Last year over 33 thousand people across the Scotland took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. Together, you counted almost half a million birds! That’s amazing! And the good news is, it’s almost time to dust off those binoculars, check your feeders are topped up, and get counting again! Here’s a countdown of Scotland’s top five visitors from Big Garden Birdwatch 2020, and some handy ID tips if they’re visiting you.
Blackbirds were our fifth most seen garden bird last year, normally seen in a pair. This is common as the male and female tend to share a territory in which they forage for berries, worms and other tasty snacks. Blackbirds happily eat on the ground, so they’re often seen hopping around under bird feeders, or rummaging in the leaf litter. Males are black all over with bright orange beaks and rings around the eye, females are dark brown. Blackbirds have a beautiful song and are often one of the first to join in with the dawn chorus.
The handsome blue tit was our fourth most common garden visitor in Scotland. The beautiful blue cap, yellow belly, and green back make for a striking pop of colour on the bid feeder! The best ways to tell a blue tit from a great tit is by size (blue tits are the smaller ones), colour of cap (great tits have a black cap and cheeks), and by the song (blue tits: “tea tea, lily-lily-lily!” and great tits “teacher, teacher, teacher!”)
Chaffinches take us to our top 3! Over half of you spotted them in your Big Garden Birdwatch last year, I wonder where they’ll place in 2021? Males have gorgeous dusky pink fronts, black and white wings, and grey caps. Females are more subtle with shades of brown, but both can be identified in flight by black and white tails and they flit between branches.
Starlings were our second most seen bird flocking to our gardens last January. From a distance these tall, noisy birds might look dark and drab, but their glossy feathers are studded with white specks and a rainbow sheen when viewed in the right light! If you get a really good look you can even tell male from female- the lower beak of a male starling is pale blue, for females it is pale pink! The best way to spot a starling gang in your garden is actually to listen! These mimics have a range of sounds (the copy other birds and even car noises), but they are always loud and chattery.
Our most common garden visitor was the house sparrow. Small flocks of these chirpy seed-eaters were seen in 72% of gardens last January, do they visit you too? You can tell you’re looking at a house sparrow if the bird in front of you has a streaky brown back and a grey front. Males have chestnut wings and dark markings on their face, where females and juveniles are a lighter brown all over. They often visit in gangs, males and females together, chattering away, and they love to eat seeds and scraps.
Now you’ve refreshed your identification skills for Scotland’s “big five”, make sure you’re registered to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 by signing up here: https://bit.ly/BGBWSFB