For an hour, over the weekend 29th – 31st January you need to look out for birds in your garden at home and then send your results to the RSPB. To register click here to get your free guide
The RSPB have some great resources to help families identify and learn about British garden birds:
But first you may need to encourage birds to come to your garden and the best way is by making a homemade bird feeder!! We’ve got 5 ideas for you to try:
1. Pine cone feeder – collect a pine cone on your daily walk. Ones that are really open work the best but if yours’s is closed just pop it into the microwave for 1 minute and the scales will open up! Mix lard together with seeds, grated cheese and raisins. Push the lard mixture in between the scales. Tie string around the pine cone to hang up
2. Recycled milk carton feeder – follow the steps below from Sainsbury’s Bank – Money Matters
3. Fruit & nut skewer feeder – thread a mixture of bits of apple, raisins, grapes and cereals (the hoop ones are great for this feeder) onto a wooden skewer. Tie string to each end of the skewer and hang in a tree
4. Toilet roll feeder – spread peanut butter over a toilet roll and then roll it in a mixture of seeds and nuts
5. Juice carton owl feeder – this bird feeder from Red Ted Art is a great design! You’ll need an old juice carton, some paint, googly eyes, lolly stick, plastic bottle lids, glue.
Have a go painting with feathers
Go on a walk and listen for bird tweets. Try and work out which bird is making which noise then check how many you got right when you get home!
Visit your local pond or lake to feed the ducks – click here for ideas of where to go
Watch the Disney movie Rio 2. Yes ok, it’s based in the Amazon but the movie is full of different birds that live in the rainforest!
Make a bird out of paper plates
Play Feather Frenzy by matching the feathers to parts of the bird – click here
Listen to birdsong on BBC Radio 4’s Tweet of the Day – listen here
Click here for the programme of whats happening online all over the Big Garden Bird Watch weekend!
