Time to put most bird feeders away

Greenfinch (Dave Williams)

I took down my hanging feeders last week that had attracted finches and sparrows through the winter, although most had ceased visiting after the middle of April anyway. The move follows new advice from the RSPB earlier in the month, endorsed by the British Trust for Ornithology and North Wales Wildlife Trust among others, to suspend supplies of sunflower seeds and peanuts during May to October because this is the period that garden birds are most at risk from the disease trichomonosis.

The advice also includes removing flat surface feeders (such as bird tables) permanently, and cleaning bird baths daily and replacing with fresh water from the tap. Feeders have been removed from many nature reserves too, designed to reduce the risks to species such as Greenfinch and Chaffinch, which have declined in Wales by 73% and 48% respectively since 1995. A wider range of natural plant and insects foods are available through spring and summer, and the RSPB is urging garden owners to “go beyond the bird feeder” by growing native plants for garden birds. Full details of the latest feeding advice can be found at rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/feeding-birds-near-you.

With many of our summer migrants now back on territory, attention turned to more unusual visitors last week. A flock of five Dotterels were on Foel Fras on Sunday with perhaps a different bird on Foel Grach. The Carneddau range in Eryri has been a regular stop for these migrating mountain waders for generations, but occurrence has become less frequent and there are increasing fears that climate change is having a dramatic impact on the Scottish breeding population, at least.

Garganeys remained at RSPB’s Burton Mere Wetlands and Cors Ddyga reserves into the weekend, with the latter site holding three Wood Sandpipers. A White Stork flew over Penmaenmawr last Friday, while Bardsey Bird Observatory counted an impressive 196 Wheatears on the island last Thursday. A subadult White-tailed Eagle was seen a couple of times on Anglesey and is most likely one of the individuals released in southern England.