Winter is the best time of year for garden birds

Winter visitor - Blue Tit on garden nuts c/o PA Images

Garden birds photo gallery

Garden birds

Have you always fancied getting interested in wild creatures, but haven't had the energy to do it?

Well now is the best time to do something about it.

There is no question which type of wildlife is the easiest to watch - garden birds.

They're beautiful, they're fascinating and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your house.

We show you what you can see in your own garden with the help of Inside Out's Sam Bayley.

Our lazy guide to wildlife

Top tips from Adrian Thomas from the RSPB:

* Winter is the best time of year for garden birds and it's easier to spot them without tree foliage to hide them.

* Invest in a decent pair of binoculars for a bird's eye view of garden wildlife.

* Food is scarce at this time of year, so if you put food out, you're going to see lots of birds.

* Put out food on a regular basis. In severe weather, feed the birds twice daily if possible - in the morning and in the early afternoon.

* Once you establish a feeding routine, try not to change it so the birds keep to a pattern.

* Never give milk to garden birds - they can't digest it and it can result in serious stomach upsets or even death. A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk.

* Birds can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as cheese, and mild grated cheese can be a good way of attracting Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks.

* Polyunsaturated margarines or vegetable oils are not suitable for birds. Birds need high levels of saturated fat, such as raw suet and lard. Birds need this to keep warm in the worst of the winter weather because their body reserves are used up quickly.

* Don't forget water, for drinking and bathing.

* Salt is bad for birds so avoid salted peanuts.

* Allow parts of the garden to be rough - more insects mean more birds.

Bird ringing

Some amateur bird watchers need to go that one step further and get a little more hands-on.

So why not become a bird ringer?

The Robin - a popular garden visitor in winter

Birds are caught and ringed to assess movements and for population studies - the information goes to the British Trust for Ornithology.

Most ringers are amateurs who relish the opportunity to hold a bird in their hands.

It takes two to three years training to get a license to do ringing so you don't injure the birds.

Ringing helps to identify population movements of birds and assists with conservation work.

If ringing doesn't appeal, there are many ways you can help organisations such as the RSPB with their survey of British birds.

The RSPB is currently run the Big Garden Birdwatch project and anyone can get involved on 27 and 28 January 2007.

For more information...

Visit the RSPB website for a full list of events:

RSPB website - The Big Garden Birdwatch

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Science and Nature - Birds
• BBC Nature's Calendar
• British Trust for Ornithology
• RSPB
  

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Top bird watching tips

Keep your ears open - Thrush c/o RSPB

Make the most of your birdwatching experiences with the RSPB's top tips.

The best clue to a bird's identity is often the way a bird behaves.

Each bird has developed its own niche, places and habits for feeding in the garden.

If you're having trouble identifying a bird, think about where you saw it and what it was doing.

Visit the Garden birds photo gallery

A whole new world

Some birds are quite happy to sit on feeders or bird tables and eat their food.

Birds like Greenfinches, Chaffinches and House Sparrows will often perch on a feeder and eat seed after seed before moving on. They will often be seen squabbling amongst themselves over the perch to get access to a tasty treat.

Some birds such as Blue Tits and Coal Tits prefer to eat under cover and will take seeds away to eat. It's safer for these small birds to spend as much time out-of-sight as possible.

Ground-eaters like Blackbirds and Robins will occasionally be seen on feeders, but they're more at home on the ground. They don't feel the need for concealment, and will often be out in the open on the lawn or patio, eating scraps or picking up grubs and worms from the ground.

Wrens and Dunnocks also feed on the ground, but they prefer to stay hidden away. They will often scurry, mouse-like, under bushes and along fences looking for scraps that other birds have dropped, or for grubs in the ground.

Listen up

Another good way of identifying birds is by listening for them and to them.

It's often possible to tell when a flock of Tits is about to appear in your garden because they constantly call to one another.

Listen for their high-pitched calls - also look in the trees and hedges.

Wood Pigeon - a 'coo coo' sound

Collared doves often make a 'coo-coo' sound when they land.

If you hear this noise, there's a good chance that one is perched on your fence, hedge or tree, checking whether the coast is clear before it comes in to eat.

Starlings often chatter to one another, frequently from a high perch such as an aerial or chimney pot.

They make a variety of noises including clicking and singing.

This doesn't always indicate an imminent visit to your garden, but if you've put out a fat cake, then most Starlings will fight and argue to get a peck at it.

By keeping an eye and an ear out for what the birds are doing, you can start to observe a whole new world full of colourful characters in your back garden.