Nothing evokes the ‘cottage garden’ quite as well as a dovecote or pigeon loft. The huge traditional dovecote-cum-loft shown below is not only an attractive garden structure in its own right, but also provides a functional way of controlling bird numbers.
It is beautifully simple – the pigeons and doves eat their fill in the surrounding hedge-rows and fields, and then you step in and cull them for food. In this way, the birds get to live out their lives, you get to see flocks of birds variously swooping, circling and coming in to roost, and at the end you become a predator.
Do not worry if you have gone to the trouble of building a loft or cote only to find that the birds have flown, since the structure will eventually give shelter to other wildlife such as owls, squirrels, mice, bats, moths and other insects. As for the question of whether or not we should be culling wild country pigeons for food, there are hundreds of bird-loving groups throughout the world that think that it is a good, responsible answer to the problem of pigeon over-population.
Make sure, if you are giving a home to doves and pigeons, that it is high up above the ground and well away from cats.
Size – 13–18 cm (5–7 in) long.
Appearance – Has orange plumage on the chest and iridescent blue-green on the back, short wings and a long, dagger-like bill.
Habitat – Slow-moving water, rivers, canals, lakes, meandering streams and mill ponds.
Comments – Very striking bird, best seen when diving into the water to catch fish, and/or when perched and in the act of killing and swallowing a small fish.
Size – 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long.
It is beautifully simple – the pigeons and doves eat their fill in the surrounding hedge-rows and fields, and then you step in and cull them for food. In this way, the birds get to live out their lives, you get to see flocks of birds variously swooping, circling and coming in to roost, and at the end you become a predator.
Do not worry if you have gone to the trouble of building a loft or cote only to find that the birds have flown, since the structure will eventually give shelter to other wildlife such as owls, squirrels, mice, bats, moths and other insects. As for the question of whether or not we should be culling wild country pigeons for food, there are hundreds of bird-loving groups throughout the world that think that it is a good, responsible answer to the problem of pigeon over-population.
In times past, ‘troublesome’ pigeons and doves were given shelter and then culled for food.
Make sure, if you are giving a home to doves and pigeons, that it is high up above the ground and well away from cats.
Less common garden birds
Which birds enjoy a rural setting?
If you live in a countryside property complete with tumbledown outbuildings, large ponds, streams or a river nearby, lots of old trees, and well-established old planting, you will see all the usual birds that are local to your area, plus slightly more exotic delights such as kingfishers, cuckoos, woodpeckers and owls, if you are fortunate. These unusual species are often favourites with children and, if you keep your garden chemical-free, the birds should be happy to visit it.
Alcedo atthis {Kingfisher (UK) River Kingfisher (USA)}
Appearance – Has orange plumage on the chest and iridescent blue-green on the back, short wings and a long, dagger-like bill.
Habitat – Slow-moving water, rivers, canals, lakes, meandering streams and mill ponds.
Food – Small fish and water creatures.
Nesting – Nests in holes and tunnels dug into a muddy riverbank.
Cuculus canorus (Cuckoo)
Size – 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long.
Appearance – Plumage is brown to grey-black with reddish orange on the top, with greyish head and white tips to the tail; the young female is sometimes a distinctive reddish brown.
Habitat – Old structures, rocky ledges, woodland, parks and meadows.
Habitat – Old structures, rocky ledges, woodland, parks and meadows.
Food – Insects, especially caterpillars.
Nesting – The female lays her 20 or so eggs in the nests of other insect-eating birds. The hatchlings make room by pushing out some, or all, of the host eggs.
Comments – At first glance, the cuckoo can sometimes be mistaken for a bird of prey, such as a hawk; the identifying characteristics are the straight beak, rounded tail and distinctive ‘cuckoo’ call in spring.
Size – 27–32 cm (11–13 in) long.
Appearance – Large-looking bird, with overall green-yellow plumage, and bright red on the forehead and around the black-ringed eyes. The rump is yellow. The male has a red cheek patch.
