Birding On Wheels: Dunnock. Prunella modularis; messy eater

LEAVE YOUNG BIRDS BE!!

Please, do not hamper a young bird's life by picking it up, and taking it home with you. It is calling its parents to help them in locating it.
After fledgling from the nest, the parent birds will keep feeding it, and look out for it, until it will be able to look after itself.
And the reason you cannot see a parent is because of your own proxomity to the young bird. And while you are ebating if or not you should take the bird home, you keep the parent from giving it well needed nutrition in the form of a meal!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Dunnock. Prunella modularis; messy eater

Dunnock, Prunella modularis

As you can see, this Dunnock has crammed its beak full with seed, yet has a bit of a problem eating any of it, without dropping the lot.

Here, another Dunnock had a very large piece of peanutcake, yet lost more than half of it down the wall! (As you can see on the right side of the picture.)

having collected the lost piece, the Dunnock is enjoying eating it finally.

We've had 4 Dunnocks in the garden, then I found one killed by a cat on the path. One of the remaining birds was terrorised by a hungry House Sparrow fledgling. I think I also spotted a Dunnock fledgling, begging a parent for a bit of food.