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HOMES & GARDENS: Gardeners' Pecking Orders ; It's Binoculars at the Ready As Jayne Howarth Previews This Year's Big Garden Bird Watch

Posted on: Saturday, 14 January 2006, 06:00 CST

By Jayne Howarth

You might not be able to do much digging in the garden at the moment, but instead of going through those seed catalogues again, why not take a look outside at the wildlife?

You may well be amazed by the many birds that come into your garden, looking for scraps of food during these cold months.

The RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch takes place at the end of the month, giving anyone with access to an outdoor space, be it window ledge, garden or municipal park, the chance to be part of the world's biggest survey of its kind.

Last January, nearly 400,000 people spent one hour watching their local birds and recorded more than six million birds in more than 200,000 gardens.

Last year, 10,448 people took part in West Midlands, offering unprecedented data on the types of birds we see in our open spaces and gardens.

House sparrows were the most common bird in West Midlands, with an average of 3.5 per garden. Blue tits came second with an average of 2.9 and starlings third with 2.4.

The 2006 Birdwatch event takes place on January 28-29 and even more people are expected to take part, thanks to a growing interest in ornithology due to the likes of Bill Oddie, who has enthused people with his love of the natural world.

Louise Bates, RSPB public affairs, said: "Big Garden Birdwatch is great fun and is an ideal activity for the whole family. It's the perfect way to relax and to learn about birds and conservation."

Taking part is simple: all you need is a window and a pen and paper and you can take part.

Participants need to note down the birds seen and report the highest number of each species seen at any one time in the hour (this avoids counting the same birds twice).

You can submit your results using the form that will be available on the RSPB's website on January 28 or use the form printed here and post it.

The RSPB will analyse the results and examine data by postcode area, too.

The organisation has offered some tips for how you can prepare for the big weekend.

If you do the count in your garden, you can attract birds by putting out food. It can be as simple as putting out scraps from the kitchen, or you could buy or make a bird table and feeders. Put your feeding station where it can be easily seen from a window.

Try to use a pair of binoculars to watch the birds. Although they are not essential for you to identify and count the birds, through binoculars you'll be able to observe the behaviour of your birds more closely.

If you're going to count birds for an hour, a little preparation on the day can make sure it's really enjoyable. Get yourself a comfy chair, a pot of tea and some biscuits so you don't have to move around and miss your visitors. Your movements could also disturb the birds you are trying to count. Have your pen and paper, bird ID books, binoculars and refreshments ready, take the phone off the hook and tell your family you are not to be disturbed.

Get the children involved and make it fun by turning your viewing area into a giant hide - stick paper over the windows, just leaving slits and varying heights for you to look through. As well as making the count more exciting, it will also hide any movements you and your family make indoors and lessen the chance of scaring the birds.

Information: rspb.org.uk.

Source: Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK)

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