Walter 
Blue tits are the cause of great delight in my garden, particularly amongst the little people that come to visit. Other than the robin, they are the most instantly recognisable songbird due to their amazing colouring. They are the only member of all the British tit family to feature any blue in their plumage. This … Read more
I have read that the male blue tit has more vibrant colouring than the female and had hoped this might help me to sex them when they are together in my garden. No such luck, they either don’t get close enough or hang around long enough for me to deduce! I decided to research the … Read more
Mating for life and monogamy are 2 things that are often confused yet shouldn’t be. Many songbirds are monogamous; they form a couple during the breeding season and remain true to each other until their young have flown the nest. Mating for life is a couple of birds that stay true to each other for … Read more
Greenfinches are one of the most easily recognisable of all the songbirds in the UK, their green and yellow plumage is a dead giveaway. This makes them all the more noticeable by their absence. As I don’t seem to have seen many greenfinches in my garden of late, I wondered if there was a problem … Read more
Diminishing numbers of starlings in recent years make them a less frequent garden visitor. If you do have starlings, they may cause annoyance with their bullying tactics to frighten away the other garden birds. This might lead you to wonder are starlings protected, and if there is any way they can be deterred from your … Read more
There are 3 species of woodpecker native to the UK, the greater spotted, the lesser spotted and the green woodpecker. In recent years it is quite commonplace to see them in gardens as they continue their hunt for suitable nesting sites and tasty insects and grubs. If you have ever seen them vociferously pecking away … Read more
Chaffinches are in abundance in the UK I am led to believe, but they seem to be one of the least frequent visitors to my garden. They are fairly shy and prefer to hide amongst the branches of shrubs and trees, particularly conifers if you have them. They might be small but have loud voices, … Read more
I am fascinated to learn about which birds are sedentary and which choose to fly to a sunnier climate in search of warmth during our cold winters. It is a truly amazing feat that tiny birds can navigate their way hundreds or thousands of miles, and even more so, that they find their way back … Read more
There are more than 6.2 million chaffinches in the UK and a further 2 million in Ireland. They are beautifully marked little birds, around the size of a sparrow, that can often be seen in our gardens foraging for food beneath feeders and hedgerows. When I learned of just how common the birds are, it … Read more
Starlings don’t have the best reputation, they tend to be very vocal with bullying tendencies. I wondered if a bit of squawking and pushing and shoving was as far as it went or if starlings steal eggs or kill other birds? Birds eggs are a great source of nutrition and starlings are aware of this. … Read more
