Plants & Pets
TreeTake Network
Birds with their bustling nests and lively chirps are an important part of biodiversity and an inevitable colour in the fabric of our urban wildlife. They offer us a glimpse of nature’s beauty amidst the hustle and bustle of our cityscape. It is a must that we understand and appreciate their role and offer help whenever possible, observing, protecting, and cherishing them. Only then can we ensure that the colourful feathered canvas will remain intact for posterity.
This is the breeding season for birds and many avians, particularly the ubiquitous sparrow, can be found building nests in your verandah, wall crevices, or trees and shrubs in your garden. While birds are master craftsmen when it comes to building nests and their architectural prowess in some instances would leave you gaping, in urban areas they can do with a little help as they live in a concrete jungle with limited greenery. Birds don't live in nests; they build them to have a safe place to lay and incubate their eggs and raise their chicks. When they are done with the nests and their chicks are out, they will abandon it on their own and you can remove it.
But until then, you can help these feathered friends in some ways. The first is to create a safe environment and avoid disturbance. You can put up nesting boxes or ensure access to safe nest-building material. Put out pieces of dry plant material, such as grass stems, twigs, and soft leaves. For birds that build woven nests (orioles, some sparrows, robins, and others), a few grass leaves can come in mighty handy during building time. Offer the pieces in a small basket or on any flat surface. Keep the pieces shorter than two inches to reduce the risk of birds getting tangled in them. To help provide the best possible nest for small fledglings, leave any twigs or leaves that have fallen on the ground, as these could form vital building materials.
To help nesting birds, consider planting trees and shrubs in your garden to provide natural nesting sites and materials. Installing artificial nesting sites like swift bricks can be helpful especially in urban areas where natural nesting sites may be scarce. But it is important to position these nesting boxes in a way that doesn’t compete with other bird species and is safe for the nesting birds. Stay at a respectful distance, minimize foot traffic, and door openings/closings, and postpone any activity slated for the area. Even if a bird is nesting in an inconvenient place on your property, it is not forever and only a matter of weeks. Try not to use the area around the nest until the young have fledged to ensure that the parents will not abandon their nest. If this is not possible, try to minimize your presence around the nest as many yard birds are tolerant of occasional disturbances.
Ensure water availability and protect the birds from other predatory birds, should any venture into your garden. Provide water for bathing and drinking on hot days. Provide water all year long, if you can but make sure to keep it clean. It may be the first place to which a parent bird takes its offspring. Lots of family-style bathing takes place at summer birdbaths and young birds can be dependent upon the only water source they know. your bath filled and clean. Make sure the average water depth is less than three inches. Birds appreciate shallow water. If the birds get injured in any way, try to help or contact a vet.
On no account should you ever move a nest. Birds will often abandon their nest if it is moved. Only in extreme circumstances should you consider relocating a nest, and if you do, it must be replaced very close, within a few feet of the original location. Once relocated, watch and make sure the parents are returning. If the parents do not return, contact a wildlife rehabilitator. Some people put up bird feeders or leave mealworms around to try to provide an additional food source for birds nesting nearby, but this is not necessary for the nest to be successful. Make sure to keep cats (your own or those from the neighbourhood ) away as fledglings are especially vulnerable to cat predation. Hold off trimming hedges and shrubs. Lots of species use small hedges and shrubs for nesting.
Calcium is the most challenging mineral for birds because when they need it, they need large quantities and they need it right away. This is mainly during nesting time for egg laying and well as chick development. The need for protein substantially increases for birds during periods of egg-laying. Obtaining a sufficient amount of protein determines the number of eggs a bird can produce and impacts the health of young birds. Put out eggshells for birds. Eggshells help female birds replace calcium lost during egg production and laying. Save your eggshells, dry them out in the oven (10-30 minutes at 250 degrees), crumble them into small pieces, and spread the pieces on an open spot on the ground. Trees are a mini town for these birds, where they find food, shelter, neighbours, and other stuff they need in order to survive. Keeping the old trees and growing the new ones is the keystone for bringing these birds back into our surroundings. Trees that will attract birds to your area include Jamun Mango Neem Peppal Litchi Banyan Gulmohar etc.
Each species of bird builds its unique type of nest. Birds build nests with instinct; they do not have to be taught how to do so. But naturally, nest building gets better with practice. Different birds build their nests in different ways. Some birds simply use their feet to make a hollow in the ground in which they lay their eggs. Other birds make more complex nests, using their beaks or feet to carry materials to a nest-building site. They then use their beaks, claws, and bodies to build their nests. Some birds are clever weavers and can use their beaks to weave materials into their nests. Birds can shape their nests by turning around in them or by using their feet and beaks. Burrow nests are very effective at protecting eggs and young from predators. Some birds make their burrows, while others may use burrows constructed by other species.
Many birds also use cavity nests. Some birds, such as woodpeckers, construct their cavity nests and are referred to as primary cavity nesters. Species that use natural cavities or cavities constructed by primary cavity nesters are called secondary cavity nesters. Flat nests are made of twigs that have been piled on top of each other. When the twigs are piled upon each other they lock together. Another type of nest is a cup nest, cup-shaped and made from twigs and grass stems. Other materials such as mud, moss, lichen, feathers, and hair or fur from other animals are also used. Such nests are often seen in the forks of branches in a tree or bush. Nests are a crucial part of a bird’s life and you should regard them with respect and care.
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