Enjoy the wildlife on our doorsteps and ‘lift our spirits’

Birdwatching is a hobby that helps us reconnect with nature, and even in a tier four lockdown, there is much we can see.

Every autumn and winter our region is visited by more than 120,000 birds which have flown thousands of miles from as far as The Arctic. As well as these waders and wildfowl in our coastal areas there are of course the domestic birds which we can see all year around in our gardens and local parks.

It all adds up to an astounding bounty for birdwatchers and those who simply love to appreciate nature.

Lizzie Hibberd is a senior ranger and outreach lead for Bird Aware Solent (BAS), an initiative to raise awareness of the birds that spend the winter on The Solent, so that people can enjoy the coast and its wildlife without disturbing the birds.

Describing her work, Lizzie says: ‘The partnership's main aim is to raise awareness, but also to talk to people about the issue of bird disturbance which is an issue a lot of people don't know much about.

‘Birds aren't always supposed to fly. Lots of the birds which are here, in the wintertime particularly, they've flown all the way from the Arctic – places like Siberia, Canada, Greenland, Iceland – and when they arrive in the autumn, they're pretty exhausted as you can probably imagine.’

BAS recently ran its Great Solent Birdwatch, which aimed to help people connect with their coastline through birdwatching. More than 9,500 birds were recorded by the public over 10 days with 58 different species identified, including a kingfisher and a short-eared owl.

So which birds should people look out for?

‘Our famous bird, that everyone should know about which is a winter migrant, is the brent goose,’ explains Lizzie. ‘The Solent region welcomes 10 per cent of the world's population of darkbellied brent geese. We do get absolutely huge numbers.

‘They can be seen nearly everywhere around The Solent, and it's a 3,000 mile journey they have to do from Siberia to here, and then another 3,000 on the way back, it's quite extraordinary.

‘As well as looking out for them, you can listen out for them because the brent goose make a lovely sort of chattering noise as they're moving around.

‘There's loads of different ducks that come, and lots of different wading birds.

‘Probably another "star" people notice because it's quite noisy and quite a nice one to recognise, is the oystercatcher. It’s a black and white bird with a bright-red beak, they're always squeaking

– if you imagine a kid having a bit of a tantrum, that's pretty much what it is!

‘There's so many different types to look out for, and most of the birds you'll see when you're out on the coast at the moment, apart from the gulls, are likely to have travelled from somewhere to get here at this time of year.

‘If you don't know your birds that well and you're heading to the coast, our website is a really good place to start as it has profiles of all the different birds on there.

‘I always say to people, whether you're a birdwatcher or you're just going out for a coastal stroll and you have no idea about birds, it doesn't actually matter if you know what their names are or not, it's just about appreciating them and recognising that they're there.

‘Taking that moment to stand still and just look out and listen and take it all in can really lift your spirits – and I think that's something we all need right now.’

But for anyone who is keen on getting into birdwatching, Lizzie says: ‘As with everything in life, practice makes perfect, but birdwatching is something that you can do quite easily

‘Don’t try and learn them all tomorrow – take it step-by-step, like those easy ones like the oystercatcher that are really easy to recognise.

‘The one good thing about coastal birds is that whereas when you look in your garden they can all look rather small, which can be quite hard to distinguish, but coastal birds are much easier.

‘And if anyone doesn't know what it is and manages to get a picture – send it to us and we will do our best to tell them what it is!’

Many people even have a key piece of kit already – a pair of binoculars. ‘Lots of people have them but they just sit in their cupboards. Take them out one time, and just have a look. You'll be amazed when you look through them that all of these little tiny brown or black blobs suddenly become birds with a character and you can watch them just doing their daily routines. It's just amazing, and always brings a smile to our faces, and to most people we meet.

‘It's nice to be able to connect people with something that's already there that they've maybe never heard or seen before.’

At a time like this, it’s also a great activity for families that need not cost much or require travel.

‘Things like the Great Solent

Birdwatch and the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch are a great way into birdwatching and there's always lots of resources provided, so it's a good way to start off,’ adds Lizzie. ‘And start children off young – get them involved and then they'll grow up to appreciate nature which is really important.’

The annual

Big Garden Birdwatch from January 29 to 31, asks people to look out their window or head to their local park and let them know what birds they see over the course of an hour. This helps them to keep track of how garden birds are faring.

For a free Big Garden Birdwatch guide and more text ‘BIRD’ to 70030 or visit rspb.org.uk/ birdwatch.

For more about BAS visit solent.birdaware.org.

It's nice to be able to connect people with something that's already there

Don’t try and learn them all tomorrow – take it step-by-step