Summary
On our behalf, the Physical Geography Course at the University of Leicester is looking into the importance of gardens as habitats for wildlife and how they are contributing to supporting certain bird species in urban areas. The survey will aid the research by monitoring birds within the borough. The survey is taking place from Sunday, 18 June to Saturday, 8 July 2006, this page provides further details on how you can be involved in the garden bird survey.
Attachments
Adobe Acrobat's portable document format (pdf). To view these files you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This can be downloaded free at www.adobe.co.uk|
How to take part
Please complete the garden bird survey using either the online (coming soon) or downloadable survey.
Garden bird survey (82kb)|
Garden birds
There are four particular bird species that are nationally declining these are house sparrow, tree sparrow, song thrush and spotted flycatcher.
House sparrow
For the majority of gardens, it is more likely to be a house sparrow than a tree sparrow. The male house sparrow has a grey head with a brownish back with the female being much duller and without the grey head. These birds will visit bird tables and can be seen in garden hedges and shrubs.
Tree sparrow
This is easily recognized by its brown head. Both the male and the female have this.
Song thrush
A compact, quite stocky bird with brown plumage - the chest and belly are streaked with blackish marks. Often pauses on a lawn with its head to one side; feeds in open or undergrowth and smashes snails on stones. Could be confused with a mistle thrush but this is a larger, more slender looking bird with greyer plumage.
Spotted Flycatcher
A summer migrant from Africa, this bird's distinctive behaviour is perching upright on a branch of a shrub or tree and then flying off after insects, with a twisting, turning flight. The plumage is brownish with head streaked blackish.
If you require any more help in the identification of the birds or you would like a further insight into bird species more information is available from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [external link].