Listening to the Birds

We are lucky enough to have a field behind our house and every day during spring and summer the birds flit through the hedges and fly high in the sky singing their song.

Often we hear the birdsong and are annoyed by it waking us up, but having spent a week outside in the pod at Loveland Farm, it really hit home how loud this was but actually how soothing for the soul it is.

As I woke up an hour before everyone else, I would pop outside, make myself a warm drink and watch the sun come over the hill. I would watch the chickens slowly waking up too, stretching their wings and foraging for their breakfast of bugs and worms.

At home, on a clear day, I can hear the skylarks singing their song even though they a few hundred yards up in the air, the sound carries through the still air and it is so therapeutic. I often stand and listen to them when putting the washing out or sit with the door open at the kitchen table just to hear them sing.

So, early next month and until June, on those crisp mornings where the sun is shining and the sky is blue, I am going to wrap up warm, take my cup of coffee outside, sit on a chair and listen to the sounds of the birds as they try to find mates and search for food.

Soaking up this wonderful sound of nature soothes the soul whilst getting some fresh air first thing in the morning.

The RSPB website has this to say:

"If you want to listen to a dawn chorus, then the best days to choose are those with fine, clear weather and little wind. It can be cold early in the day, so remember to take warm clothes. Late April through to early June is the best period, when most species are singing well.

Dawn chorus peaks half-an-hour before to half-an-hour after sunrise, but the variety of song can prove too confusing at that time, so why not get into position a good hour before sunrise, and enjoy the arrival of the performers as each takes their turn on stage."

Do you have lots of birds in your garden? Will you be getting outside to listen to the birds and soak up some morning air?

Bringing Birds into Your Garden

Even though we used to live in the city boundaries, our garden had lots of trees and was always teaming with wildlife, from foxes to squirrels and many different birds. However, since we moved and only have a hedge behind us before fields, the amount of wildlife we see in our garden has dropped dramatically. For me and the children, this is somewhat of a loss. I had seen a few birds moving about in the hedge but with a few cats next door, they seemed reluctant to come down onto the garden to eat some mealworms we had put out for them.

So when we were at the local garden centre and spotted some suet blocks, we decided to get some to put on the fencing at the back of the garden. The idea came from when we visited Center Parcs last year and one of their wildlife experts gave us some to put on the window of our lodge. It was an instant hit with the birds who would fly up to the corner of the window and eat the suet. The children and the adults loved to watch the birds and it was a great feeling to be able to feed these wonderful little creatures.

So why I am telling you this, well this simple and relatively cheap food is a great way to bring wildlife into the garden and so easy to get your children involved in, all you need is a suet block, available from most garden centres and some supermarkets, you can even make your own if you fancy. You can even put out a few mealworms for them, these little fellas are super nutritious for our little garden friends, full of protein and a sure fire way of getting some visitors.

You’ll need to find somewhere that the birds will visit, our fence backs onto the hedge and the birds also have a good vantage point to spot cats so they are happy to visit here. We stuck some of the suet blocks onto the top of the fence and then on the ground below on our side of the fence we poured some meal worms, the black birds really love the meal worms and although I can't stand to look at them they are the perfect source of protein for the birds.

You don't need a lot of be able get these little feathered friends into your garden, with just a few simple ingredients some time and a little love you too can bring some wildlife close to your home, as well as helping to protect our beautiful birds.

Our visit to Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre

Last week we went to the seaside for the day, we went to Mablethorpe on the east coast and whilst it was a little cooler we decided to visit the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre.

I am so glad we did as it was a lovely warm spot behind the dunes. They had some wonderful animals there and my sons favourite things in the whole wide world, Dinosaurs. Obviously not real ones that would be to Jurassic Park, but some fossils and a walk through, explaining all about the different types of dinosaurs and why they are extinct.

Sadly this is all too true and a little saddening!

Most of the animals there are ones that have been injured and are being looked after because they can't be let back into the wild. This particularly friendly fellow with his piercing blue eyes was so tame...

The meercats (who seem to be popping up everywhere) were a particular favourite...

Quite a few feathered friends who had obviously come out worse when trying to say hello to a car!

Stretching out in the sun!

 

And finally our seal friends, there weren't too many of these chaps, but that's because they are treated and then released back. Only if things are really bad are they kept there.

Pretty sure he's smiling!

Soaking up the sun!

Popeye who was very poorly when he came in years ago is a long term resident! Just gorgeous :)

 

There is a vegetarian cafe and space to sit outside, it is a really lovely place and not too expensive either. It is wheelchair and pushchair friendly too so perfect for those with smaller children.

So I leave you with this cheeky fella and if you happen to be over that way this summer, I can thoroughly recommend a visit to support the wonderful work they do.