Monthly Archives: April 2021

Short Notices – The Wildlife And Me #2 – Economics

Things are beginning to get out of hand here at the reserve.  Not only am I having to buy a range of different foods for the various bird species, there is also the work involved in providing the food at their particular preferential feeding sites.  And the badgers get at least two different feeding stations in addition to two different sittings to make sure that they all get a share. It’s becoming a full-time job that is also taking a significant chunk out of my income.

First, the birds.  Soft billed species like blackbirds, robins and wrens need different food to hard-billed birds like finches, sparrows and tits.  Not only that, but some birds, like thrushes, will only feed off the ground. whereas sparrows and tits will take food from feeders.  There’s also the problem of making sure that the woodpigeons, doves and collared doves don’t hoover-up everything before the others get a look-in.  Not to mention keeping an eye out for the cats that have just moved in.  So ffod has to be put out continuously in small batches.

I’d like to feed the hedgehogs and foxes, but I’m concerned that the badgers would prey on the former, while the latter, unlike their urban cousins are incredibly shy and nervous around people.

The badgers will be bringing their cubs around soon, so there’s another problem. And the birds will need food that they can carry back to the nest to feed their chicks and fledglings.  Te jackdaws will only come down for large chunks of food, except for fat pellets which they love.  Fortunately,  the red kites, buzzards, sparrow hawks and kestrels all get their own food, so I don’t worry about them.

Short Notices – What They Are