Which of these adorable birds will bring colour to your garden this weekend? Bright blue tit?
Are the birds acting like it’s spring in your garden? Spend an hour taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend and find out!
What a weird winter we’re having! (But I’m not complaining). Sunday along the towpath I saw beetles, sprouting greenery and grass, even dandelions. In my garden the daffodils are blooming and the snowdrops have been up for weeks. While birds are showing all the signs of mating. As I headed to the Bird Feeding Day (Saturday before last) at the Lock Keeper’s Cottage, the birds were in full dawn chorus mode, particularly a song thrush that was announcing his presence very beautifully from a prime perch – for any female thrush within half a mile!
Cuddly long-tailed tit?
The spring-in-January weather and the overall mildness of the winter so far will mean interesting viewing and results for this year’s Big Garden Bird Watch. It’s the world’s largest garden bird survey, as thousands of people across the UK spend an hour observing the birds in their gardens and recording the results. This year it takes place over the weekend of January 27 and 28th.
Chubby chaffinch?
The results provide a snapshot of how some of our favourite garden birds, as well as more exotic visitors and winter migrants, are faring. The survey is also an opportunity to see how species that are endangered or in decline are coping. Though starlings may seem common, their numbers have diminished greatly, as have house sparrows. So the survey helps the RSPB set priorities for which species most need help to recover and advise on steps we can all take to help.
This year should be particularly interesting. The RSPB has been hearing from people who’ve noted fewer birds in their gardens despite putting out feeders. Are numbers down after the last two severe winters? Actually, there are probably more birds about, as young birds, which are the most susceptible to cold weather, have survived this year due to the mild conditions. They’re just not about in our gardens. Again, due to the unseasonal warmth, there is a greater food supply available in the countryside - berries, worms, even insects. So the need for seed is not so desperate and birds aren’t venturing into town.
Dapper wee coal tit?
Taking part in Big Garden Bird Watch is easy and fun. Simply visit rspb.org.uk to download a counting form, then submit your result online. Kids particularly enjoy nature on our doorstep, which is why schools make up such a big part of the survey every year. You don’t need a garden – your patio, local park, schoolyard – anywhere will do!
Birdwatch Tips
Put out food now and watch bird numbers increase for even better watching.
Best to stay indoors and keep the cat in too, so you don’t scare the birds away.
View on a sunny day when the sun is low (morning or late afternoon) and you’ll only see black silhouettes, which makes identification tricky to say the least.
Or a friendly neighbourhood robin? Photos provided by LVRP
So can we breathe a sigh of relief that we’ve made it through winter? Let’s see what February throws at us first. If it finally does turn properly wintery, count on nature to put on the brakes and the birds to forget about romance at least until after Valentine’s Day!
The Laganscape and Lagan Valley Red Squirrel Group have teamed up to investigate how our local red squirrels have been holding up against two fierce winters in a row, aggressive grey squirrel competition and the challenges of being a small, mild mannered picky eater in a big bad world.
LVRP Information and Countryside Officer David Scott tells us about their planned research project:
One of the most frequent questions people ask about Belvoir Park Forest is “are there any red squirrels left?” Well we hope to answer that question soon.
Working alongside the Lagan Valley Red Squirrel Group, the Laganscape scheme is involved in helping to conserve the red squirrel population in Belvoir Park Forest, one of the last strongholds of this native species in Northern Ireland.
As part of the project, expert David Tosh and his team will undertake an extensive survey of the red squirrels. Over the coming months he will observe the red squirrel population with a view to determining numbers and the capacity of the forest to provide a habitat now in and in the future.
This information will be used to develop a conservation management plan to help protect this endangered species both here in Lagan Valley Regional Park and nationally.
Laganscape’s dedicated group of red squirrel survey volunteers, who tirelessly remain committed to the Lagan Valley red squirrel, are supporting this valuable project, going out in all weathers to survey the forest.
Keep an eye out for future postings where I will give an update on our furry friends.
Along with the bluebells and the kingfisher, the red squirrel is one of the most loved and iconic features of the LVRP. We’re all looking forward to a bright future for this adorable and very vulnerable Park resident.
More visible, more hungry at this time of year
Saturday January 14th is Winter Birds Day at the Lock Keeper's
With the lack of tree cover and natural food supplies, our feathered friends become far more conspicuous. And they would certainly appreciate the extra help we can all provide - that means food! The more food you provide, the more birds will come to your garden...and the greater the variety of avian visitors too!
