Your say – autumn/winter 2024

Star letter: Encouraging a churchyard’s wildlife

Our local church in south-west London has been exploring ways to nurture wildlife in the churchyard. We have considered wildflower meadows among the gravestones as well as bird boxes, but our most recent initiative has been to inspire the congregation by launching a new annual bird survey inspired by the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

Our churchyard birdwatch in spring recorded, mainly from birdsong, a number of species, including Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Wren.

In June, we also took part in the Caring for God’s Acre Churches’ Count on Nature Week, which was a national event. The public was encouraged to visit our churchyard and record sightings of birds, flora and fauna on the iNaturalist App.

We also included a walk through the churchyard, led by a member of our clergy who is a committed and experienced naturalist. I am delighted to report that this event was a considerable success.

Based on our experiences, we’d thoroughly recommend this type of project to churches as there are so many benefits for wildlife, and people too!
Robert Porter

Ed: Fantastic work by Robert and his team. Churchyards are actually pretty good places to try out if you want to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch but don’t have a garden.

Tawny owlet delight

Most years, we spend our annual holiday in the same caravan park in the Langdale Valley in the Lake District. We have seen all kinds of wildlife wandering or flying through the wooded site over the last 30 years or so.

But last year was special. Keeping us awake all night but delighting us with their non-stop calls were three Tawny owlets. Their sounds continued through the days, too, just outside our caravan!

They knew we were watching them, but they didn’t seem to mind. We were sad to leave them at the end of the week.
Sophie Galbraith

Ed: That sounds like such a magical experience. Nocturnal nature is fascinating and well worth staying up for!

Herring Gull. Photo: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

In defence of gulls

I love seagulls, so it makes me sad that the British Trust for Ornithology told us on Radio 4 recently that our classic seaside seagull, the Herring Gull, has declined so much that it’s now Red Listed.

One of the guests on the programme said that stealing our chips is “indefensible”. That seems a little harsh. Cheeky, roguish gulls can annoy us, but they make us laugh, too, and they must have generated a fair bit of revenue for us in the form of seaside souvenir novelties, from fridge magnets to jokey cards.

Their food supplies have dwindled; they’re having a tough time. They bring a welcome touch of the wild to our cities but are increasingly unwelcome, facing nets, spikes and other horrors to prevent them perching or, perish the thought, breeding.

Where would a Cornish fishing village be without the cries of seagulls echoing round the harbour? Or Sailing By on Radio 4 without the background gulls?

So let’s treasure them, live alongside them and give three cheers for the great British seagull… while guarding our chips!
Louise Wisniewski

Ed: We love gulls too, Louise! We even have a few guides on how to identify gulls on the microsite. They can be tricky to identify! We now have a Gull Champion, Seagull Boy Cooper Wallace. His gull impression is incredible…

Introducing our new Gull Champion, Cooper Wallace – aka Seagull Boy. Video: @RSPBvideo

Home Improvement

Three years ago, I purchased an RSPB bird box with a built-in camera.

We’ve been fortunate to have Blue Tits take up residence every year since, and I’ve learned a lot about their nesting habits by observing their antics, such as industriously covering the base with about an inch of nesting material over a week, only to remove it all and start again.

This year, before they started to collect nesting material, I watched them vigorously pecking away at the inside of the entrance.

I didn’t give it much thought until I spotted their home improvement. On the camera footage, I could clearly see a pair of perfectly symmetrical shoulders cut out of the inside side of the bottom of the once-circular entrance hole.

My only guess is that it allows them to exit the nest box from the side without scraping their wings on the wooden edges.

Has this or similar been seen before, or do I have a particularly fussy pair of Blue Tits this year?
Ian Sharp

Ed: We often hear about Blue Tits tapping at boxes. This is typically to test the sturdiness of the box before nesting. They do this on trees, too. As it’s near the entrance, this is territorial; they’re claiming the box as their own. They’ll only enter the box frontwards.

Robin singing. Photo: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

The sound of birdsong

My wife, who is in her 80s, has had a cochlear implant put in, and for the first time in over 60 years has heard a Robin sing. It was a truly wonderful moment.

