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The birds of spring visiting your garden

Mar 22, 2019
Birds in your garden
It's the perfect time for bird watching in your garden. And research shows that welcoming nature into our home is great for both the national wildlife, and for our own wellbeing.   
Work between Barratt Homes and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds shows that there is a lot that can be done to encourage birds, and other wildlife, to enjoy your garden. So if you're buying a new build home, you shouldn't be surprised to see a few birds of spring enjoying the garden too.

What are the most common garden birds of Britain?

Woodpigeon

Most immediately recognised by its distinctive call, the Woodpigeon is the tidier looking cousin of the common street pigeon. They have a repetitive five syllable coo, and its returning presence in the morning signals that warmer weather will be here soon.

Blackbird

Take a closer look at a blackbird and you'll see that it's actually quite a striking creature. There's a golden circle around the eyes of males which is matched by a bright orange beak, and you can spot a female Blackbird by its brown coat, often specked with spots or stripes.

 

Blue Tit

The Blue Tit is an easy spot with its magnificent coat of blue, yellow and green. Especially amongst the greys and browns of other common garden birds. They're also great team players that partner up with others during the winter, in an effort to find and share food.

Starling

These small, fast flying little birds are noisy, and easily mistaken for blackbirds at a distance. With nearly two million breeding in the UK, the Starling is one of the country's most widespread birds. Yet they're actually in decline, with a fall of 66% since the 1980s.

House Sparrow

Robins are the most well-known garden visitors, but the House Sparrow is the true king of British birds. Much like us, they've enjoyed a history of colonising the world, and their natural behaviour is to live amongst us. Regardless of whether that's in the tranquility of the countryside, or the bustle of the city.

 

How can I encourage birds to my garden?

You can help encourage feathered friends to visit your garden by buying a bird feeder, which should be filled with a variety of foods, such as nuts or seeds. A bath, or any other basic water container, will give any birds flying by a nice place to wash. Or if you'd like to go the extra-mile, you could plant berry-bearing trees and shrubs to give them an extra supply of food. This could be a Holly or Cotoneaster bush, or you can use Honeysuckle to attract more insects. Finally, a well-placed nest box around the garden can provide somewhere safe for them to rest and breed.

Our Kingsbrook development near Aylesbury has 2,450 homes that are fitted with sparrow boxes and swift bricks - a partially hollow brick retrofitted to the house to allow a place for swifts to nest. We are dedicated to looking after nature and known as 'Britain's most wildlife-friendly housing development'. With a little care and attention, it's always possible to make your garden a haven for the birds of spring. If you'd like to find out more you can visit the RSPB page here.

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