Birdwatch hut

Just last week, we had an office building built on some bare slabs near the house. This didn't disturb any wildlife in the process as there was nothing there before it was built. I hasn't really helped wildlife either. But I tell you who it has helped: me! Birdwatching really wasn't the intended use for this building, and I didn't think that the window would give such a view. The windows face towards the feeders and a nestbox, and because of the way the light reflects off the windows, the birds can't see me through the glass. So it should be great for filming and watching wildlife in the future. What an unexpected surprise!

Some of the birds in the garden will allow to get up close to them anyway, but some of the shyer visitors like the Wren I saw yesterday are much harder to see in detail. So this should allow me to take some better pictures with my camera. Not only is this good for watching birds, I think that sitting outside the house, even in an office building or a conservatory is nice to be inside. Even if there are no birds to watch, there are our crazy rabbits along with insects and plants to admire.

In my garden, there aren't really any other places in which to sit and watch the birds in peace. From my bedroom window, you can see the whole garden but its quite a distant view. The garden shed isn't practical either as the windows don't face out onto any feeders or nestboxes. And while my garden is quite overgrown there is nowhere in the garden where I can sit without being seen. In nature reserves the hides are fantastic and allow you to see shy birds in their natural environment. Admittedly our little wooden office building isn't quite the same as a large hide in a nature reserve but its the same idea.

Now, to something related to bird watching and definately related to feeding the birds. I got an email from the RSPB recently telling me about Feed The Birds Day, which takes place on the weekend of 25th and 26th October. Any very keen birdwatchers reading this will already have heard of this event, but I thought I would make it known to others too! I didn't know about it until the email came through, so I am new to it too. I have however heard of The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and although I haven't done it I plan to do it next year. On the weekend in which Feed The Birds Day is taking place there are many events going on all over the country.

So, why do I recommend feeding the birds. Well, as you may know the winter months can prove to be very hard for garden birds (the small ones inparticular) and its important that they eat the needed amount of energy-rich foods. You don't even have to watch the birds all the time (although I recommend that you do). It is most important that we just put the food out. I reckon that most of the people reading this probably already feed the birds anyway, but you can always do more! Now, a word of advice to someone who has never fed the birds before. Don't expect immediate results when you leave out food. It takes the birds a while to find and get used to the food being there.

I feed the birds sunflower hearts (sunflower seeds without the husks), suet, peanuts and specialist nyjer seed. In the breeding season I feed fruit and mealworms too. I must say that in recent years the peanuts get eaten far less often than the seeds and suet. So if you do take place in feed the birds day, these foods would be the best to provide. I find that nowadays even the slightest hint of a bird table or recently filled bird feeder will be sure to attract common birds. So even if you just put some kitchen scraps on the bird table, do something for birds on the 25th and 26th October.
All photos taken in my garden and office building on 28-09-08