Hawthorn bloom in May
I’ve been feeling very guilty the past couple of weeks. Our south facing garden had become gloomy and the patio no longer saw the sun. So it was time for a ruthless cutback of trees and shrubs, in particular the 30-foot hedgerow at the bottom of the garden.
While topping the scraggly hawthorns, the gardeners were amazed at the number of birds – blue tits, goldfinches, wrens, blackbirds and thrushes – obviously not bothered by the chainsaw hacking at their home.
I’d timed the Big Prune to avoid the nesting season and when most berries would have been well picked over. Plus a few extra feeders might mitigate the damage?
But I was still very relieved to discover that the Big Prune has actually made my garden more bird friendly. I was asking David, (Information Officer at Lagan Valley Regional Park and source of much useful information and photos for this blog) – and he said there’s nothing better to keep a hedgerow flourishing than good, regular cutbacks.
And he should know, as the Park must have a hundred miles worth of hedgerows. But also because he has an interest in creating even more with Park volunteers, promoting biodiversity as part of the Laganscape Project.
Maybe because no part of Belfast or Lisburn is very far from the countryside, many urban gardens already have hedgerows. They are an amazing species-rich environment. So having even a small hedgerow is the next best thing to your own mini Amazon.
Happy hedgerow home for this chaffinch
According to David, hedgerows are our most widespread ‘semi-natural’ habitat. Although natural and made up of native plants, they have been looked after, planted, trimmed and changed by man for centuries. The UK has over 500,000 miles of them – but you can’t have too much of a good thing.
Many of our hedges are hundreds, even thousands of years old. Far from recent additions - they’ve been part of our landscape for eons. Some of the oldest mark parish boundaries or ancient monuments, showing their importance to our ancestors. The presence of beautiful old trees indicates a hedgerow is a great age.
You know you’ve got one if you have a row of shrubs or bushy low trees planted close together in a row. Longer stretches, like along the Towpath, usually are punctuated with bigger trees. If uncut, hedgerows can grow to 3 metres high and 1 to 2 metres wide. I must have been doing something right because mine was 3 times that size!
Native plants making up a hedgerow include: hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, hazel, elder, dogrose, alder, spindle, crab apple, guelder rose, honeysuckle, wild or bird cherry. Trees are commonly: oak, ash, rowan, birch and elm. To see some examples, check out the trees page at laganvalley.co.uk
A healthy hedgerow habitat can support a large community of animals. Mammals benefiting from the Park’s hedgerows include: field mice, wood mice, stoats, bats, red squirrels (and not so welcome greys), hedgehogs, badgers, foxes.
Room with a view for Belvoir Park red squirrel
And look/listen for birds such as: blue tits, great tits, blackbird, robin, wren, chaffinch, dunnock, yellow hammer, tree sparrow and thrush. Flowers and butterflies like hedgerows too.
Before nesting season begins in earnest, now is your last chance to prune your hedgerow. If you have a lot of it, David recommends staggering the trimming – perhaps one section each year – ensuring there is always a supply of berries, flowers, seeds and nest spots for everyone in the food chain.
Shy hedge dweller
Or plant your own. You don’t need a huge garden. A bushy place at the back with a couple of hawthorns and a holly bush will do nicely. Or, if you have an existing beech or privet hedge, why not start to replant any dying bits with hedgerow species? More diversity and less of the dreaded clipping! In fact, this weekend is the perfect time to survey the garden to see what survived the terrible winter. Then replace any victims with bird and butterfly friendly plants. (A good subject for a future blog).
If you’re starting from scratch – (maybe you have a brand new place with a bit of land and you’d like to lose that bare look) – here’s how:
Hedge planting normally takes place between December and March when the ground is moist and plants are dormant. Native species grown locally thrive better.
Prepare the ground well; the hedge will be there for many years so it is worth putting the time in. Plant the shrubs in a staggered double row about 30 cm apart, mixing up the species randomly. For example the native hedgerows at the Park are around 75% hawthorn.
Enjoy year round interest with this hedge fund - hawthorn berries
Then water regularly through the first year, especially in times of drought. (We should be so lucky!) In the early years, apply mulch each spring in the to promote growth.
Leave any pruning ‘til winter. The longer it's left, the better for the birds and mammals which feed on the fruit. The hedge should be cut back annually for the first few years to thicken it up.