Right now is a great time to learn more about familiar garden birds - how to identify them and their habits too. And of course, the best foods to feed them to help them through winter.
So come along this Saturday to the Lock Keeper's Cottage and find out.
This is your opportunity to have a go at making some seed balls and learn some basics about our winter birds. Why not bring along the whole family for a great morning’s fun? (Kids love making the seed balls, which are easy. And grownups - the suet in the seed balls is great for dry winter skin! It also provides essential fats birds rely on in cold weather)
Meet at Lock Keeper’s Cottage for our Feeding the Birds event at 11.00am (around 2.5 hours). Call 028 9049 1922 to book your place.
The award winning Laganscape project, dedicated to restoring, protecting and enhancing the Lagan Valley Regional Park’s heritage, wildlife and natural features (as well as amenities), has just completed its 4th year. As LVRP Information Officer David Scott tells us, new programmes are underway, established projects are making great strides, and visitors to the Park will be able to see the results and enjoy the benefits. (That goes for visiting and resident wildlife too!)
There is plenty of work still in progress, so even more good things for us all to look forward to in 2012. In future blogs we’ll be giving you more details about these developments.
As we completed another year, the Laganscape staff and volunteers are looking back on the last twelve months with some level of satisfaction. It has been a busy time with an ambitious programme of projects successfully completed. Some have been continuing previous work, such as our bird conservation project, with more bird boxes being put up and a new monitoring system put into place. In future updates we hope to reveal just how many of our feathered friends have taken up residence in the deluxe apartments built by our volunteers. Other new projects are nearing completion, including the riverside park in Lisburn. Watch this space for more details.
Again, our volunteers have been working tirelessly in the Regional Park and the Lock Keeper’s cottage. The Saturday Conservation Team (50 members strong) are a committed and highly motivated group of individuals who care passionately about the Regional Park. They have been involved in a wide range of projects throughout the year and have supported the initiatives of many of our partner organisations including:
“I appreciate knowing that in years to come I can proudly show other people the trees or hedges we planted and feel a sense of contribution to this beautiful park.” Carol Laird, Conservation Volunteer
Our Survey Volunteers have been out in all weathers taking part in our species survey initiative. They have been helping to build a picture of the health of populations of red squirrel, butterflies, birds and bees, which in turn feeds into conservation plans being developed by the Regional Park and other organisations, such as Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland.
Thanks to the dedication of the Heritage Guides, the Lock Keeper’s cottage (LKC) continues to be a great success. Through our Guides’ passionate interpretation of the cottage and Lock 3, the public remain enthralled in the story - as the visitor numbers reflect. The cottage would not be open without our Guides’ input. In fact they are responsible for promoting the LKC on behalf of the project and Castlereagh Borough Council. This year the Guides met and helped the project team develop the future management of the LKC and garden. 2012 will see the Guides taking a more active role in the day-to-day care of the building and artefacts as well as weekend opening.
“Volunteering in the cottage is a great way to meet new people. I have particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to develop the cottage garden. Many visitors have complimented the work we’ve done.” David Scott, Heritage Guide Volunteer
However, we are not sitting on our laurels and have already started on Year 5. In 2012, we will see the development of a new wetland project and the creation of 3.54 hectares of wildflower meadow in Minnowburn. In partnership with the National Trust, these projects are already being developed with new accessible pathways being completed by the end of January 2012.
Laganscape is currently developing an Interpretation Strategy, which will look at the signage throughout the Regional Park. It is hoped that new interpretation can be produced, providing more information and helping visitors get more enjoyment from their surroundings.
We have exciting new community projects due to start this year. Local communities were asked to submit ideas for projects in their area, which would benefit local people and the natural or built environment. We have shortlisted the successful community groups and will begin work in the spring.
This year will see the end of the Ancient Oak project with the last 700 trees being planted. These young trees were grown from acorns collected from some of the oldest oaks in Ireland found in Belvoir Park Forest. To date we have planted out over 4000 with the help of our volunteers, school groups and local communities.
Our species conservation projects have everyone excited. We will be building artificial otter holts, swift, bat and barn owl boxes. We hope to have cameras in bird boxes and outside kingfisher tunnels with live feeds on our website. These plans are still in the early stages of development, so keep an eye on www.laganvalley.co.uk for further news. Or, if you'd like to volunteer this year!
Photos from LVRP show the many things our volunteers get up to!