Vote for Britain's National Bird

I'm sure you've seen in the national media or on social media that a new vote has been launched this week to choose Britain's National Bird. The last time such a vote was held, in the 1960s, the robin was chosen, but it has never been officially recognised as such. More recently, in the 1990s, the blackbird was voted Britain's favourite birdsong. Both species are among the final ten this time, but there are eight other excellent candidates too.

For those that haven't already voted, I've summarised a few of my thoughts about each candidate to help you make a decision. So, in the best quiz show traditions, in no particular order (well, alphabetical order actually), here are the nominees.

Barn owl. Without doubt the UK's favourite owl, and the one most likely to be seen since they often hunt by day. Populations are slowly recovering from the impact of DDT and other agricultural chemicals in the 1960s, and loss of habitat and nest sites in the 1980s.  Suffolk is a major stronghold, thanks in no small part to the Suffolk Community Barn Owl project, which has helped to install many new barn owl nest boxes around the county. A worthy nominee as the population increase represents a conservation success story, and they are a children's favourite from stories like The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark.

Blackbird. Perhaps the most familiar garden in the UK, occurring in more than 90% of gardens during the annual Big Garden Birdwatch. Certainly one of the most familiar songs, with males singing from aerials and roofs in every town and city as well as more rural areas. Blackbirds are also one of the commonest birds in the UK, which is as good as a reason as any to be nominated - though many of the birds visiting our gardens in winter are actually Scandinavian breeding birds, while "our" blackbirds migrate south to Spain for the winter.

Blue tit. Another very familiar garden visitor, famed for its acrobatic feeding, they nest in nestboxes in many gardens so are extremely popular, as well as being one of our most colourful birds.They are also very characterful, as many of us will remember them stealing the cream from doorstep milk bottles in the 70s and 80s, or the bird brain of Britain challenges in the early 80s.

Hen harrier. A left-field entry, as this is a species that many people will not even have heard of, never mind seen one. This is a sad reflection on its status as Britain's most persecuted bird, with only one or two pairs managing to breed on England's moorlands due to illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning. A few are seen on the Suffolk coast in winter, but they are much more scarce than they used to be. The gorgeous pale grey males are known as ghost hunters. A vote for the  hen harrier would help the fight against continued illegal persecution of our birds of prey.

Kingfisher. Probably the most exotic looking bird in the UK, yet easily overlooked when perching motionless in waterside vegetation, kingfishers are much smaller than many people realise - slightly smaller than a starling. They are nonetheless popular birds, and a sighting always raises the adrenaline levels a little. Kingfishers are a good indicator of the health of our rivers, lakes and canals as they need clean water in which to fish.

Mute swan. Famed as belonging to the royal family, and formerly a favourite of royal banquets, there can be few people who are not familiar with our largest flying bird. Afterall, nearly every child has fed the ducks and swans at the local part at some point in their life. A significant part of the global population live in Britain too.

Puffin. Another childhood favourite, with their comical expression and impossibly colourful beak. The puffin is the only candidate that truly reflects our island status and marine heritage - though you have to visit RSPB Bempton Cliffs or various offshore islands to see these birds at their breeding colonies. Britain is home to a large percentage of the global population too, so this is a very strong contender.

Red kite. A superb conservation success story. By the 1970s just a handful of red kites clung to a precarious foothold in mid Wales. Effective conservation, combined with reintroductions in several areas, ensures that many of us can now see these masters of the air on a regular basis. There are few more impressive sights that a red kite hanging on the breeze, twisting its forked tailed or long wings to manoeuvre effortlessly through the skies.

Robin. The reigning title holder, and one of the favourites to win, robins appear on millions of Christmas cards every year and have a close affinity to the British psyche. Like the blackbird, many of "our" robins only spend part of the year with us, being partial migrants, yet few people aren't familiar with seeing and hearing them throughout the year. The robin's famed tameness in gardens seems to be a British phenomena too, as they tend to remain shy forest birds across much of Europe.

Wren. Last, but not quite least, is the smallest contender - though not quite our smallest bird as that title belongs to the goldcrest. Wrens are, however, possibly our commonest bird, and their loud trilling song can be heard in almost every habitat from reedbed to mountain tops, sea cliffs to city centres. They can be tricky to spot though. Wrens are also linked to many folk tales and are particularly closely associated with Boxing Day.

So, now you've read a bit about each contender, you can place you vote here.

I'm not going to tell you who I've voted for, but will, instead show you a photo of my favourite bird, as it failed to make the final ten.

Starling by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)