Tag: garden birds

Gimme Five! British bird handbooks

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Selection of 5 British bird handbooks | H is for Home

Have you seen any of this year’s fledglings yet? All along the Rochdale Canal which passes through Todmorden, there are lots of broods of ducks and Canada geese. In our garden this week we’ve had a baby robin as a frequent visitor.

Justin’s a long-time twitcher, but I’m a lot less knowledgeable ornithologically! We have a stack of British bird handbooks on our bedroom bookshelf; the latest addition being a couple of Matt Sewell’s beautifully illustrated guides.

We actually own copies of all the above – with the exception of Bewick’s – perhaps it will be in my stocking this Christmas!

  1. The Observer’s Book of British Birds: from £4, Amazon
  2. Our Garden Birds, Matt Sewell: £7.28, Wordery
  3. A Sketchbook of Birds, C. F. Tunnicliffe: £2.81, eBay
  4. Bewicks British Birds: £2.99, The Works
  5. RSPB Handbook of British Birds: £8.37, Hive

Gimme Five! Bird feeders

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selection of five different bird feeders

Snow currently feels like a permanent fixture around the whole of the UK. I’ve really been feeling sorry for our wildlife – especially the birds. One of last week’s Winter Watch programmes told of the decimation that happens when birds can’t get through the inches of snow to feed on seeds, worms, slugs and insects.

Why don’t you help them out? Here are five of our favourite bird feeders that we’ve found online – from the low-tech to the bird equivalent of a swanky, Michelin-starred restaurant!

  1. Flock Follies bird feeder – Feeds the birds AND adds a burst of colour to your garden!
  2. Roundabout fly-through feeder – Made of polished copper , this one will mellow into a beautiful verdigris.
  3. Bottle bird feeder – Just add an empty wine or beer bottle!
  4. Umbra contemporary outdoor bird house – An avian take on a modernist des res!
  5. Unplugged Barcelona bird feeder – Inspired by the famous, Mies van der Rohe-designed Barcelona Pavilion.