly bird who will watch with interest when you are gardening and flit around hoping to grab any insects that you disturb. It loves a dip in shallow water, tail moving constantly, and chatters loudly when it finds the water level is too low. I have frequently gone outside, at its insistence, and topped up the bird bath while it watches, and as soon as you move away it's back bathing.
Solace of birds, part 2: The regulars
The fantail is a friendly bird who will watch with interest when you are gardening and flit around hoping to grab any insects that you disturb. It loves a dip in shallow water, tail moving constantly, and chatters loudly when it finds the water level is too low. I have frequently gone outside, at its insistence, and topped up the bird bath while it watches, and as soon as you move away it's back bathing.
Solace of birds, part 2: The regulars