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Wednesday 8th May 11.40 p.m.
On Sunday 5th May a visiting cat left our garden in haste
with some poor creature dangling from its mouth. For the next
two days the female bird was
not visited by the male. He had been feeding her whilst she
incubated the eggs, so we feared the worst. The RSPB booklet
'Cats and garden birds' quotes statistics from 'The Mammal
Society' that estimates 55 million birds a year are killed
by cats.
The RSPB's response to my e-mail was "I think it
is likely to be the original male as other males would probably
have tried to tempt the female to a new nest site. If it was
a new male, then it may attempt to build a nest over the existing
eggs."
The RSPB's advice at this time of the year, especially
when the chicks have all hatched is is provide some food to
help the parents. "Foods such as sunflower seeds or
hearts, summer bird food mix, insectivorous mix, mealworms,
mild grated cheese etc. should all be fine to help a developing
family. Avoid peanuts, fatty foods and bread."
Monday 13th May - 10.00 p.m.
No more images, but the male is spending more
time feeding 'mum' whilst she stays with the eggs. If all
goes well, I'm hoping that there'll be some chicks by the
weekend. Hard to imagine maybe, but watching the birds on
our television screen for the last three months makes us particularly
concerned for their welfare.
Thursday 16th May - 10.00 p.m..
Four chicks hatched today - Latest
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