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BBC SPRINGWATCH
Its that time again, the time of year we have all been waiting and looking forward too – Spring on the BBC! The BBC will be visiting exciting wildlife and wild places in the return of its Springwatch programme hosted by Bill Oddie, Kate Humble & Simon King.
Springwatch will be showing on BBC 2 between Monday 28 May and Thursday 14 June, featuring footage from the beautiful Hebridean island of Islay - home to golden eagles, choughs, otters, corncrakes, hares, hen harriers and much, much more to keep you glued to your television screen!
The series will also be visiting the familiar favourites from previous years, including badgers, swallows, barn owls and kingfishers on the Devon Farm where Bill Oddie and Kate Humble are based. |
 THE SOUNDS OF SPRING ARRIVING
During spring and early summer (March to July) you dont need your alarm clock as you can set the time by the sound of the dawn chorus, as the birds sing to their hearts content defending their territories and attracting a mate.
As winter turns to spring and the daylight hours lengthen the male songbirds switch to breeding mode. Songbirds time their breeding season to the warmest part of the year, when their is plentey of food and longer days in which to search for it.
The resident songbirds like robins & great tits can be heard first and later they are joined by migrant birds like chiffchaffs and blackcaps.
The peak time to enjoy the fullest variety of songbirds in the dawn chorus is late April though to the end of June.
Singing under cover of the dim dawn light offers better protection from preditors the air is often stiller and has less background noise, song can carry 20 times as far.
There is another chorus that can be heard at dusk although this isnt as loud or noticeable as the dawn chorus - or perhaps we are just less aware of the chorus at this time of the day.
Birds such as tree sparrows and blue tits can be heard at dusk as it would appear they prefer this time of day to dawn.
Singing is the males way of attracting a female. Therefore females often choose a mate who sings the best and strongest as this male is more likely to be be good at raising chicks, to have a good territory and pass on strong successful genes to its young.
Singing is hard work, and uses vital energy resources so a ready supply of food is required by the male to help keep him in peak condition at this exacting time of year.
You can help by ensuring your bird feeders, bird table and watering holes offer fresh food and water at all times, it can make a real difference as birds come to rely on this vital food source.
Once a male has secured his female he will not sing as loudly or for so long. So pay a thought for the male that sings loud and long into the season as he may well be a lonely batchelor who has failed to attract a mate!
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THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM
You can hear the first birds sing about an hour after sunrise. You can recognise the different species as some can be heard singing earlier than others. Some of the earliest risers are the skylarks, song thrushes, robins and blackbirds who all eat worms and so perhaps thats where the old saying 'The early bird catches the worm' comes from.
The later songbird risers are the smaller species of birds such as wrens & warblers who may be more sensitive to the cold dawn air and feed on insects that themselves dont usually appear until the chills been taken off the air late morning.
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 NESTING.
When a bird has found its mate their thoughts turn to the job of nest building.
Nests provide shelter and protection for the eggs & young from adverse weather conditions and predators, for the parents while they incubate the eggs and can come in many different shapes and sizes and are built in many different locations.
Nests can be shallow scrapes prepared in the ground by waders such as the curlew, a simple platform of twigs used by woodpigeons and collared doves or cup shaped nests constructed by most garden birds. Some birds use holes in trees or cavities for added protection to reduce the risk of eggs or young falling out of the nest.
Birds choose bird friendly buildings and gardens to build their nests - locations close to a good supply of food, water, nesting material, and suitable cover for security.
You can help birds make their choice on where to nest by:-
- Planting suitable trees, shrubs or plants in your garden that offer a natural source of food, security from preditars and a nesting place.
- Positioning a ready made nest box in your garden to offer a variety of birds a safe haven in which to build their nest and give you the golden opportunity to watch them while they build their nest, lay their eggs, hatch, feed and rear their young.
- Supplying a range of fresh bird food & water in your garden.
If you intend to build your own nest box refer to guidance from RSPB regarding wood type and treatments and see below guide to box nest box hole size requirements for various birds.
Nest box hole size. Birds that will use this box.
- 25mm Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit
28mm Great Tit
32mm Nuthatch, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow
45mm Starling, Blackbird
open fronted box Robin, Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, Grey Wagtail, Wren
Did you know?
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Long tail tits take up to three weeks to build a unique purse-shaped nest - constructed using moss, spiders' webs and lichen, lined with over 2,000 feather s
- Male wrens impress potential mates by building up to four nests within their territory for their mate to choose from. As you would expect the female then usually adds to the interior decoration of the chosen nest by lining it with feathers.
- The most sophisticated nests are built by Swifts. The nests are formed from birds' salivary cement and contain high quantities of minerals, like potassium and magnesium.
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