The wild side of the garden - February 1998
Although the start of Spring is officially several weeks
away, many of our garden birds are already in full song. To human ears
these songs sound delightful, but for birds, songs are a means of asserting
their territory and attracting mates. The robins in my garden have been
singing what is known as their 'autumn song', a more mournful melody than
the one they sing later in the year.
Surprisingly, both sexes actually sing and use favourite
song-posts to announce their territorial rights and rival birds ignore
these at their peril. Although most disputes with neighbouring robins
are settled without violence, they will harry any small birds, especially
hedge sparrows (or now more correctly called dunnocks) that try to feed
in their territory. Some robins are so aggressive that individuals have
been known to attack stuffed birds, small mammals and even bunches of
orange feathers.
So why are British robins so tame and happy to associate
with gardeners, whilst on the continent they are known as shy, 'skulking'
birds? This behaviour is thought to have originated in the ancient woodlands
that were the natural home of these birds. Robins would follow wild boars
rooting in the forest soil, and so make a meal of any insects that were
disturbed. Gardeners then, are nothing more than pig substitutes to the
birds!
However, it is far more interesting to think that the
answer actually lies in the legends have been linked with these birds
here in Britain. This may help explain why our national bird was treated
with such respect in the past and perhaps why they are so trusting today.
There are many stories which tell of how the robin got it's red breast.
In one legend, a robin flew onto the cross and tried to remove a thorn
from Christ's crown. Whilst trying to relieve Christ's suffering a drop
of blood fell onto the bird staining it's breast brilliant red. Another
legend tells of how a robin brought fire to humanity and in doing so scorched
it's breast feathers which have remained red to this day. Indeed, robins
were held in such esteem that it was believed a great misfortune would
befall anyone harming one. Lightning would strike the culprit's house,
crockery would break or it could lead to a person's death. Even cats were
not safe and it was thought that any animal killing a robin, would subsequently
loose a limb.
Robin takker, robin takker,
Sin, sin, sin!
(East Riding chant directed at children caught plundering a robin's nest)
I always try to keep the shallow area of my garden pond
free of ice at this time of the year and provide fresh water in a large
shallow dish (actually an old frying pan). These not only serve as bathing
areas for the birds but provide a reliable source of drinking water. This
is important as many natural sources of water may be frozen during prolonged
cold weather and birds can suffer from dehydration.
Last year, I watched a fieldfare taking a bath in our garden pond and
were amazed that such a large bird was so wary. The bird spent more time
looking around than splashing, even though other birds were quite happily
bathing at the same time. It came as quite a surprise to find that such
shy birds become very aggressive towards predators when they are nesting
and have a novel way of dealing with them. A nesting fieldfare will dive
towards an intruder, veer off at the last moment and defecate on it with
such accuracy that birds of prey have been found knocked to the ground
and unable to fly due to their soiled feathers. The attacks continue until
the threat has passed or the birds runs out of 'ammo', perhaps it is just
as well that fieldfares choose to nest in Scandinavia and not in our gardens!
Maggie Pie
The wild side of the garden - May 1998
For me, the sight of the first queen bumblebees combing
the garden looking for flowers is one of the great joys of spring. Sadly
however, not everybody used to see these insects in the same light and
indeed up until quite recently, it was a common practice for bee-keepers
to kill bumblebees because they were thought to compete with their honeybees
in the collection of nectar. Today, they no longer face this threat, but
the numbers of many of our native bumblebees have continued to decline
because of changes which have taken place in the management of our countryside.
Due to the warm spring this year, many bees emerged from
hibernation much sooner than usual. Fortunately for them, many spring
bulbs, hellebores and trees such as willow (catkins) flowered early, providing
the bees with a ready source of nectar and pollen. Even though the queen
bumblebees could find plenty of food, they seemed reluctant to start their
colonies and spent much their time resting before looking for nest sites.
Although some species will raise their colonies in almost any suitable
hole, most look for abandoned mouse or bird nests, whilst others will
use patches of rough grass to raise their broods. However, many colonies
are destroyed each year when gardeners and council employees 'tidy up'
these wild corners.
Bumblebee workers normally emerge anytime between April
and June and like honeybees rely on sight rather than scent to guide them
to their preferred flowers, - mainly blue or purple ones. As bumblebees
are larger and stronger than honeybees, they can open 'tight-lipped' flowers
which their smaller cousins find inaccessible and because some have long
tongues, they are important pollinators of flowers with long-(corolla)-tubes.
For this reason, it is bumblebees that gardeners have to thank for Pollinating
their runner beans and farmers their clover plants.
Like all bees, bumblebee workers will literally work themselves
to death collecting nectar and pollen for their developing colonies, but
unlike their cousins, they can be found gathering nectar on days when
bad weather conditions 'ground' honeybees. I've even seen bumblebees foraging
during the recent hail and snowstorms. Often you can revive exhausted
bees by placing them on a spoon containing a drop or two of a weak honey
solution - bee 'rocket-fuel'.
Bumblebee workers forage earlier and later in the day
than their honeybee counterparts and for gardeners wanting to spray insecticides
this leads to problems. It has long been considered good practice to spray
during the late evening or during cloudy weather so as to avoid killing
honeybees, but bumblebees can often be out collecting nectar at these
times. If you must spray, pick an insecticide which is 'bee-friendly'
and never spray onto plants in flower. Also to avoid drift onto other
plants, (both wasteful for the gardener and damaging to beneficial insects)
never spray in windy weather. Better still, why not encourage natural
predators to control your plant pests?
Honeybees have long been treated with great esteem by their owners, indeed
to stop bees deserting their hives some extraordinary practices were adopted.
If a death occurred in the family it was the custom to 'tell' their bees
the bad news. To do this people dressed in their Sunday best, and not
only were the hives decorated with black ribbons, but also funeral cakes
and drink were placed before the beehives.
Although it is still uncommon for gardeners to encourage
bumblebees into their gardens by providing artificial nest boxes, we can
help all bees by planting 'bee-plants', whose flowers are good sources
of nectar and pollen. Flowers such as our native vipers bugloss, knapweeds
and common toadflax; herbs such as borage, thyme and marjoram; and garden
favourites such as wallflowers, foxgloves and candytuft are all excellent.
Choose single-petalled varieties rather than those with doubled-petalled
forms, as these are easier for the bees to work. It is also best to arrange
the plants in drifts and if possible in a sunny position. Bees, like many
gardeners, prefer to work in the sun and by arranging the plants in groups
you will minimise the time they have to spend searching for suitable flowers.
Modern farming practices have tended to destroy our hedgerow and cornfield
flowers and as a result of this the succession of these flowers so vital
for bee colonies to survive has all but gone. Thus, by planting a continuous
supply of flowering plants in your garden, you will help ensure the conservation
of these lovely insects and ultimately help ensure the pollination of
most of our plants.
Long may these queens reign!
Happy the man who dreaming sees
The little humble busy bees
Fly humming round their hive.
Maggie Pie
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