Lockdown Birdwatch Champs Blog

REFILLING THE BIRD FEEDERS

This evening I refilled the bird feeders. The first feeder I refilled was the green tube, I later found that it was clogged! I put sunflower seeds in it. Then I refilled the feeder that’s hardest to reach; the Birdsy feeder with mealworms! I put some mixed seed and peanuts on the bird table. Those are for the Wood Pigeons and Squirrels. If I don’t put these seeds and nuts out the pigeons and the squirrels will eat the food from the other feeders, making other birds go hungry. Finally I sprinkle mixed seed all over the top half of the garden (I don’t want the Robins, Blackbirds and Dunnocks going hungry do I)?

THE BIRDSY CAMERA

You might have heard me mention a Birdsy feeder in the first paragraph it’s actually a camera! The Birdsy camera is a good way to shoot videos of birds whether it’s them flying or feeding it’s an amazing way to video these amazing creatures!

MANTAINING FEEDERS

This paragraph is about maintaining feeders. To attract more birds you need to maintain feeders because if you don’t maintain your feeders the birds in your area may starve especially in the winter months. Cleaning your 

feeders also reduces diseases. In the first paragraph I mentioned a clogged feeder if I didn’t do anything about it, it would mean there was one feeder not working. At the bottom of the feeder there was some soggy seeds. So when you look at it, it looks full but nothing can come out!

We soaked the feeder in warm soapy water, removed the blockage and left it to dry over night before re filling the next morning.

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"My family has always loved wildlife and always loved birds so this is what we do to help the birds in our garden. "

Age 9

Cameron Watt

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 

Today we did an hour of birdwatching for the Big Garden Birdwatch. My cats were doing the same only Milly went outside and stood in the middle of the lawn! After we got her back in a Grey Squirrel went on the ground. We know Milly wanted to eat it by the look on her face. 

We saw: 

1 Coal Tit 

16 Gold Finches 

10 Blue Tits 

10 Black Birds 

24 Wood Pigeons  

5 Robins 

4 Wrens 

2 Dunnocks 

2 Magpies 

4 Starlings 

1 Collared Dove 

1 Great Tit 

4 Black-headed Gulls

MY FAVOURTE BIRD 

My favourite birds are Robins. They are my favourite birds because they are very friendly, calm and talkative. They are also positively cute. In my opinion these are the perfect birds to make friends with.  

FACTS ABOUT MY FAVOURITE 

(All these facts are from British birds a pocket guide) 

Scientific name : Erithacus rubecula 

Length : 12.5 - 14 cm 

Eats : insects, other invertebrates, seeds and berries 

This bird has a striking orange face and chest and a warm brown colour on top. This colour is across both sexes. They also have a beady, black eye. Its typical call is a “tik” sound. 

I am a trainee bird ringer, contributing to the ringing scheme held by the BTO. For the last few months, I have been getting up early on my weekends to go out ringing at various nature reserves as well as in my own garden and on my family’s farm! I am aiming to become a certified ringer on the next couple of years!

As well as photography, I am very interested in journalism. I have written articles and features for various places including my local wildlife trust, A focus on nature, the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and Plantlife.

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In the future, I hope to study wildlife conservation and zoology at uni and have a career in something to do with protecting wildlife!

My aim is to encourage a love for nature in others and help protect and conserve the beautiful nature around us.

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Winter can be a brilliant time of year to get close up views of birds visiting the garden for food, water and shelter. It is also an exciting opportunity to see some species which are only here for the colder months, such as Fieldfares and Bramblings. I have been taking a lot of photos of my garden birds lately - here are some of my favourites!