At a time when green spaces in towns and cities are coming under increasing pressure, our gardens represent havens for many species of wildlife. Birds in particular come regularly to many gardens to feed, often on seeds, nuts or scraps put out by people. This food supply helps many birds through tough winters and may help them to raise more young.
Ecologists at the University of Reading are now launching a series of projects to look at some of the impacts of feeding birds in our gardens, including the effects on species other than birds. They are currently looking for volunteers in Reading to join two of their projects.
The first, the ‘Reading bird feeding survey’, is a long-term scheme that simply involves recording how much and what type of bird food you put out. The second, ‘Do garden birds earn their keep?’, is a shorter experiment to look at whether garden birds reduce the numbers of insects on plants. You can help with this second experiment even if you do not feed birds in your garden or only feed in winter.
To find out more, please see (http://www.reading.ac.uk/gardenwatch).
Mike Taylor - 23 May 2010