This year, if I want to see the hawthorn in bloom, I can forget about looking out my window. But I am looking forward to a profusion of flowers and fruit next year. In the meantime, I can head to the towpath. And a sunny patio will be compensation.
Hedgerows attract bees and colourful plants like this vetch
ALL PHOTOS FROM LAGAN VALLEY REGIONAL PARK
Here’s a thought for Valentine’s Day. Why not take a romantic dander along the Lagan towpath and work up an appetite for that Marks & Spencer £20 special 3-course lurrrve feast. Or that box of Belgian truffles.
It’s still early in the season for the birds to start their courtship rituals, so most of the billing and cooing you encounter may be among the humans. But love is still very much in the air with the gently flowing river, the snowdrops and the birdsong creating such an enchanting backdrop. Who needs candles?
And as thoughts turn to love (or wildlife), you may be wondering what the birds do to attract their mates, in the absence of rom coms, chocolates and red roses.
DINNER FOR TWO BLUETITS
Fortunately, the RSPB are experts on this subject. There’s a lot more to wooing and winning than fancy plumage. The birds put in plenty of hard work, as you’ll see in the article below. It’s full of good stuff about the elaborate, surprising and touching displays of love from exotic as well as our local species.
So as the spring and summer bird mating and breeding season unrolls and you return to the Park, keep an eye out for some of the loving behaviour described below. When it comes to hearts and flowers, we have a thing or two to learn from birds. Love is something to work at; but then it is a matter of survival!
Love is in the air
Romance may be dead in some quarters, but love is still in the air – literally.
Valentine’s Day was traditionally thought to be when many birds start to pair up. And the RSPB says that you could do a worse than look to the skies for inspiration on how to treat your own special someone this weekend.
Many wild birds are known for their chivalrous and monogamous ways, and we could apply a thing or two to our own dining and dining techniques.
Like us, many birds know that the way to a loved one’s heart is through the stomach. Some birds of prey pass food to their mates in the air as a way to strengthen their pair bond. Forget champagne and caviar though – this is more likely to be insects, small mammals or birds!
Raptors like golden eagles, hen harriers and marsh harriers are particularly known for this courting technique, while great crested grebes exchange gifts in the water.
HEN HARRIERS DO THE FEEDING DANCE
Songbirds like robins also do courtship feeding at the nest with the male taking the female food as she incubates her eggs. It is part of the initial pairing up and the female will be kept in good condition to raise her young if she’s well fed on the nest. Bullfinches, terns and gulls also use this technique. Some female birds might even choose another mate if the male doesn’t bring them enough food!
An estimated 90% of all bird species are monogamous and form a faithful bond for the breeding season. Many may separate for the rest of the year and reform their pair bond the following season. This is the habit of many seabirds like shearwaters, waders such as dunlins and also swallows. Some species could remain bonded for most of the year, such as jackdaws and sparrowhawks.
Others will even migrate together, flying thousands of miles side by side across the Arctic, such as Bewick’s swans and barnacle geese.
Many birds pair up for life and although their commitment can sometimes be to the detriment of their whole species, they wouldn’t consider looking elsewhere.
18 of the 22 species of albatross face extinction as thousands die every year in fisheries, leading to the RSPB ‘s Save the Albatross Campaign. Some species of albatross mate for life and only raise one chick every two years, so their loyalty is also contributing to this decline.
MUTE SWANS ARE PARTNERS FOR LIFE
Other monogamous birds include birds of prey like golden and white tailed eagles. Mute swans, commonly seen in parks and on communal ponds are also among the most faithful.
There’s no resting on your laurels and hoping the right person will find you in the bird world. Many birds will actively defend their territory in the hope of attracting a mate, and the much-loved robin is a classic example of this. Robins will often chase anything that comes into their territory that suggests they may go on to breed in the area in spring and summer. Blackbirds, kingfishers, buzzards and magpies are all known for fighting for their territory too.
It doesn’t pay to be shy when you’re looking for romance. Some birds have extraordinary courtship ‘displays’ that they use to attract a mate, which involve beautiful colours and dancing displays that would rival any moves we do on a Saturday night.
Some will abruptly spread their wings, thrust out their chest, do an immense yawn to show bright colours inside their beaks, and even exhibit decorative feet in the case of the tropical blue-footed boobie. For many birds, these displays are known as a ‘lek’.
