The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is running a ‘feed the birds day‘ on October 25th. A whole series of events around the country will show people how to improve their gardens to make them more bird-friendly. Check the list here to see if there is an event near you.
There are lots of ways to make a garden more welcoming to birds and other wildlife, from installing bird feeders and ponds to keeping log piles for insects. You can find RSPB advice on gardening here .
Bird feeding is not just for enthusiasts. It is an opportunity to be involved in grass roots conservation on your doorstep – birds are something of a conservation battleground in the English suburbs, with songbirds vanishing from gardens. Small birds such as sparrows or blue tits, once very common, are all but gone. Urbanisation, air pollution, and light pollution have all been blamed for the decline, but the RSPB is still investigating. Urban sparrow populations have declined by 60% since the 1970s.
In short, have a browse of the RSPB site, and whether you’ve done it before or not, whether you have a garden or a balcony or even a window sill, feed the birds this October.
October 22, 2008 at 11:58 am
The RSPB site is fascinating. I like the bit where you can call up the various bird songs and learn to identify them.
Watch out for bird seed though. Much of it is cultivated in the USA where various methods are employed to exterminate wild birds which might eat the seeds before they can be harvested and taken to market. There are sources for bird seed that have not been grown this way, but I cannot recall who or where they are. Can anyone help?
October 22, 2008 at 3:29 pm
There would be something sadly ironic about stripping the biodiversity of one area to support it somewhere else, which is exactly what large seed or peanut plantations are likely to be doing.
I bought a big bag of nuts from the local grocer across the road, but it comes in an unmarked bag and I couldn’t tell you where it came from.
I would hope the RSPB shop would be a good place to order online.
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/c/Birdfood.htm
October 23, 2008 at 9:36 pm
When we were in the Lake District 3 years ago we were staying in a cottage owned by a couple who run an ethical birdseed company. That is where I heard about the habit in the States of killing birds in one location to grow seed to feed them in another. I can’t remember the name of the company. I will try to find it again.
October 25, 2008 at 12:03 am
[...] Protection of Birds (may not allow the use of the word "cock" in it’s forums), but we’re reliably informed, they’re running a "feed the birds day" on October 25th. That’s today [...]