Celebrating England’s Garden Birds (lovely books)

Save Our Birds is a wonderful book by artist and ornithologist Matt Sewell, making it as fun and interesting, as it is important to save our garden birds.

Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin recently said that his dream would be if children could name five trees, instead of five Kardashians! This is the same kind of thing. Do you know the names of five species of birds that visit your garden or park? If not, why not?

Imagine a garden entirely without birds. Imagine a whole street empty of them; a town with no spring nests or morning birdsong; no swifts or swallows overhead on hot days. Actually, don’t. It’s far too horrible.

Our once insect-rich summers are now a thing of the past, due to pesticides and intensive farming practices. All of our outdoor spaces are owned, managed and pumped full of chemicals to yield as much from the earth as possible. Matt Sewell

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.

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).

RHS Pocket Guide to Garden Birds

RHS Pocket Guide to Garden Birds is a beautifully designed book to help you identify and help the most common garden birds in the UK. Whether watching goldfinches on teasels or making space for wrens to nest, this guide offers year-round guidance and inspiration.

The book also features information on the evolution, biology and behaviour of British birds, and contains 30 charming illustrated bird profiles. Packed with RHS-approved advice on making bird-friendly spaces in your garden and beyond, this is the perfect companion for your potting bench, sunny garden seat or outdoor ramble!

The Book of Birds (a dazzling celebration)

The Book of Birds is a collaboration between artist Jackie Morris and writer Robert Macfarlane, who wrote the giant book The Lost Words on treasuring words from the natural world.  With quieter dawns and spring, this is designed to bring back our birds, we still have time.

Find a compendium of 49 bird species (all in danger) – from avocat to yellowhammer. From Dipper to Dunnock and Kestrel to Kingfisher. The book shows readers how to identify each bird, in any habitat.

You’ll learn about each bird’s habits and habitat, patterns of flight and song, how they hunt, nest and raise their young. And how we can help them thrive. Each page is mesmerising with art in watercolour and gold, to inspire. Explore the ‘seven wonders’ of birds: Nest, Egg, Beak, Song, Feather, Flight and Migration.