Our Garden Birds (one for every week of the year!)
Our Garden Birds is a delightful illustrated hardback gift book by pop artist (and ornithologist Matt Sewell), who pairs gorgeous art with descriptions of favourite garden birds. From great tits ‘bossing the other birds around’ to the ‘playful yet shy buoyancy’ of bullfinches.
You’ll learn about common garden birds like tits, sparrows and finches, blackbirds and less common pied wagtails and redwings, along with migrating hoopoes.
From wood pigeons to ‘martins’ (house martins, swallows, swifts), tiny wrens to dunnocks, the crow family (including blue jays), robins, starlings and a few woodland birds (woodpeckers, owls and birds of prey).
Tips to help our garden birds
- Keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk, and avoid wooden tables.
- Avoid feeding stale/crusty/mouldy bread to birds (nor salt or buttered bread, as fat can affect insulation/waterproofing of feathers).
- Choose RSPB-endorsed plain wooden ones (sited between north and east to protect from sun and rain. Avoid coloured or tin ones, as these can attract predators and overheat.
- Keep bird baths clean with boiled water, rinse and fill again (or use a shallow non-glazed dish with flat stones so bees and butterflies can drink safely).
- Read more on safe havens for garden birds (includes tips on how to site feeders and nest boxes safely). Natural food like shrubs with berries are best.
- Read how to stop birds flying into windows (turn off lights when not in use, avoid facing indoor foliage to give views from outside, and site feeders less than 1.5 feet (or more than 10 feet) away from windows, to avoid them ‘building up momentum’ to strike windows.
