Old Colwyn (East) Residents’ Association
Minute of a talk by Gwen Thomas of the RSPB
on Wednesday 13th February 2008 on Wildlife Gardening.
Gwen began her talk by outlining her work as the Community Talks Officer for the RSPB in North Wales, based in Bangor.
She explained that the RSPB is a conservation charity working in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As part of its function, it manages statistics to make sure that the bird population is healthy. The society does not take in sick or injured birds, that is the work of the RSPCA.
Most people are aware of the RSPB work through local reserves such as the one at Conwy, the Society also does scientific work. There are research biologists and people who do surveys, especially in the breeding season. Such work underpins all projects done by the Society.
Projects are monitored to ensure that the Society is always learning in order to support future projects.
The RSPB is a campaigning organisation, at present it is actively involved in the “Stop climate chaos organisation” partnership. This is obviously because climate change directly affects birds and the threats are already being monitored to reduce the impact on colonies of birds creating corridors for them to move if their climate spaces change.
The Society works with similar organisations around the world under an umbrella organisation called Birdlife International. All the partners of this group meet and agree matters and put projects in place.
There is a present focus in Sumatra in Indonesia. The rain forest there is being systematically cleared at an astonishing rate. The clearance is for timber but also for paper pulp and then plants and palms are being planted for bio diesel.
The Society is working with some other organisations especially partners in Sumatra to buy up 100,000 hectares of land with the intention of managing it up to a good standard of forest habitat for birds such as the rhinoceros hornbill, Malaysian night herons and also mammals such as tapirs, Sumatran tigers and elephant.
This will also benefit the human population as rain forest is an important carbon sink.
The Society started campaigning back in 1889, formed by a small group of women in the Didsbury area of Manchester protesting against the use of feathers in fashion items such as hats, this was at at the end of the Victorian era beginning of the Edwardian period.
As the women understood, species such as the great egret were being killed for their pure white feathers, mainly during the breeding season when their plumage was at their prettiest. Eggs and chicks were obviously left to die and this was a threat to the species. In 1908 they were successful in getting the importation of plumage banned and that was significant as a lot of the plumage was coming from Asia, Africa and South America.
The first nature reserve was bought in 1930 when the decisions were made of the way forward to make a difference. Prior to that there had been protective bird watches during the breeding season. Nature reserves give the society control over year round necessary habitat, shelter, water and food available for bird species. Green spaces are increasingly important for wildlife with the rate of building taking place.
The Protection of Birds Act 1954 and other legislation such as 1981 Countryside and Wildlife Act have all been influenced by the RSPB putting wild populations of birds on the important legal agenda making sure that they can live in peace especially during the breeding season.
In 1997 the Society reached the one million members mark and it still has over one million members. This is important to the Society as it guarantees the money required to do the work necessary and also it gives people power. When the Society makes representations to Government they command respect because of the 1million membership with perhaps another million supporting people.
Money is raised in a variety of ways, subscriptions, sales, bequests. Over half the money raised goes into conservation work; nature reserves, species and habitat conservation working with landowners for instance. There are 1200 full time staff that work for the RSPB and 16,000 volunteer helpers. The volunteer work done during 2006/7 was the equivalent of 29 full time staff.
Education of young people is an important issue as today’s children are tomorrow’s builders, planners and politicians. Hopefully anything they learn now will carry through into their adult life and help protect wildlife in the future. Many schools attend the field teaching programs, groups and clubs on the reserves.
Since 1970 the Avocet has been on the logo of the RSPB; Gwen described the avocet as a success story.
In 1842 the avocet stopped breeding in the UK because they had been excluded from their breeding areas. There was lots of land drainage at that time, making it unsuitable for them as the sand and mud areas that they need to sift for grubs and worms dried up.
After the Second World War they returned. During the war a lot of that previously
drained land was re-
Gwen then spoke in some detail about wildlife gardening she said that if people are designing a garden a few tweaks can make a big difference to wildlife.
Native species of plants/ trees are of much more benefit to a garden.
Silver birch for instance is home to about 330 species of insect. A larch on the other hand will only host about 30 species of insect. The biodiversity value of the native tree is therefore enormous compared with the other and it is this type of planning which pays off in wildlife gardening terms.
Bird cherry is another native tree.
Rowan, holly and hawthorn are fantastic shrubs when it comes to the autumn providing food for thrushes, blackbirds and all the other members of that family, fieldfare, redwings and waxwings from abroad.
