Which feathered friends are visiting your garden?

jpns-09-01-17-027 your view spread robin

Local Wildlife
I took it while out with the Havant U3A Birdwatching Group.
Picture: Patrick Francis

Pat Francis pat@haylbilly.com via thenews.co.uk PPP-170601-115124001 — jpns-09-01-17-027 your view spread robin Local Wildlife I took it while out with the Havant U3A Birdwatching Group. Picture: Patrick Francis Pat Francis [email protected] via thenews.co.uk PPP-170601-115124001

The annual event helps the charity build a snapshot of garden wildlife across the UK and this year, for the first time, the event has been extended for a further day into Monday, January 30.

A spokesman for the RSPB said: “It’s great fun to do, but the Birdwatch has a serious scientific purpose too. Since it began 37 years ago the Big Garden Birdwatch has provided a snapshot of how the birds and other wildlife using our gardens are doing.

“Numbers of familiar birds like starlings and song thrushes fell again in the Big Garden Birdwatch last year. Despite being ranked number two in the Big Garden Birdwatch table, the number of starlings visiting people’s gardens has fallen by 70 per cent since the first Birdwatch in 1979, and less than half of us saw them in our gardens during the 2016 Birdwatch.”

It is very easy to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

All the details are available online at www.rspb.org.uk, where you can register for a free information pack.

Additionally, this Sunday (January 22) a warm-up event is taking place at Stanwick Lakes. The event runs from 10am to 2pm and more details are available here.