GARDEN BIRDS

There are 600 species of birds officially recognised as being seen in the UK, of which 330 have been recorded in Berkshire. So it is hardly surprising that there is a wide range of birds that might occur in our gardens or be encountered as we walk the Wild Maidenhead area.

Birds sing to us all the year round, especially our ‘national bird’, the robin. In summer the air resounds with many visiting warblers, cuckoos, terns and aerial performers such as swallows, swifts and house martins.  Even when you cannot see them clearly, apps such as Merlin can help you identify a bird from their songs and calls alone.

With resident finches, doves, tits and starlings, house sparrows and dunnocks, there is always something to see in our gardens, and as soon as the summer migrants have left, their places are taken by winter-visiting fieldfares, redwings, bramblings and, occasionally, waxwings.

What’s happening to songbirds in Maidenhead?

In the countryside, the losses have been even more dramatic, but there are still lovely walks in the area where the ‘little bit of bread and no cheese’ of the yellowhammer and the summer chimes of the chiffchaff are still to be found. Winter walk experiences can be heightened by occasional views of glorious bullfinches and dramatic flocks of winter thrushes.

What can I do?

Put up a nest box: Modern houses have few facilities for nesting birds, so erecting nest boxes can make a great contribution.

​Feed the birds: this can done by gardening for wildlife (www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/) and by providing extra winter food in the colder months.

​Join a local birdwatching group to become familiar with Berkshire’s birds and where to find them. The Berkshire Bird Atlas is also helpful (berksoc.org.uk/county-atlas/the-book/ 

​Be part of the national RSPB Big Garden watch, the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Taking place in January each year it has been providing a view of native bird populations for over 40 years.