How To Build A Garden Stream For Birds
We are fortunate to have many beautiful British birds. Some of them visit our gardens, some of them you'll only see out in the wild and some British birds favour our cities – but whatever the species, we can help to make birds' lives easier by protecting their habitats and providing extra resources.
Before we look at our list of 24 common British birds and how to identify them, here are the answers to some common garden bird questions:
1. What are the most common garden birds?
According to The Big Garden Birdwatch 2020, the top 10 most commonly sighted birds are:
- House sparrow
- Starling
- Blue tit
- Woodpigeon
- Blackbird
- Goldfinch
- Great tit
- Robin
- Long-tailed tit
- Magpie
Jacky Parker Photography Getty Images
2. What is the rarest British bird?
According to the Woodland Trust, the rarest birds in the UK include:
- Hawfinch
- Lesser-spotted woodpecker (not to be confused with the greater-spotted woodpecker)
- Nightingale
- Capercaillie
- Pied flycatcher
- Willow tit
- Nightjar
- Spotted flycatcher
- Wood warbler
- Goshawk
- Lesser redpoll
Sadly, a number of once common birds are now also in decline due to issues around climate change and habitat loss. House sparrows, starlings, blackbirds and robins are all in decline according to the Big Garden Birdwatch.
3. What is the best bird food for garden birds?
It is important to help British birds get the nutrition they need by topping up our bird feeders and putting food out for them in our gardens, especially during the winter when natural food sources, like berries, are harder to come by.
Garden birds like to eat peanuts (not salted or human peanut snacks, but those especially for birds) sunflower seeds, cooked rice (not salted) and fruit. You can also make your own fat balls packed with a variety of nutritious snacks. Read our guide on how to make them here, or follow Matt Baker's example of turning a whole tree into a bird buffet.
4. Is bread bad for birds?
It is not harmful to feed bread to garden birds but it is important to note that, if the bread is in large chunks and is dry, it can be hard for them to digest. It is better to put out moistened crumbs.
Bread is also not very high in nutritional value so it should not be the only option you put out for the birds. Peanuts, seeds and fat balls are better bird foods.
5. What should you not feed birds?
Avoid putting food out for birds that is too salty or is showing any signs of mould. Birds should also not eat cooking fat as it can damage their feathers. Other bird foods to avoid include dog or cat biscuits, as they are too dry, and milk, which is hard for them to digest.
24 British birds to identify
1. Robin
paul mansfield photography Getty Images
One of the most common British birds you're likely to find perching on your garden fence is the robin. Famous for its bright red chest, robins are found all year round but especially during the winter months. They are an iconic Christmas bird and are popular on festive cards. Make sure you keep your bird feeders well-stocked to ensure the robin has plenty to eat.
2. Great tit
Santiago Bañón Getty Images
Arguably one of the most beautiful British garden birds, the great tit is the largest of the UK tit family. If you're hoping to spot one of these in your garden, keep your ears open for its sweet two-syllable song — it's a giveaway.
3. Blue tit
Mark L Stanley Getty Images
With its vibrant coloured body, the blue tit is one of the UK's most attractive garden visitors. During winter, make sure to keep bird feeders filled with fatty foods as these sweet birds will find it hard to locate anything to fill them up. You'll want to keep your camera close by: it's too pretty not to capture.
4. Coal tit
Caroline Gauvin Getty Images
Darker than its tit relatives, the coal tit is still beautiful. In winter, they can be seen with other tits on the lookout for food together. It has a black head and a white patch on the back of its neck. They love visiting garden feedershttps://www.countryliving.com/....
5. Long-tailed tit
Westend61 Getty Images
Recognisable by its long tail and pinkish body, the long-tailed tit likes to be in a flock of up to 20 tits.
6. Wood pigeon
Nicky Tomblin / EyeEm Getty Images
While we all wish our gardens would be teeming with beautiful British birds that wake us with the sound of song, it's quite common to find pigeons instead. The breed you're likely to spot in the UK is the wood pigeon, which you can identify thanks to its grey and white chest. Their cooing sound will also give them away if they're hiding in your trees.
7. Collared Dove
MikeLane45 Getty Images
Similar to a pigeon but smaller, the collared dove is easily identifiable by the black ring around its neck. They also have red-tinted eyes and feet. Their song is a monotonous cooing.
8. Blackbird
Corinne von Nordmann Getty Images
Another bird you're likely to spot is the blackbird, which is usually found singing a mellow song. While the males have black feathers, females are more likely to be brown. These birds have little fear and will eat whatever they find in your garden. With a sturdy, long-tailed thrush and yellow ring at the eyes, they're not hard to miss.
9. House sparrow
Mark L Stanley Getty Images
These small, noisy British birds are commonly found in parks and gardens across the UK. Thanks to their streaky brown bodies, you should be able to identify them fairly quickly. They're also particularly friendly with an all-year-round garden presence.
