Lack of insects, birds starving

[noblegiraffe]

I'm seeing a lot of discussion on twitter about a distinct lack of insects this year, possibly due to the cold spring, but obviously pesticides are also an issue.

Birds who eat insects are really struggling and there are reports of baby birds dying because their parents can't feed them.

Please put food (and water) out for the birds! My bird feeder has been mobbed all week.

https://twitter.com/woodlandbirder/status/1662080648922779650?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g (warning: contains picture of dead chicks)

Funny- this is the first year for a long time I've noticed lots of squished insects on the car!

I’ve found the same. My garden is empty but my car windscreen actually has a few hits for the first time in years

We live in the sticks, have several nesting / chick rearing garden birds. The Robin, and tits constantly have insects and arachnids in their beaks. They quite often hop round me whilst I'm digging, with all sorts of interesting squirming creatures held tightly in their beaks! The bats have been busy in the evenings too!

https://www.gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk/spring-summer-bird-foods.html?gclid
Bird food specifically for fledglings , all 6 of my feeders have this in and the birds seem very happy 😃

Now I know why our bird feeders are being absolutely decimated! We are going through so many fat balls and seeds recently. Not complaining, happy to keep topping it up - but now it all makes sensee!

I don't feed the birds as we have rats. I do put out water and most of our garden is a jungle. We have hundreds of birds though and live in the countryside.

@VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji we're moving next year and I'm already worrying about that!

I just spilled half a bag of buggy nibbles on the lawn by the bird feeder. Managed to scrape quite a lot of them up and into the feeder but the magpies had a field day with the rest.

My dog's eats the overspill and dropped suet bits if I don't keep him away.....the resulting effects are very unpleasant 💩💩

@Bovrilla I can imagine! No dog here although I dearly wish the pigeons would stop shitting everywhere, they seem to have nominated my garden as a hangout spot and they sit on the lawn like chickens.

we've done no mow May in our front garden, but we're saying that, even though it's now full of flowers, there are very few insects. No bees, no butterflies. It's really worrying.

We have cats so haven't put up bird feeders but am thinking of doing so but higher.

And goodness knows how they are drinking. We used to live somewhere where the bird bath could be put somewhere the cats couldn't easily reach but our new garden is more problematic.

It’s horrible. The birds are my friends in the garden and they just keep looking at me. I’m still putting some out, just nowhere near what I was. When I moved in there was zero wildlife. Now we have everything. It’s horrid to have to leave
its a a shitty time, to stop feeding them as well, with babies etc.

I think the cold start to the year did not help the insects it feels like we missed the start of spring and went fully into it.

On the RSPB website there's a mix called "Favourites mix" which is mealworms, sunflower hearts and suet pellets. I buy the 3 components separately in big bags from elsewhere and they really like it

I make my own mix! No mess mix, some suet nuggets, mealworms and other bugs.

Gave up on nyjer seeds as goldfinches steadfastly ignored it

I'm hoping that the 'No mow May' scheme that is being carried out by many local councils will have helped.

Could you leave your feeders filled and a small stock with a note explaining which garden birds visit for the next residents to encourage them to keep it up?

I would love that. Some people leave wine, you'd be leaving birds.

Plastic grass and tons of artificial lighting is a modern day 'fuck off' to nature. Most weeks when I look out of the window the neighbours have put yet another set of lights up, it's ridiculous. If a bird or insect round here knows whether it's day or night it'll be a miracle.

I'm so worried about the lack of insects, I keep mentioning it to people but no one gives a damn it would appear 😞

I have literally hundreds of bees on the comfrey at the allotment. What flowers do you have?

We have loads of bees this year. Lots of bees, more birds than ever

Just reporting in.

Very happy to say that despite the lack of insects here (strong easterly wind for six weeks) our annual visitors, about five pairs of swallows, have already successfully raised another 22 young who have been practising their flight skills around the curtilage here. One or maybe two more broods to go.

I have noticed this too. My garden is still and silent. Barely one insect. Gardening friends all say the same. Um….it’s catastrophic isn’t it? I don’t think I’m just being dramatic but shouldn’t this be on the news? As a headline? Because as far as I can see this could be an ecological tipping point. I hope I AM just being melodramatic.

Saw a butterfly yesterday and thought ‘ooh that’s unusual!’. We put a pond in the last week or 2 and immediately damselflies have come, birds down there all the time, loads of tiny bugs which are food for other insects etc. So already looking pretty good for the wildlife and ive not even finished making it yet 😄 seen some bees but not loads actually ☹️

We have a hedge sparrow fledgling in our back yard, there were two, but one must have died. It's flying now and the parents don't seem to range far for food - I've seen them on the plants and shrubs, presumably catching insects.

A goldfinch fledgling got into the house last night, I rescued it and put it on the garage roof, whereupon, it went into the gutter, so I had to fish it out; it then flew off.