We’ll be taking part in RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this 29-31 January - the world’s largest bird survey that helps the charity’s understanding of the challenges faced by wildlife.
Our woodland is home to a diverse population of birdlife, which forms an important part of the estate's ecosystem and helps to inform our conservation and land management practices.
Bird boxes provide safe places to feed and nest, and deadwood habitats that encourage insects provide a living larder of critters for the birds to feed on. Rather than being too heavy handed with the pruning, our gardeners leave seed heads on flowers throughout the winter, rather than cutting them back. This, along with feeders dotted in the trees, helps to provide tasty morsels for the bird to graze on in the colder months.
We’re also working the Candide gardening app to map our bird populations and their nesting sites, giving us accurate data on the species living here.
The Big Garden Birdwatch is a great opportunity to get outside and support this worthy charity. According to the RSPB website, here's how it works:
Choose any hour between 29-31 January, it can be early morning or late at night.Â
Count the birds you see in your garden or from your balcony*. Ignore any birds that are still in flight. To avoid double-counting, just record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not a running total.
Submit your results online at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch from 29 January until 19 February.
If you're local to us and visiting the gardens for fresh air and exercise, look out for printed RSPB guides when you arrive. Otherwise you can take a look at the RSPB website HERE to find out more.
