Just for Fun: How Many Birds Will You Spot In This Year’s Big Garden Birdwatch?
Today marks the start of this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch. We’re celebrating with some amazing facts about our native birds. Plus, find out how Stikins ® name labels can help your little ones to keep their things safe every time they leave the nest.
Play Your Part In The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch
Every year, the RSPB enlists the public’s help to evaluate the UK’s bird population. All you have to do is spend one hour bird watching in your garden or local park.
The RSPB supplies guides to help identify the birds you see. Don't worry if you don’t see any birds - recording no birds or low numbers helps to identify areas where birds might be struggling. Here are some amazing facts from last year’s survey:
- Almost 700,000 volunteers counted 11.5 million birds.
- The top 10 birds were: house sparrow (1,778,764), blue tit (1,178,156), starling (1,162,553), woodpigeon (1,041,709), blackbird (958,917), robin (622,493), goldfinch (591,129), great tit (587,024), magpie (527,125), and chaffinch (402,238).
- House sparrows have placed top for the last 19 years, even though declining numbers have left them on the UK’s red list.
- Another winner was the blackbird, which was the most commonly recorded bird after appearing in 85% of UK gardens.
- Jays climbed a whopping nine places to 23rd place. This is likely due to a poor supply of acorns in 2021, which meant these woodland birds started to search for food in gardens.
- 532 chiff chaffs were counted. They usually fly to southern Europe or North Africa for the winter. Their unusual presence here during winter months is likely the result of our warming climate.
- There were some regional differences. Blue tits placed 2nd in the UK overall but none were seen in Shetland. Chaffinches, which broke into the top 10, came 12th in England but 6th in Wales. Northern Ireland has more robins per garden than England, Scotland, or Wales.
So, why not grab your binoculars and bird watching guide (and maybe a nice warm blanket) to see how many feathered friends you can spot!
Don’t Let Your Little Ones Leave The Nest Without Applying Some Name Labels
School introduces a lot of new things to children. One of these things is taking responsibility for their own belongings. A task made a lot harder because their kit looks pretty much the same as everyone else’s belongings. Busy classrooms, cloakrooms, changing rooms, and play grounds make it all too easy for items to get mixed up or to go missing. With name labels, however, children can easily make sure they have picked up their own belongings – or retrieve them from lost property if they should go astray.
Stikins ® multipurpose name labels simply stick on and stay on. Our super strong, unique adhesive lets you label all kinds of items. This includes school uniform, P.E. kit, bags, books, shoes, and all the other essentials. Each label is bright white in colour and printed with a bold black font. This makes it super easy for kids of all ages to read the name on a label.
Our name labels are available in four pack sizes of 30, 60, 90, or 120 name labels. You can order anytime online or by phone (our office hours are 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday). We despatch all orders same or next working day by Royal Mail’s first class service. So your name labels will be winging their way to you in a flutter!