What's that bird? Blue tit or coal tit? Jay, robin or woodpecker? How can you tell?

I know this bird. It's a robin. A European robin.

We call it a robin redbreast.

What's this one with the blue head?

I'ts a blue tit. A Eurasian blue tit.

So what's this one?

















This is a coal tit. I should have known that. I downloaded a set of pictures of British birds when I took part in the bird watch in February in England.    

We sometimes get multi-coloured birds.



This is a jay. A Eurasian jay.
(Sounds like it has mixed parentage. In Singapore Eurasians have one Chinese parents, one European parent.)

The Woodpecker
The woodpecker is green, like the woods, but a surprisingly bright red head. I watched one for a while. Later, a relative asked me what it was.
I replied, "A woodpecker."
He asked, "Are you sure?'
I replied, "Yes, its' the only bird I am 100% sure of, because of the way it taps. Watch it tap."

I have definitely seen this bird with its red head and green back and climbing up the tree near the kitchen window and going tap tap tap. I can easily identify it from the tapping. It's a woodpecker using its beak to tap for insects on the wood. Other birds tap on the lawn, but the woodpecker is on the tree trunks of the apple tree or pear tree. Tap, tap, tap.

It spirals around the tree and disappears, around the back. You think its gone. Maybe you frightened it. No. It's busy with its work, not interested in you. Then it reappears, a little higher up. Tap, tap, tap.

Problem
I see a bird in the garden. I think it's a wood pigeon.


On second thoughts, it's a collared dove. How can I find out?

Answer
The RSPB website. RSPB, royal society for the protection of birds. Interestingly, they say it was started by ladies who were campaigning against the use of feathers in fashion.

Nothing to do with pigeon pie, then.

Actually, I can see a lot of free feathers. I used to pick them up. I don't think it's moulting season. I think it's the neighbours' cats.

Now I don't pick them up any more. I read somewhere that they carry some disease. So at first I picked them up with a piece of paper. Then I washed the feather and my hands. Now I just take a photo.

When you go onto the RSPB website, you get a lot of questions. Where did you see it? Multiple choice. Feather colour? Beak size? You need some time for this.

I was in Singapore looking up at the top of the palm tree to see if the coconuts were ripe, and likely to drop on my head, when I saw a little bird tapping. I thought, I know that bird. It's a woodpecker. What's it doing here? It can't have flown all the way here from London, like me. It must be a native bird. I did a search on the internet and found I was absolutely right, Singapore has woodpeckers.

That's good news. I can talk to Singaporeans about a bird which is common to both countries.

Useful Websites
RSPB
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/identify-a-bird/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Great_Britain

https://myitchyfingers.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/woody-woodpecker/
(Singapore woodpecker)

Author
Angela Lansbury. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Birds, bird houses, identifying birds and art at Intu shopping Mall, Watford

This is my favourite, showing birds you can identify by silhouettes.

Picture of the artist and explanation of how the playing cards are inspired by sets for identifying planes in WWII.

Carrion crow.

Stonechat will be new to many people. The blue tit is better known. Whilst the playing cards don't show colours, they do teach you to look at the shape.

All over Intu shopping centre are these cute bird houses. You can buy smaller wood or wood effect ones for your garden at the RSPB stand in Intu or from their website and from the outdoor garden areas outside supermarkets such as Waitrose.

Bird boxes and insect boxes and bee houses in garden centres such as Waitrose.

Watford Junction station, very nearby, is on the Euston to Watford overground railway line.The shopping mall is bright and airy. Children might like the little train which tootles around. If you are willing to splash the cash they can take a ride on it.

In the mall you will find several of these bird houses. I looked inside. Disappointingly most of them have nothing to see inside. I looked in one and saw the reflection of my face framed by the circular window.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker and author.