How to save the dawn chorus

SONGBIRD numbers have halved in the past 50 years—those most at risk include the house martin, meadow pipit, blue tit, reed bunting and song thrush—and climate change is a major factor, says Songbird Survival, as it releases a list of five actions to make a difference:

• Fill your garden with insect-friendly plants and use fewer pesticides

• Make safe spaces for birds with plants that provide shelter and food, such as sunflowers, teasel and holly

• Provide fresh food for birds regularly, particularly in winter

• Make sure there is a clean water source, even if you simply water dry soil in summer and crack ice on puddles in winter

• Encourage others to do the same, fundraise, volunteer or donate to relevant charities ‘Songbirds really are the canary in the coalmine,’ explains Songbird Survival CEO Susan Morgan. ‘Climate change is hitting us with more extreme weather events, such as droughts and heatwaves, which put enormous stress on songbirds trying to feed and breed. Parched ground means some can’t access insects and worms for chicks. If insects appear too early or too late, breeding seasons are thrown off kilter and birds are caught out. Climate change has also brought increased risk of predation. There will always be winners and losers, but it’s the little birds losing out most.’ Visit www.songbird-survival.org.uk

From top: Song thrush; blue tit; and meadow pipit

There’s some real variety among this year’s Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards winners. Topping the ‘urban life’ category, Karen Brickley captured a perfect moment in Eastbourne in Walk Diagonal (above), as ‘blue skies and sunshine showed off the art installation Dance Diagonal by Lother Gotz on the Towner Gallery perfectly,’ she says. ‘I stood in position and waited for a passer-by to complete the shot.’ Further west, David Lyon’s The Sentinels (top), an image of the lighthouse from Burnham on Sea, Somerset, was highly commended