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RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2012

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Little brown birds in your garden?

This post was by Shirley at shirls gardenwatch in January 2012.

If a little brown bird is jerkily running along the ground, stopping at cracks in paving and disappearing down the earthy edges around your lawn before scuttling off under plants and out of sight then you could be looking at a Dunnock. This bird is one of my garden favs.

Watching the Dunnock you could easily see why for many years it was known as the hedge sparrow. However, the Dunnock is not related to the sparrow at all. The species name for the Dunnock is Prunella modularis. It comes from the family Prunellidae and the order Passiformes.

Wait a minute … don’t be put off thinking this is going to be a full-on bird profile. Considering how many websites have information on this 'not so dull’ little brown bird I have decided to add links at the end of this post to explain via videos and other reading.

Considering this post as a help to ID the Dunnock for people here in the UK (new to birds) and those taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (this weekend) for the first time I thought some visual clues would be best. I know this would have helped me. Hopefully this format will work for visitors outside the UK too.

So… does a Dunnock visit your garden?. Here are some visual clues…

Looking at the colour of legs any bird has is a great clue to what it is and the shape of the beak tells you what kind of food it usually eats. In the case of the Dunnock, it needs a thin sharp beak to search for insects in hidden places.

Lol... the live mini mealworms (in what was thought to be a hidden spot) for a single Mum Blue tit using our nestbox a few years ago didn't last long when the Dunnock parents found them!

However, when it comes to winter months when every morsel of food foraged for goes to getting enough energy to survive a very cold night you will find birds eating a bigger variety of foods. You may also see the Dunnock take seeds from bird tables. In my garden they will visit bird tables throughout the year.

Videos are a great way to help ID a visiting garden bird. I have found them very helpful myself when I see a new visitor to my garden.

The Dunnock doesn’t often perch out in open for long except on high tree branches when singing. Although a very short video capture I was thrilled with the first video below.

Very short, close-up capture of Dunnock taken in garden, October 2011

Equally special was the video capture of a Dunnock juvenile being fed by a possible parent (see further reading) back in 2010. I had never seen this before.

The capture below was taken with a previous video camera so the quality is not as sharp but it is still okay quality and a nice one to see. It also shows the birds feeding along edges and jerkily hopping for cover.

Dunnock parent and juvenile being fed taken in garden, August 2010

In my garden, Dunnock juveniles are the first juveniles to be seen in my garden each year. With the video above being taken in August I could take a reasonably accurate guess that they have 3 broods a year here.

However things don't always go to plan for this little bird which measures just 14cm (5½in)in length. The Dunnock is also one of the host species for the Cuckoo (32-33cm/12-13in in length).

Back in December 2011 I posted a brilliant photo of a Dunnock parent standing on the back of the fledged Cuckoo. There is also a video showing how the newly hatched Cuckoo chick removes the host bird's eggs and chicks (this time the host is a Reed Warbler). Although fascinating the video is hard to watch too.

In summary when it comes to the breeding season this is not a dull little bird species at all. Females (after mated) often court other males to ensure an adequate supply of food for their chicks. More details can be found in the video links below together with lots more info and images - enjoy!

Video from BBC NATURE WILDLIFE Life of Birds: Dunnock females give up on monogamy to enlist more male support. View Devoted Dunnocks?

Video from BBC NATURE WILDLIFE Birds Britannia: Drab and sobre-looking, the dunnock indulges in just about every sexual strategy there is. View Scandalous birds.

RSPB Dunnock Profile including song and video.

BTO BirdFacts for Dunnock includes lots of stats, images, video and sound.

This post was written by Shirley for shirls gardenwatch in January 2012.

But first…. drum roll please…
and a cake for Carol at May Dreams Gardens to celebrate 5 years of hosting Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day! Thank-you Carol :-)

I don’t imagine for one minute she expected this would still be running with the same enthusiasm from bloggers all around the world. Many from the early days are still sharing their blooms on the 15th of the month – congrats to them too. For newbies just pop over to Carol’s post for this month to read all about it – you might want to join in :-)

Hellebores are my contribution to GBBD tonight (Yay… my roof tiles didn’t fall on them!) Although the two flowers that have opened were weighted down with heavy frost when I went out in the dark tonight to take my photos.

The montage below shows the next hellebore buds ready to burst open. My ceramic bumblebee skelp with leafy bergenia nearby also caught my eye sparkling with frost. I'd love if a queen bee decided to nest in it during 2012.

The main pic in this montage is of a Pieris in a planter near my back door. It was moved there about 6 weeks ago and it has been holding on to the blossom plumes since then. More exposed to the elements, time will tell if it will be happy there. I hope so as I’ve planted over 300 crocus bulbs in this area.

Today’s frost is the coldest we have had in a long time and usually that brings in many birds to the feeders. Mm… they weren’t that busy today.

December 2010 with its prolonged snow and cold spell brought large numbers of birds to the garden feeders. It also saw the first appearance of the Brambling which was wonderful to see. The Bramblings (both males and females) had followed large groups of mixed finches. I hoped we might see it again but without snow I wasn’t looking for it just now.

Friday the 13th wasn’t unlucky in my garden then… to my great surprise a male Brambling visited again! This time on a sunny day. I’ve only noticed the one and no females yet but since then it has become a regular which has delighted me greatly.

Also delighting me have been the Robins visiting just now and a Wren which is becoming a regular at my small rockpool pond. The Wren is becoming quite comfortable with me going out and in my back door too which is brilliant.

Capturing photos and video in this area at this time of year is tricky with low light levels (bit grainy). However, back on Friday the 13th the male Brambling stayed quite a while over lunchtime allowing me time to get my video camera out…

Male Chaffinches were on the feeder behind the Brambling giving a good comparison between it and the Brambling. Other finches that are visiting my garden just now include Goldfinches, Siskins and Greenfinches.

We are also seeing plenty sightings of House sparrows, Blackbirds, Blue tits, Great tits, Coal tits, Dunnocks, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Starlings and Sparrowhawks. The feeders are fun to watch just now.

Now, although the Sparrowhawk visits suggest a healthy bird population I do hope it keeps away during my hour count for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch at the end of the month. As well as my request for it not to attend this event I’d like to invite the Wren and Brambling to join my other usual suspects to be included in my count. Yes, I know, wishful thinking :-)

Mmm… the bird population of my garden (and many others too I’ve heard) seem to be wise to this count and make themselves very scarce… I wonder why that is. I’m thinking more feeders get filled and hung up at this time so the birds are either spoilt for choice or suspicious of the increase in food supplies and stay away. What do others think?

Finally, a very happy GBBD to Carol and all the bloggers joining her with posts sharing what’s blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month - albeit belated wishes here in the UK as I post past midnight. Yawn… time to select publish post I think :-)

This post was written by Shirley at shirls gardenwatch in January 2012.