NESTA DORMA
I don’t think I have ever seen, or noticed, so many birds nesting. It feels as though everywhere I look – and walk, and work – my little feathered friends are busy carrying twigs, moss and even bits of fluffy Pampas grass into their little ‘secret’ spaces. Some are already sitting on eggs. In one garden I look after, a goldfinch is sitting on six eggs while being fed by her devoted partner. I have barricaded the area off so she can have as much privacy as possible but it’s still a treat to be able to watch her hard-working partner doing his Deliveroo duties with food for her.
So please be extra observant when working in your own garden. I was all prepared to cut an unwanted viburnum back last week, but after just watching it for a while I noticed a wren going back and forth with finishing touches for her new home. That job can wait.
I couldn’t take a photo of ‘my’ goldfinch without risking disturbing her, but was mightily impressed with the bird photos that Alan Taylor compiled for Earth Day. Designed to encourage us to remember to appreciate our environment, and the responsibility we have for its welfare, Earth Day was held on April 22 and Alan wanted to gather a selection of images of the incredibly diverse bird life that we share this planet with. Tens of billions of individual animals are divided among some 10,000 species, inhabiting nearly every environment on Earth. These fascinating feathered creatures are at home on land, at sea, or in the sky, and from our polar regions to the tropics. It doesn’t need to be Earth Day to appreciate these photos and be reminded of our role in protecting them. You can see them at www.theatlantic.com/ photo/2024/04/earth-day-birdphotos/