Bird conservation, Feeding and setting bird nest boxes.

We are people who are often close to nature and who often use its resources for our own benefit, and therefore we can't help but be concerned about its preservation.

Bird feeding

Each year during the winter we feed birds with a variety of seeds and nuts. We do this in two locations in the Suha Reka area, which is where our activity is centred. Sometimes there are over 60 birds around the bird feeder, most often Hawfinches, bramblings, chaffinches, Middle-spotted, Great spotted woodpeckers and Syrian woodpeckers, greenfinches, etc.

Depending on the weather and snow abundance, each week we fill on average 15 kg of food per feeder. For the winter of 2013-2014, we have set up food in 3 locations, and the total estimated quantity used will reach more than 400 kg. On one of the locations, we installed an automatic feeder with 50 l capacity of reservoir, which ensures continuous feeding even when we are unable to fill it regularly.

Once a week, we feed meat to the local birds of prey to help them pass the winter easier.

During the autumn of 2013, we also planted 60 hazelnut trees on our property. In the long term, this will provide enough nuts for the birds to use as food. The hazelnuts have high caloric content and in the winter months they are a valuable source of high-energy food.

Setting nest boxes for birds

Our other major activity aimed at helping the birds’ populations is to provide suitable nesting sites in the locations where they are not enough. So far, we have installed more than 20 nest boxes for passerines, 6 for rollers, 4 for little owls and 4 for tawny owls. This has been a huge success and all nest boxes for the songbirds are already occupied. Some were taken up by sombre tits, others – by a forest dormouse. In 2014, we plan to place more than 20 nest boxes for rollers, more than 30 nest boxes for common kestrels, 15 nest boxes for hoopoes and several for Eurasian wrynecks.

Finally, besides two of the photo hides, we have built small ponds with fresh water which help birds endure the summer heat easier by drinking or bathing in the cooling water.