Bird watching without leaving your own home
MANY times over recent years I have said, with regard to unusual and rare birds, that they might turn up anywhere.
So how about this from RSPB supporter Alison Barrables, who was delighted to capture on camera the moment a kingfisher made its way into her garden and perched on top of their plastic heron.
Alison said: “Our family were absolutely thrilled to see a kingfisher in the garden and really excited that we managed to get a photo as I know they are very difficult to photograph as they don’t stay still for long.”
The Barrables watched the unmistakable bright blue and orange bird for 10 minutes as it swooped down and caught some goldfish from their pond.
Kingfishers are not typically garden birds, usually you will find them by water courses such as lakes, canals and rivers in lowland areas.
In winter, some individuals move to estuaries and the coast but a garden pond could also prove to be an attractive place to hunt.
Ian Hayward, RSPB wildlife advisor, said: “At this time of year kingfishers are quite mobile as fish are harder to catch as they go deeper when the weather is cold.”
He said garden ponds became good hunting grounds if they had goldfish breeding in them.
“So while it is pretty rare for them to come into gardens, it certainly is possible given the time of year and if the food sources are good it might make a habit of it over the winter,” he added.
As temperatures begin to drop, some unexpected birds may make their way into gardens as they go in search of more food sources to fatten up over the cold winter months.
Keeping your feeders, tables and bird baths topped up when the cold weather arrives will make sure your garden visitors are well fed and looked after.
It will also encourage them into your garden just in time for you to take part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey in January – the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
Ian continued: “Some very unusual and exotic birds have ended up being recorded in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch over the years, including American robin in Putney, black throated thrush on the Isle of Bute, common rosefinch in Yorkshire, and little bunting in Gloucestershire.
“One year a yellowrumped warbler, which should have been spending winter in South America, turned up in a garden in Durham.
“You never know what you could see in your garden!”
Big Garden Birdwatch is part of the Giving Nature a Home campaign and is taking place on January 30 and 31, 2016.
The event encourages people to spend an hour counting the birds they see in their garden and recording them to provide valuable information about the changes in numbers of birds using our gardens in winter.
As well as counting their feathered friends, the RSPB is also asking participants to log some of the other wildlife they see in their gardens and green spaces such as hedgehogs, stoats and squirrels, to help build an overall picture of how important they are for giving nature a home.
To find out how you can give nature a home where you live visit: rspb.org.uk/homes