16 AMATEUR GARDENING 29 JUNE 2019Great expectations
I
USED to be very sceptical about
bird and bee boxes because I
thought there were lots of natural
habitats for birds and bees so we
didn’t need them. A few years ago I put
three bird boxes and a couple of bee
boxes on the eastern side of the
summerhouse, away from the prevailing
westerly winds. They’ve been very
successful and one of the bird boxes
is popular with great tits and they’ve
used it for several years. It’s badly in
need of painting, but we never seem
to find the time!
This year we cleaned out this box for
the first time – something we’ve meant
to do every year. Inside there was a
perfectly neat blanket, with a lot of moss,
fine grass and sheep’s wool, plus one
egg that hadn’t hatched. It was an
incredibly neat affair. However, the
cleaned-out box seemed to put the birds
off and our resident great tits spent far
longer examining the box before they
actually decided to use it. I did wonder
whether we should have cleaned it out
or not. Answers on a postcard, please.
If you’ve got a nest box, great tits are
probably the most likely occupants and
they’re well named because they’re the
largest members of the tit family. TheyVal is looking forward to great tits nesting
in the bird boxes in her garden again this yearalso like to visit bird feeders. The
distinctive black mark down the centre of
the breast is thicker and heavier on the
males. The females have a thinner black
stripe that doesn’t go down to their legs.
The male has a “teacher-teacher” call
that’s unmistakable, even for those like
me who can’t “carry a tune in a bucket”,
as my musical dad used to say! They’re
also promiscuous and many a great tit is
two timing, which helps the gene pool.
Over the years we’ve enjoyed
watching the youngsters and last year
one young bird was very reluctant to
leave the box. He needed a lot of
encouragement and we all gave a
cheer when he finally made it.
Our great tits seem to nest just before
the apple blossom opens and here that’s
usually the end of April or the beginning
of May. It’s a short hop from the apple
trees back to the nest box and they fly to
and fro regularly, which suggests that
they’re finding plenty to eat on the trees.
Apple trees are very wildlife friendly.
The blossom is highly attractive to bees
and the windfalls sustain birds. An apple
tree could, in theory, attract 93 insects,
so it’s one of the best trees you can plant
for wildlife. However, apple trees are not
native. They’re descended from wildTIP
If you’ve got room, plant
a couple of apple trees,
but choose two varieties from the
same pollination group so their
blossom coincides. If there are
plenty of apple trees nearby, just
plant one! Keepers Nursery in
Kent has a good range of trees
(visit keepers-nursery.co.uk
or call ✆ 01622 726465).apple trees originally from the Tien
Shan forests of China, but they’ve been
here for centuries and built up a close
relationship with our wildlife.
Orchards are disappearing and the
National Trust tells us that 60% of small
orchards have disappeared since 1950.
The Trust has begun a new initiative and
plans to plant 68 new orchards with
wildlife in mind. I planted three apples,
two pears and an apricot in 2005 and,
now they’re trees and not saplings,
they’re supplying us with food. Recently
we had a male and female great spotted
woodpecker on the same tree!“Our great tits
seem to nest just
before the apple
blossom opens”
An apple tree could, in theory,
attract 93 insects – so plant one!Val recently saw great spotted
woodpeckers in her gardenGardening We ek
with Val Bourne, AG’s organic wildlife expert
Val Bourne
with Val Bourne, AG’s organic wildlife expert
Val Bourne
An adult great tit about
to feed its chicks in
the bird boxThe old great tit nest
with one egg that
didn’t hatchApple trees are very wildlife
friendly, particularly for great titsAll photographs Alamy unless otherwise credited
Val Bourne