Our many thanks go to the wonderful, dedicated doctors and nurses at St Thomas Hospital who performed this miracle, enabling her to hear these beautiful birds in our garden.

She now asks me, “What is that?” whenever we’re tending the various plants in our garden.
Charles Mehegan

 Ed: That’s wonderful Charles! We’re so glad that your wife is now able to enjoy the Robin – and or other garden visitors – singing.

Listen to the Robin’s song

European Robin call. Audio: Francesco Barberini (Xeno-canto)

Disappearing Tree Sparrows

For many years, we’ve had a colony of Tree Sparrows nesting in our garden.

In late February, between six to eight pairs have noisily returned to begin their territorial claim on the many tree nest boxes. Two years ago, the colony didn’t return. Other local colonies also suffered this dramatic disappearance.

I have read accounts in old bird books of colonies of Tree Sparrows mysteriously disappearing and then miraculously returning several years later. The reasons for this remain a mystery.

However, this year, on several occasions in early spring, we observed a single Tree Sparrow tentatively calling from the top of a tree, as if trying to establish its territory. Its abrupt call was then seemingly answered by more Tree Sparrows calling from the surrounding bushes. This prompted the single bird to instantly fly away.

Thinking that the sparrows had finally returned, we watched closely for the remaining colony to reveal itself; however, we were amazed to see not Tree Sparrows emerging from the bushes, but Great Tits! It was as if they were impersonating the sparrows’ abrupt alarm call.

I’m aware that Great Tits have an impressive vocal repertoire, but could this ability somehow be responsible for dissuading the Tree Sparrows from their traditional territories?

Ironically, this summer, we have seen record numbers of Great Tit broods emerging from the same nest boxes that were once used by the Tree Sparrows.
Mark Thomas

Ed: Tree Sparrows do indeed have a habit of forming strong colonies in one location for five, 10 or more years, then moving on for no obvious reason. I’ve not heard any evidence that Great Tits might be outcompeting Tree Sparrows.

A Puffin landed on Bob Russon’s head! Photo: Tim Russon

Hats off

Here’s my entry for the ‘daft hat’ competition.

On 4 and 5 June, my son Tim and I spent two days on Skomer, having a splendid time photographing Puffins. While watching Puffins coming into their nest burrows at The Wick, carrying beaks full of sandeels, I felt something land on my head. My instant thought was that it might be an Arctic Tern, as they sometimes appear on the Farne Islands, but then I immediately realised that couldn’t be the case.

Nearby birders shouted, pointed and called out, “It’s a Puffin!” Luckily, Tim was near and quick enough to take a shot. Wardens and others on the island said they had never seen that happen before!
Bob Russon

Ed: It’s a rare privilege to be a Puffin perch. It reminds us of a joke: “What do you call a man with a seabird on his head?” “Cliff!”

There was great news for Puffins earlier this year with the announcement that fishing for sandeels would be banned in the English North Sea and Scottish waters.

Nuthatch home

It was interesting to read the How to Site a Nuthatch Box story in the Spring/Summer magazine.

Some Nuthatches can be resourceful; a pair of Nuthatches built their nest in the crack of the climbing boulder at our outdoor centre.

The three-metre-high boulder itself is made from concrete, and the Nuthatch filled the crack with mud. Climbing was delayed until they fledged and left.

I hope they return next year!
Wynford Price

Ed: What resourceful birds! At this time of year those Nuthatches will be busy storing nuts for the winter.

Julie has been giving our children’s magazines to her friend’s sons. Photo: Julie Flood

Birder beginnings

Thank you for all the hard work you do. For the last few years, I’ve been subscribing to you for my friend’s son, George, aged six and a half. He is really into nature and loves his magazines and looks forward to doing the activities.

Now his brother is two and a half and able to understand things, George shows him the pictures and what’s in the magazine. I’m so glad that they both have a love of nature.
Julie Flood

Ed: We’re glad that George and his brother are enjoying Wild Times – it’s packed with fun things to read and do, including great bedtime stories.

Like Julie, you can buy family or youth membership as a gift.