No, it's not from the files of Benny Hill, Naturalist; it's the story of research into why blue tits like to put nice smelling herbs in their nest:
In more local bird news, the Courier Mail last week ran this photo, apparently showing three pigeons co-operating to each get a drink and a bath.They found that aromatic plants, including lavender (Lavandula stoechas), apple mint (Mentha suaveolens), the curry plant (Helichrysum itlaicum) and Achillea ligustica significantly change the composition of bacterial communities living on blue tit nestlings.
"They reduce the number of different bacterial species, and the total number of bacteria, especially on chicks that are most vulnerable because they are both highly infested by blow fly larvae and carry great amounts of bacteria on their skin," says Mennarat.
I'm impressed.
We've had a bird bath in our back yard for about 6 months now; it's visible from the kitchen and dining room. Watching birds bathe is pleasing.
3 comments:
Blue tits embrace 'aromatherapy'
So what is the BBC saying? That everyone who embraces aromatherapy are tits? That we should all be tits?
It's quite a special talent, Tim, that you were able to read that headline in an accusatory way.
I don't know. I'm just happy to have been able to make a puerile schoolboy joke out of it.
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