10. Starling
Susan Walker Getty Images
These fast and direct birds move with confidence, both in the sky and on the ground. Starlings spend a lot of time flying in large murmuration groups (which you are likely to spot due to their large numbers). Their flocks provide safety for the birds, especially from any predators. Plus, flying in their groups helps to keep them warm during winter.
11. Magpie
David C Stephens Getty Images
This black, white and blue bird is a clever one. Often seen in pairs, they are known for being predators, scavengers and pest-destroyers (and for stealing anything with a gold-like shine). From a distance, you'll hear their chatter, but will be able to tell them apart from others by their regal, shimmering blue tail. While they might have a reputation as the bad boy in the world of birds, they're some of the most friendly around.
12. Goldfinch
Mike Turtle Getty Images
Astoundingly beautiful, the Goldfinch is easily recognised by its distinct scarlet face and bright yellow wing patch. If you've got bird feeders in the your garden, top them up with sunflower hearts and nyjer seeds: snacks the species love to feed on for strength. Thanks to their long beaks they are also able to extract worms wiggled deep in the ground.
13. Greenfinch
Rui Cardoso Getty Images
With its sweet twittering song, pop of vibrant green and small body, the Greenfinch truly is a wonderful character to find in your garden. They love to visit birdtables and feeders, so be sure to keep these regularly topped up. While they're more likely to be seen from February onwards, some may even appear in your garden as early as January.
14. Bullfinch
Daniil Komov / 500px Getty Images
Striking and completely beautiful, the bullfinch is a real treat for anyone who spots it outside. Its bright orange tummy will give him away, so be sure to keep a look out for the dash of colour amongst the trees. The shy bullfinch is rarely seen in most gardens, and only heads to areas where they can find suitable thick cover. If you're out on a walk, you may get lucky at spotting one of these in sitting high in woodland areas.
15. Wren
Images from BarbAnna Getty Images
These round, plump, small birds can spotted around shady areas, where you'll find them hunting for food. With a perky tail and powerful song, they're not hard to miss. Wrens are one of the most common breeding birds in the UK, with around 8.6 million breeding wren territories.
16. Carrion Crow
Susan Walker Getty Images
Often alone or in pairs, carrion crows are jet black in appearance. They are one of the cleverest British birds and are very adaptable to different surroundings. As their name suggests, they eat carrion, as well as insects, worms, seeds, fruit, eggs and scraps.
17. Jackdaw
Getty Images
Also black, the jackdaw can be told apart from a crow thanks to being slightly smaller with a silver sheen on its head. They like to nest in chimneys, tree holes and building crevices.
18. Jay
James Warwick Getty Images
Jays, part of the crow family, are larger birds – a similar size to a magpie. They can be found all over the UK but love to dwell under the cover of woodland so are less brazen in open spaces and gardens. They are identifiable by their blue wings. They love acorns and can often be found burying them in autumn, in preparation for winter.
19. Goldcrest
Michael Roberts Getty Images
The goldcrest is the smallest British bird and can be identified by the yellow stripe on its head. In males, this stripe has an orange centre. Due to their size, they only eat small meals like spiders, moth eggs and small insects. Their tiny beaks mean they can get into very tight gaps to forage.
20. Dunnock
Images from BarbAnna Getty Images
Solitary birds, dunnocks can usually be found hopping or shuffling near flower beds or shrubs. They are generally quiet birds, unless two males meet in which case wing-flicking and loud noises commence.
21. Chiffchaff
Volodymyr Kucherenko Getty Images
This small bird is named after the noise it makes: 'chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff'. Chiffchaffs are migrating birds and can be seen in the UK in the summer to breed, but are absent in the winter when they head to warmer climes.
22. Great Spotted Woodpecker
S.Mcgrath Getty Images
Great spotted woodpeckers are bold red, white and black. Males have a red patch on the back of their heads as well as on their lower bodies. They have very hard, strong beaks which allow them to peck nesting holes into tree trunks and shock-absorbent skulls which mean they can withstand it. They can be found in woodland, parks and gardens and you are likely to hear one tapping away before you spot it.
23. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
phototrip Getty Images
Lesser spotted woodpeckers are smaller than their greater cousins and have black and white stripes on their backs. They are sadly in decline in the UK and live in mature-woodland where they rely on old, dead or rotting trees.
24. Green Woodpeckers
Gary Chalker Getty Images
These woodpeckers look totally different from their greater and lesser spotted counterparts with green bodies and red heads. Males also have a red streak on their cheeks. They are the biggest woodpecker in the UK.
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How To Build A Garden Stream For Birds
Source: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/a30497205/british-birds/
Posted by: balfourwatiod.blogspot.com
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