Climbers such as honeysuckle attract insects in spring and summer with their flowers with berries coming through later on and if there is a good dense growth some of the smaller birds will actually nest in the foliage, wrens, robins, chaffinches and dunnocks.
Wild roses especially, create a good variety and structure within a hedge helping to protect smaller birds from cats and other predators. Insects are attracted to the flowers and then in the autumn, the rose hips provide food for many of the finches.
Bramble; the fruits are good for blackbird and song thrushes, mistlethrushes, mice and voles.
Foxgloves are good for attracting bees into a garden and good for pollination.
Siskins and goldfinches are attracted by teasels dandelions and lavender.
Thistles attract bees and insects.
Star daisies attract peacock and red admiral butterflies.
Cowslips flower early to give pollen, nectar attracting insects early in the breeding season.
Native blue bells are very attractive to insects.
Gwen cautioned about people introducing non native species and said that it is important to check that they will not be invasive such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed, these plants started out in gardens in the Victorian era; they are now causing real damage.
Hoverflies in the garden are a good sign as they do lots of pollinating.
Water in the garden Gwen said that a pot in the garden is just as good as anything but went on to say that if there is the space, think about adding a pond.
Sloping sides are important so that birds can get in to bathe.
Variety of depths is important.
Ideally one section should be over 60cms deep; this ensures that it never totally freezes.
Half to two thirds of the pond should have vegetation in it. This allows small insects to live and breed.
Clear the pond once a year in spring.
Vegetation such as Bogbean, lilies, meadowsweet and marsh marigold can be used.
Birds will drink and bathe and amphibians will also be attracted to a pond, frogs, toads, newts.
Insects will colonise the water both in and over the water providing food for swifts and swallows.
Water keeps birds plumage in good condition in the winter particularly when they cannot find other water sources.
Feeding put out kitchen scraps, breadcrumbs (although make sure it is moist, as dry bread swells up with water and can be fatal), rice, fats and fruits.
Coconut in shell (but not desiccated, as it will swell with water) especially liked by blue tits and nuthatches.
Raisins, sultanas, currants and any dried fruit.
Mealworms, dried or live.
Seeds best in a variety; sunflower and niger seed.
Low fat peanut butter or lard can be used to refill coconut shells.
Siskins and green finches particularly like peanuts. A lot of species are attracted by them including various tits, nuthatches and woodpeckers.
Lavender when left to seed over winter becomes a food for goldfinches.
Bird tables should have a roof or drainage gaps or holes.
Fruit windfalls are a good source of food for blackbirds and the like.
Clear away snow before laying food.
Raptors may be attracted to feeding birds, this is natural and necessary.
Crows do not have a significant affect on the population of smaller birds even though they may take some eggs and chicks.
Homes for wildlife
Nest boxes are a good way forward to attract birds to live in the garden in the spring and summer.
Bat boxes on trees.
Insect homes. Holes drilled in timber provide a good insect refuge. A log pile is also a good idea.
Ivy for nesting spaces. Blackbirds will feed on the berries.
Open compost areas are good areas for wildlife to live and feed.
Hedgehogs like quiet areas under leaves branches and logs etc. They are hibernating less because of global warming and that is stressful for them so best not to disturb them.
Great yellow bumble bees will live in a part buried upturned plant pot with moss inside inside.
Swallows need to be encouraged to nest; you can get nest boxes created to look like swallow nests.
Conservation in your own area.
Water butt to conserve water.
Use a watering can rather than a hosepipe.
Open compost area or bin.
Plastic compost bin to recycle waste stop waste going to landfill. The compost can then improve the garden soil in the fullness of time.
Use your own compost and always steer away from peat based compost, if you need to buy compost. We have lost 95% of peatland in the UK over the centuries.
Garden furniture ~ try to buy wood from a sustainable source.
Support the RSPB ~ visit the nature reserves, buy from the shop, take part in the activities.
Flexible membership is now an option, you choose how much you want to pay every month.
The RSPB takes legacies if people want to leave bequests to the cause in a will.
Volunteers are always welcome to give of their time and skills to support the RSPB.
Look on the website http://www.rspb.org.uk to see more about wildlife gardening.
Gwen finished the talk by showing a short film to show the amazing variety of birds in Britain.
At the end of the film she was thanked for a very detailed and interesting talk by the Chair who then presented her with a £20 cheque for the RSPB. There was a round of applause.
