I’ll be staring out the window for an hour.
January 29-31 is Big Garden Birdwatch weekend – the biggest bird survey in the world! The RSPB is enlisting all of us to help get a snapshot of how UK birdlife is faring. It should be particularly interesting after the cold snap.
Winter colour - brilliant bluetit would be a very welcome visitor.
In my last blog, I talked about how the big freeze attracted visitors from further north, but it also has been very hard on native birds – so the Birdwatch will provide a fuller story.
Last year’s Big Garden Birdwatch was record-breaking – half a million people across the UK and unprecedented numbers here in Northern Ireland. The most commonly sighted birds in these parts were the small hedgerow species such as the tit family, house sparrows, finches and starlings. Will it be the same this year?
Will you be flying in for nibbles at my place this year? On my invite list: the chaffinch
All you have to do is spend an hour over the weekend watching the birds that visit your patch, note how many of each type and let the RSPB know. Here on the RSPB website you’ll find loads of information, forms you can download and print off picturing all the species most commonly found in gardens, plus information on how to submit your results online.
Or pick up a leaflet at garden centres, the RSPB while you’re in Belvoir Park or the Lock Keepers Cottage if you are along the towpath.
Long on tail - and adorableness too! The long tailed tit.
To be sure you get lots of winged visitors on the day... put out feeders and bird food now!
And who sez you have to have a garden to take part? Patios, balconies, urban and rural settings, your workplace if it has some outdoor spaces....all can be good places for birdspotting.
Or why not head down to the Lagan for a stroll and a look around – form at the ready. The Park is holding a Winter Wonderland Walk at 11am on the 30th - the ideal opportunity, but booking is essential. Call 9049 1922.
Please be my guest for the Big Garden Bird Watch. Coal Tit
Information on the best food for birds, and also events taking place in the run-up to and during Big Garden Bird Watch, is all here on the RSPB website. Already some schools have gotten in on the act over the past week, so ask your kids.
One last thing – if you do plan to spy on the birds in your garden, best to stay indoors so you don’t scare them off. The same goes for the family cat!
Photos: Anything but common or garden, these birds are among the top species sighted in last year's survey. Images provided by the RSPB and Lagan Valley Regional Park.