Habitat – Woodland where there is a mix of young trees and old trees with overgrown woody trunks.
Food – Insects and larvae, such as ants and grubs, either found on the ground or in crannies in the bark of trees.
Nesting – Nests in holes in trees, either a hole it has found or one it has excavated.
Size – 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long.
Appearance – One of the smallest owls, it has gold-brown-buff-white plumage, with white on the underside, and a distinctive, heart-shaped, white face.
Habitat – Towns, villages and anywhere where there are buildings with open vents, lofts, windows, nooks and crannies.
Food – Small birds and mammals, such as rats, mice and voles.
Nesting – Nests high up in buildings in holes and lofts.
Comments – If you want a wildlife garden but are not so keen on rats and mice, then owls are good predators to encourage.
Picus viridis (Green Woodpecker)
Size – 27–32 cm (11–13 in) long.
Appearance – Large-looking bird, with overall green-yellow plumage, and bright red on the forehead and around the black-ringed eyes. The rump is yellow. The male has a red cheek patch.
Habitat – Woodland where there is a mix of young trees and old trees with overgrown woody trunks.
Food – Insects and larvae, such as ants and grubs, either found on the ground or in crannies in the bark of trees.
Nesting – Nests in holes in trees, either a hole it has found or one it has excavated.
Comments – It takes a pair of woodpeckers about 30 days to cut a hole in the trunk of a tree. Their sharp beaks make a rat-a-tat drumming sound, a bit like a stick on hollow wood.
They have specially adapted claws that allow them to brace their tails against the tree trunk. While Green Woodpeckers do drum, they are not such persistent drummers as other woodpecker species.
Tyto alba ( Barn Owl )
They have specially adapted claws that allow them to brace their tails against the tree trunk. While Green Woodpeckers do drum, they are not such persistent drummers as other woodpecker species.
Tyto alba ( Barn Owl )
Appearance – One of the smallest owls, it has gold-brown-buff-white plumage, with white on the underside, and a distinctive, heart-shaped, white face.
Habitat – Towns, villages and anywhere where there are buildings with open vents, lofts, windows, nooks and crannies.
Food – Small birds and mammals, such as rats, mice and voles.
Nesting – Nests high up in buildings in holes and lofts.
Comments – If you want a wildlife garden but are not so keen on rats and mice, then owls are good predators to encourage.
Owl nesting boxes are a good option, but a hollow tree or an open hole high up in the gable end of a building would be better. If you are inviting in owls to feed upon mice and rats, you must not use rat poison or anything else that might indirectly harm the owl. In many areas, they are protected by law.
• Accipiter nisus (Sparrowhawk) – Reddish brown bird of prey with short wings, long tail, yellow eyes, and huge, needle-sharp talons; it hovers and then swiftly darts down on its prey.
• Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingale) – Usually heard before it is seen, this sweet-singing high-flyer is reddish chestnut-brown with cream-buff underparts.
• Pica pica (Magpie) – Has a black head and black-green-purple tail with dramatic bars and flashes of white on the front, underside and wings; it eats eggs and young from other nests.
• Vanellus vanellus (Lapwing) – Has black-green-black plumage with an orange undertail, white underparts and a distinctive head crest.
OTHER LESS COMMON BIRDS
• Accipiter nisus (Sparrowhawk) – Reddish brown bird of prey with short wings, long tail, yellow eyes, and huge, needle-sharp talons; it hovers and then swiftly darts down on its prey.
• Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingale) – Usually heard before it is seen, this sweet-singing high-flyer is reddish chestnut-brown with cream-buff underparts.
• Pica pica (Magpie) – Has a black head and black-green-purple tail with dramatic bars and flashes of white on the front, underside and wings; it eats eggs and young from other nests.
• Vanellus vanellus (Lapwing) – Has black-green-black plumage with an orange undertail, white underparts and a distinctive head crest.
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