I’ve been away from my bird feeder for months and, on my return, one of my priorities is to restock it. This has become a ritual, and I feel great joy in observing the strict order in which the birds arrive.
I sit down and wait for the local population to remember my table and spread the word. It’s not long before they come in sequence, no less predictable than court etiquette. The first to venture for sunflower seeds is the robin. The blue tit, in a whirr of wings, comes a close second. These two act as food tasters. Other species, out of sight, watch intently to see if the daring survive. They do, so dunnocks arrive, then a pair of chaffinches, picking up spilt seeds from the ground.
Next come siskins, the male and female, scoffing as if they were starving. Now I’m rewarded with goldfinches, their scarlet faces said to have been the result of pulling out a thorn from Christ’s crown at the crucifixion. Sparrows are late to the party, but make up for it in numbers and loud squabbles. It takes the nuthatch 24 hours to lose its caution, clinging upside down to the peanut holder’s pendant earring, followed by the greater spotted woodpecker.
I scatter peanuts on the grass, knowing that a pair of magpies will perform a supermarket sweep. I’ve noticed that a magpie can manage only eight peanuts before it starts dropping them. A jay, though, is the master of consumption. This most high-fashion of birds takes the legumes into its crop, which swells like a goitre. The record I’ve counted is 22.
For a long time, feeding the birds was an uncomplicated pleasure, but it does deserve careful thought. As well as dirty stations spreading deadly trichomonosis in finches, there is a fear that it gives some species an unfair advantage over others, skewing local ecosystems. Some naturalists have decided that it is doing more harm than good and have stopped altogether, or only feed over winter, encouraging people to focus on growing bird‑friendly plants instead. Of course, many people don’t have that option.
I enjoy it, but what’s the best for wildlife? I’ll finish the supplies I have and then decide.
• Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024, is available now at guardianbookshop.com
