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RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH
LAST YEAR MORE than a million people across the UK watched and counted the nation’s garden birds and this year it takes place from Friday 28 January to Sunday 30 January 2022. You’re asked to spend just one hour watching and recording the birds in your garden or local green space, then send your results to the RSPB.
Even if you don’t see any birds, the RSPB wants to know. It all helps to understand why more than 38 million birds have disappeared from our skies in the last 50 years. declines is not clear, but the RSPB, together with other scientists, is investigating what’s going on.
Ahead of the event this year, the charity is sharing the and Rutland:
House sparrows: One of Britain’s most well-known and best-loved birds. Males and females are easily distinguished; males have a grey head and black bib whilst females are pale brown with a pale stripe behind the eye. House sparrows are noisy and gregarious, often where they can all hide together. They socialise by taking dust or water baths together, as well as ‘social singing’ where they call together in bushes.
Blackbird: The males live up to their name, but confusingly, females are brown and often have spots or streaks on their breasts. The bright orange-yellow beak and eye-ring make adult male blackbirds one of the most striking garden birds. Its mellow song is also a favourite.
Woodpigeon: The largest and most common pigeon in the UK, the woodpigeon is largely grey with a white neck Although shy in the countryside, it can be tame and approachable in towns and cities and a regular visitor to the bird table. Its cooing call is a familiar sound in
Blue tits: white and green, blue tits are one of our most attractive garden visitors. Blue tits happily take all kinds of bird food and are a vibrant addition to gardens across the country.
Starling: Smaller than blackbirds, with a short tail, pointed head and triangular wings, starlings look black at a distance, but up-close they are very glossy and shimmer an amazing sight – a swooping mass of thousands of birds whirling in the sky above. Still one of the most common garden birds, starlings’ decline elsewhere make them a
For your free Big Garden Birdwatch guide, which includes a bird identification chart, top tips for your birdwatch, RSPB shop voucher, plus advice on how to help you attract wildlife to your garden, text BIRD to 70030 or visit
www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch
If you’re new to birdwatching, here are some simple tips to get you started.
• Start off small: It can seem daunting with so many bird species to identify, but garden birds are some of the easiest to recognise and tend to hang around long enough for you to take a quick snap to reference later if you need.
• Put up feeders: Not only will that make them stay for longer but if you feed them regularly, they’ll learn that your garden is a great place to keep coming to. Different feeders and food will attract a variety of birds so feel free to experiment and see who comes to visit. But even a tray on a table will make a nice start!
• Wherever you place your feeder, make sure you can see it when you’re indoors so you can get the most pleasure from it. You can even get a feeder that sticks to your window.
• Avoid getting too close to birds or disturbing their nests – if a bird flies away or makes repeated alarm calls, you’re too close.
• Best time to watch: Although birds are around at any time, you’ll see more birds first thing in the morning – as they say, the early bird catches the worm!
www.rspb.org.uk
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