Fledgling Robin from an Ivy covered fence nest site 5/4/17

Ivy a magnet for garden birds

Something caught my eye the other morning moving around my raised beds. I waited and saw this single fledging Robin. It was just a few yards from a nest I watched the female make, and then watched the two parents busy to -ing and fro -ing with food for their ever hungry chicks. I chased a cat away that was waiting on a neighbours fence., whilst this chick was on the floor.

 

Ivy is a real bonus for wildlife. 

It is ideal for birds, such as Robins, Dunnocks and Blackbirds, all or which have nested in the same Ivy that this Robin was born. Holly blue caterpillars eat the flower buds, numerous insects drink the late nectar, including the recently arrived Ivy bee. Many birds eat the berries in the winter such as Blackbirds and various thrushes.

“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my  teaching and sales of award winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee boxes,  and wormeries. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk  Thank you” George Pilkington

I receive phone calls about baby birds in the garden…. here is the RSPB advice…

Download a useful leaflet about ivy by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust

BTO Garden BirdWatch

If like me you enjoy watching birds and wildlife in your garden do check out the BTO Garden Bird Watch Scheme… you will find it very interesting and all you do is watch the wildlife and make a note of it whilst having a brew in your armchair!

Garden BirdWatch is all about getting involved and making a difference by collecting simple information on the birds and other wildlife using your garden. This information enables researchers at the BTO to monitor the changing fortunes of garden wildlife, not just birds.

The project is funded by its participants, through an annual subscription of £17.00.

Why join?

Understand and connect with your garden’s rhythms and annual cycles, and contribute your sightings to our ongoing research on garden wildlife.

Join today and receive a free copy of the 220-page ‘Garden Birds and other wildlife‘ (cover price £14.99), which will help you identify and understand your garden visitors.

You’ll also receive four copies of Bird Table (a quarterly magazine), and get expert advice from the BTO to help you identify, understand and look after the wildlife in your garden.