Nature on your doorstep in January

THIS MONTH’S CHALLENGE: Try to take at least one photo of a bird! We’re low on birds, understandably so, but now’s quite a good time as they tend to come into our gardens more in the winter, looking for food. I had eleven blackbirds on my lawn this morning - but forgot to take a picture!

THIS MONTH'S TIP comes from the RSPB, and is all about how to protect the birds we feed in our gardens:

Don’t overfill bird feeders - try to make sure they are being emptied every 1-2 days, and empty out old food before adding fresh.
Move them around your garden if you can, to prevent the build up of bird food and droppings potentially contaminating the ground below.
Keep bird baths clean by refilling with fresh water daily and cleaning weekly
This is all to protect our birds - greenfinches for example used to be common in our gardens but are now redlisted, and one reason is because of a disease outbreak which was spread by contaminated food and drinking water.

FIVE FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT BRITISH GARDEN BIRDS

In Winter, tiny birds like wrens sleep together for warmth. 63 were once found in a single nest box!
A blue tit weighs the same as a pound coin, and a female can lay as many as 19 eggs in one brood
The oldest ringed blackbird recorded was 20 years old.
Robins use ants and millipedes as insecticide to get rid of mites and ticks. They do this by catching the insect in their bills; the insect will then release a chemical defence which the Robin then rubs over its feathers.
Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have shock-absorbent tissue between their beaks and their skulls which cushions the impact of their drumming on tree trunks - and their tongues can extend 40mm beyond their beaks thanks to a special bone in their skull which can move forward to extend the reach of their tongue

Find out more

THIS MONTH'S LINK is to:
The RSPB’S Great Garden Birdwatch. It’s from 23 - 25 January

It’s the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Last year 590,000 people took part and counted 9.1 million birds. Every bird you do - or don’t - count will give a valuable insight into how garden birds are faring. Log on before the Birdwatch weekend so that you can get organised - and don’t forget to take some photos of what you see for our project! :)

Enjoy your month of nature spotting! All comments and questions are welcome, as always.

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