Ask an RSPB expert: your June questions answered

You may have experienced a Carrion Crow persistently pecking at your kitchen windows or watched a Chaffinch endlessly fly at them. You may even have witnessed a Robin doing the same to your car windscreen or wing mirrors. These are the usual suspects, but other species can be observed carrying out something similar.

This behaviour is most often spotted during the breeding season and our lovely wild birds believe they are fiercely protecting their territory as they think there is an intruder. Sadly, they don’t realise it is simply their own reflection. Nonetheless there are ways you can help these birds save energy on such noble efforts and prevent them from waking you up a 5am.  

The only way to stop this behaviour is to remove the trigger, which is the reflection. This means putting something such as cling film or non-reflective cellophane on the outside of the window. Newspaper can also be used, but some birds may tear it off thinking that the adversary is hiding behind. Curtains made of strips of plastic that flutter in a breeze may also be effective. Once the reflection has disappeared or is distorted, the pecking should stop.  

Non territorial explanations for this behaviour usually involve general inquisitiveness or looking for snacks like spiders. In some cases, seed-eating birds, such as sparrows and finches, will eat mortar for the grit it contains. Birds have no teeth for crushing food items and so use this grit to crush hard bits of food into more digestible pieces. To help with this, you could try leaving a pile of coarse sand on the ground near the problem area. 

It is that time of year where these beautiful birds have arrived and have started building their incredible mud nests under the eaves of our houses. They go to great efforts building these nests by collecting thousands of pellets of mud from streams and ponds until they create that brilliant cup shape. Once complete they will use this nest to raise up to three broods during breeding season. 

You can give these birds a helping hand by mixing soil and water together in a large dish, so they have some mud available to build a nest or make repairs to an existing one. This is particularly helpful during a dry spell.  

If you have the privilege of having House Martins nest on your property but you are not quite keen on their droppings on your garden floor or furniture, you can fix a shelf to the wall approximately two metres below the nest cup and this will fix your issue. 

Occasionally a nest may fall with young still inside. A shallow margarine or ice cream tub with drainage holes, or a low plastic flowerpot, fixed at the old nest site makes a good substitute. The parents will hear the young calling and should continue to feed them. In the rare instance when parents abandon them or it is not possible to provide a substitute nest close enough to the original site, an expert rehabilitator should be contacted via www.helpwildlife.co.uk or the House Martin Conservation Trust. 

These coastal birds have been driven inland due to unsustainable fishing practices, climate change and a loss of nesting sites. This has resulted in some gull species adapting to the urban life. The two most common Seagull species nesting on our roofs are the Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, both are species of conservation concern.  

Like all wild birds, gulls are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. You cannot take, injure, or kill any wild gull nor remove, damage, or destroy their active nests, eggs or chicks.

Gulls are extremely good parents, and in some instances, they can mistake your presence as a threat to their nests, eggs or chicks. They simply want to ensure no harm comes to them, which can cause them to dive bomb – understandably this can be a little frightening. In these situations, we advise giving the gulls as much space as you can and to hold a stick or umbrella above your head when this behaviour is triggered, as gulls will dive bomb to the highest point.  

Can I help the gulls on my roof by feeding them? We don’t want to add to that human- gull conflict by making gulls expect food from humans. Therefore, we don’t encourage you to feed these birds. They are very resourceful and opportunistic feeders so are capable of finding their own food. We also want to minimise the risk of spreading avian flu which has already had devastating impacts on gull species.  

You can help these cheeky and intelligent birds by giving them the space they need to raise their young, disposing of rubbish properly, and making sure your waste bins are gull proof. You can also support marine conservation work to ensure there is more natural food available for them. 

I am a wildlife enthusiast and keen bird ringer who is always learning something new and fascinating about our natural world. I enjoy encouraging others to help wildlife in whatever small way they can and is often distracted and amused by my garden visitors, especially Woodpigeons.