WILD BIRDS | PET GAZETTE | 21
GOING
WILD
Caroline Offord sets the scene for the wildlife that will
grace us with their presence in the month of May
M
ay is a month to delight
the senses, our nostrils
are filled with the heady
scent of summer flowers
and our eardrums are
blessed with the sound
of insects buzzing. With the promise of
warm sunny weather, customers would be
foolhardy not to take advantage of this and
nature’s wonders. Whether out and about
or even in your customers’ gardens, all
will struggle to miss bees zooming about
collecting pollen, nectar and water as food
for themselves and their larvae: a vital activity
both for them, and us.
On warm May evenings, bats will be
gorging themselves on night-flying insects.
True pest controllers, a tiny pipistrelle bat can
eat thousands of insects in one night and
they are great indicators of a healthy natural
environment. Although bat roost sites are fully
protected by law, they are often destroyed
either deliberately or because checks are
not carried out prior to building renovation
or tree felling. It is important that everything
possible is done to conserve bats and their
habitats. Customers can all do their bit to
help by putting up bat boxes, building ponds
or planting delightful, night-scented flowers
to attract the insects they feed on. Ones to
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consider are native honeysuckle, night scented
jasmine and stock and English marigolds.
Throughout the month of May our
favourites are joined by the most pleasing of
summer visitors; the Swift, the Swallow and
the Spotted Flycatcher. They too have young
to feed, b ut their food is found on the wing
so they will not venture into birdfeeders. Take
great joy in watching them swoop and dive
as they hunt their flying insect prey. Spotted
flycatchers are not just limited to flies as their
name suggests, but they will also take aphids
and the odd butterfly and will hunt from a
bare branch or a prominent natural vantage
point. When you are next in a wooded area,
listen out for their thin repeated ‘tzee’ call.
You’re in for a real treat!
Ponds are a centre for activity at this time
of year and by mid May, freshly emerged
dragon and damselflies join the birds and
busy themselves with all things related to the
breeding season. Dragonflies, despite their
size are not only aerial acrobats, but are also
highly territorial and will often engage in, or
be distracted by full-on mid-air fisticuffs, much
to the benefit of a passing hobby (a svelte
superfast bird of prey that arrives in the UK
in May). Look closer into the watery depths
and you’ll find that tadpoles that emerged
from gelatinous spawn earlier on in the year
are now growing up fast and are starting to
look like miniature versions of their parents.
If customers have a pond in their garden,
they may be lucky enough to witness this
wonderful show first hand.
Sadly, May’s weather can often be
undecided with cold wet weather proving
disastrous for gardening and any bank
holiday breaks. It can also be bad news
for nesting birds and their precious young.
Advise customers to do their bit for fraught
parent birds with seed mixes, sunflower
hearts, soaked dried fruit and live food such
as mealworms to make up for a reduced
supply of natural food. Tell them to make sure
that bird feeders and bird baths are regularly
cleaned and that fresh water supplied daily.
Tell customers to take extra care when
pruning, trimming and tidying in the garden so
as to avoid disturbing any nesting birds and
other wildlife. Wood mice will have babies too
as will hedgehogs soon, so avoid using slug
pellets; there are plenty of safe alternatives to
control these slimy pests, broken egg shells,
for example. Pile any trimmings, and dead
wood, into a heap in a secluded spot in the
garden. This will provide many nooks and
crannies that make ideal hiding/nesting sites
for a variety of wildlife from slow worms to
solitary bees.
May 2018