Here and There

If we both wrote down a list of "garden birds" I'm pretty sure we'd write a lot of the same birds down. I always think of the Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird and Starling. Then there are Collared Dove and Goldfinch which I always saw in my parents' garden when I was younger but often seem to forget now. 

But the range of garden birds differs so much depending on where you are and what sort of garden you have. The list of birds I'd write are basically the ones I was always shown as a child from the kitchen window, and I almost never remember sparrow, which is now the only bird I see in our little yard in Preston. 

In my parents garden, or form their house windows, recent sightings have been Black Cap and a large flock of Starlings all fighting to eat spare apples from a nearby tree. Even Red Kites are a common occurrence. But their garden is long and green and full of yummy worms and berries that wildlife love, although the large cat population keeps the birds on their toes. With regular visits form robins and blackbirds no-one pays any notice to these birds but if I saw either in our garden in Preston I'd probably do a whole blog about it! But there aren't that many sparrows so my regular little flock of 6 would be very exciting for my parents garden.

It's good to remember that different birds suit different habitats, even if they fall under one group name like "garden birds". It means we remember that a good year for some might be a bad year for others and that they'll need different things to help them in the winter. My peanuts are becoming more popular now that the birds want more fat for the winter but old apple cores and bread are the favourites in my parents garden. Just like you wouldn't buy everyone you know the same Christmas present, the birds in our gardens all need a little thought and planning to help them through the winter.