Black grouse strut around with their backsides in the air, bobbing their striking white tail and making a distinctive bubbling call. Other birds who like to show off to potential suitors include capercaillies, ruffs and great bustards.
BLACK GROUSE STRUT THEIR STUFF
Richard James, RSPB Wildlife Advisor, says: ‘Many birds really know how to put the effort into attracting a mate. From elaborate displays to passing food, they pull out all the stops and it’s a fascinating thing to observe, especially close to Valentine’s Day.
‘Already in our gardens some birds will be demonstrating courtship routines too – look out for the territorial robin who will fight tooth and nail for his mate! Other species like blackbirds tend to get a bit scrappy too when standing up for themselves. All’s fair in love and war!’
BLOGGER'S NOTE: Reading this I realised we have a lot more in common with birds than I ever realised – especially the elaborate feet!!
Photos from the RSPB
This is officially the day in the US where a rotund rodent decides whether winter is over, or is going to drag on for another 6 weeks. Generally, anyone living north of the Mason Dixon Line can count on 6 more weeks of the same (and that’s a mild winter), whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not. *
But in these parts, February is generally considered the start of spring. Who cares if it’s still freezing cold? The first daffodils are blooming (yes, saw one last week in the Botanic Gardens), the snowdrops are well up – along the Lagan and elsewhere - and it’s now light when the kids leave the house for the school bus.
And in the Park, the bluetits are starting to seriously search for nest sites. Which means this is your very very last chance to get a nestbox up if you hope to have birds using it for nesting in your garden this year.
Now househunting in a Park near you
If your garden has no large old trees with suitable holes, birds will happily use a nestbox; generally the smaller birds such as the tits, sparrows, robins and housemartins. And the ideal time to place your boxes is late autumn/winter. Birds prefer a well-weathered box - more homely - but February rains, gales and ice can do a lot of weathering!
A few basic tips:
-The best site for you to view the box may not be the best spot for the birds.
-Avoid strong sunlight and the wettest winds. Facing the box between north and east is usually best, unless there are trees or buildings giving shade all day.
-Make sure birds have a clear entrance so the parents can come and go easily on food forays. Don’t clutter up their flight path.
-Boxes for tits, sparrows or starlings should be two to four meters up a tree or a wall.
-Don’t put two boxes too close together – birds need their territories. Most gardens tend only to have one nesting pair of any species with the exception of sparrows and house martins which form colonies.
-Put up different boxes to attract different species.
You may not get any takers this spring, but come autumn birds may check out the nestboxes looking for a cosy place to roost or feed, and make them their nesting sites next year.
Throughout the Park numerous nestboxes of various types are now in place as part of its ongoing bird conservation programme. Some are visible from the towpath, but many of them are tucked away to give the birds vital privacy and safety. This spring the Park is looking forward to uptake by a wide variety of species and during the breeding season will regularly monitor the boxes. Those which have not been chosen as nest sites will have their locations reviewed and may be moved to different spots.
So if Big Garden Birdwatch last weekend put you in the mood. OR if you bought a box months ago with great intentions, don’t leave it languishing in the garage a day longer!
The RSPB has a detailed leaflet on nestboxes, including how to make your own, ways to fix the box without damaging trees and the best boxes for different species. You can also buy a ready made box at the RSPB headquarters in Belvoir Park. And check out the RSPB website and online shop: www.rspb.org.uk.
*If the groundhog emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow, he resumes hibernation. No shadow? Then the chunky critter expects the return of milder weather. Bit like trying to get up in the morning only the other way around.
ART COMPETITION
Speaking of deadlines…aspiring fledgling artists only have until the end of the month to enter the Lagan Valley Regional Park Art Competition and have their chance to win glory, acclaim and up to £100!
The Park is inviting the young and talented to send in their work - anything about the Park that has inspired them. Its heritage and historic sites, activities along the Lagan, wildlife, scenery, nature, fun. There are 3 age categories: 11 and under, 12-14 and 15-18. And the winning art will be on public display at the visitors’ centre adjacent to the Lock Keeper’s Cottage.
So if the family is heading for a walk along the Lagan, bring cameras, sketchpad and your eagle eyes. Also, be sure to stop at the Lock Keepers Cottage for an entry form. You can also get details and download forms by going to the Park website: www.laganvalley.co.uk. Closing date is February 26th. Now all you have to do is choose your awards ceremony outfit!
Photo and artwork provided by Lagan Valley Regional Park