RSPB calls public get your hands dirty this weekend and make dirty pies to help endangered birds such as house swallows, swifts and swallows get enough silt to build their nests.
Nine-day mini-heatwave hits the UK, coinciding with Return of migratory birds breed here. Many of these birds flew by the thousands of miles on their journey. But conservationists concerned that the earth becomes hard this may prevent them from nesting.
Leaving out dishes of mud mixed with water or creating small puddles in garden, public can do big difference, said Becca Smith, of RSPB. “The simplest thing people can do help these birds after they have flown all way from Africa to our shores. plus a little of making clay pies is fun for weekend.”
put out dishes of fresh water will also provide drinking and bathing for diversity of birds. Home martins – which require the most dirt for nest – can mix water with pollute themselves, which then combine with things like grass, feathers and vegetable fibers to make a little cup sheltered nests of Houses.
“to have dirt already created for they are the lightest option for those birds,” Smith said. “That’s not a lot like go to McDonald’s instead of going out and get all the ingredients yourself and try to recreate the Big Mac.”
mud pies should don’t be too careless, but also should not dry out. Smith recommends checking out a couple of them. of times day to do sure they are still quite wet. She is says This good leave the birds water and mud every year between March and May, especially in dry weather, because it is very busy time of year for them.
Some migratory birds arrived later than this year because there were constant eastern and north- easterly winds that complicate for they fly north. According to the Met Office’s Marco Petagna, temperatures in the UK are “several degrees warmer than normal”. should be at this time of year”.
In December 2021 Strizh and house Martins joined UK red list of disappearing birds in in latest IUCN update. Swift populations have declined by 58% since 1995. These migratory birds suffered from the loss of nesting sites as old buildings are being restored, and also loss of insects are their food. British study this week found the number of flying insects has fallen by 60% since 2004.
RSPB also recommends putting up artificial nests and boxes to provide more nesting opportunities for these birds and creating insect-safe gardens.
Alexander Lis, senior lecturer in of conservation biology at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the RSPB’s recommendations looked useful. “In a broader sense, we need building rules that prescribe spaces for swifts and house Martins, and do sure that any nest boxes are properly identified on cooler and shady north or eastfacing walls,” he said.
“Given that losses of insect numbers are likely to be severely affected by artificial light at night, then we can all make an effort to possible turn on the light offrescue insects, their predators and rescue on our electricity bills. We need stop stealing darkness from the natural world”.
