Well, like half a million other households across the UK, I am gearing up for this weekend’s Big Garden Birdwatch. It’s going to be mega. I seem to have a pretty good variety of bird species visiting my back garden during winter.... but will they all turn up during our chosen one-hour slot?
Sit back and enjoy the show... it's Big Garden Birdwatch weekend at last! (Photo: David Tipling, rspb-images.com)
For the uninitiated, full instructions on how to join the Big Garden BIrdwatch can be found here.
And here’s how to prepare:
• Download the Big Garden Birdwatch pack (it’s full of background info and tips, and has a handy tally sheet).
• Bring in all the bird feeders, dismantle and wash them, and refill to the brim with fresh food.
• Add a freshly filled birdbath (you can make your own like this).
• Put out a diverse banquet including mealworms, peanuts, nyjer seed, grain, pellets, suet balls, porridge oats, sunflower hearts, and maybe even an apple on a skewer. Or make your birds a quick and easy homemade cake!
• Make a cup of tea, grab a pair of binoculars, camera and tally sheet, and sit down by the back window… then relax and enjoy the show!
Fill 'er up! Feed hungry birds, help them survive winter, have fun, bond as a family... AND contribute to conservation science. It's all good. (Photo: Andy Hay, rspb-images.com)
My family will be joining me; the kids love spotting movements and looking up species they cannot name. Like the birds, they do tend to flit in and out, but at least one member of the household will have their eyes trained on the action for the full hour.
There’s usually plenty to see. But for those of you looking to spice up your household’s Birdwatch even more, here are five ways to have even more fun.
Come get it, my beauties! (Photo: Rahul Thanki, rspb-images.com)
1. Enjoy it twice! Why not submit one record for your garden and another one for the local park? Or, if you don’t have a garden, two different parks? You’ll need to register two separate profiles, but it’d be an interesting exercise to see what effect the presence of garden feeders and planting has on the outcome. You may find that your entire neighbourhood is great for certain species, whether in the park or garden. Another way of enjoying it twice is to choose two separate hours, and submit the one with the best result (no cheating or adding them together though, that wouldn't be helpful).
2. Compile a bird-themed music playlist to play during your Birdwatch. Here are a few ideas to start you off: The Beatles’ Blackbird, Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross, Prince’s When Doves Cry, Starlings by Elbow, the much-covered jazz standard A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, anything by The Eagles, or even the cheeky 1926 recording of All Birds Look Like Chickens To Me by Sweet Papa Stovepipe!
3. Create a BGBW group either in your lounge or on social media (such as Facebook or WhatsApp) and set a time for all members of the group to check in, do the Birdwatch and share sightings. Which member of the group will have the most enviable record? Who’ll take the best photo? Or eat the nicest cake?
4. Big Garden Bakeoff, anyone? The birds needn’t be the only ones feasting this weekend. Why not whip up these bird-themed treats for the occasion, or think up a bird-themed indoor picnic?
5. Share your highlights, live sightings and photos with the rest of the social media world via #BigGardenBirdwatch. You can also email us at the magazine with any great shots or amazing sightings from your Big Garden Birdwatch.
Want more? Click here for more Big Garden Birdwatch fun & games for your family!