RSPB Garden Watch

Today we are looking forward to taking an hour in front of the sitting room windows and watching the birds in the garden.

The Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place 27th-29th January and all you have to do is record the species you see in your garden over your chosen hour. You can submit the results at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch and it helps the charity keep tabs on what is happening with our native bird species. It has been going on for over 40 years and means that we are now aware that sparrows are in decline and we should do what we can to help them survive, such as not replacing hedging with fences.

We are very fortunate here, as we are right beside set-aside farmland and native beech woods so we get to see a lot of birds that are not on the spotter sheet for the general survey. Birds such as red kites and spotted woodpeckers. We also get pigeons and magpies just like everyone else, but on these dark January evenings there is something quite thrilling about seeing a tawny owl perched on your gatepost, waiting for a mouse !

Birdwatching is a great hobby and very frugal, so why not give it a go this weekend and pick an hour to join the birdwatch ?