Roosting pockets trio
£10.99
Handmade, natural roosting pockets to help small birds survive the winter. They will help to protect robins, wrens, tits and sparrows from the cold winter days and nights. Just place in sheltered areas throughout the garden for maximum effect. Made from natural materials. Approximately 15 x 10 cm. Pack of three roosting pockets.
Read about alternatives to the RSPB roosting pockets in the Miscellaneous section.
Author
wyevilla Officer of the Wild Empire
Registered: January 2007 Location: Dorchester, Dorset Posts: 569
Review Date: Sat 27, January, 2007
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 7
Strengths:
Easy to place, add interest to any garden including very small ones.
Weaknesses:
Will naturally decay and therefore need replacing
I set out my experience with these products in a thread I started in the "Birds Forum". This review draws on that thread to illustrate the value of this product. Thanks are due to the other contributors who confirmed that my experience was not unique.
For the uninitiated these pouches are effectively a woven bag of wicker, twig or straw. They have a hole, leading to a hollow interior and are supposed to provide a place for small birds to roost.
I must admit I was highly skeptical. However, I was given three last winter. I duly hung them from low branches of trees that make up our back hedge. I didn't really consider that they would fulfil their stated purpose. Indeed I thought that even if they did I'd never notice anyway. So resigned to this I put them up thinking that at least they would provide nesting material as they diintegrated.
Anyway back in June I was wandering around the garden on a stll evening just as it was turning dusk. I became aware that one of the pouches was swinging just a little more than it should as there was no wind. I got closer but couldn't see anything as the light was now beginning to fade fast. I went inside, found a torch and returned to the hedge.
I couldn't believe my eyes. 2 baby wrens - still with faint signs of the gape were sitting inside side-by-side. They returned for at least 2 more nights, then 1 on its own for a couple of nights and then no more. I assume they were dispersing from their nest.
So, in my case the pouches did work: providing sheltered accomodation to young birds on leaving the nest. You might not see them in action and it is very difficult to quantify the benefits accruing to the garden. However, the acid test is whether I would buy any in the future. The answer is that I will replace these when they finally fall apart. They certainly add interest to the wildlife garden - even without bird occupation, they are used as a resting place by a range of invertebrates.
------------------------------ Best wishes, Neil
Who's Afear'd
