Are you stuck at home during the Coronavirus crisis? Enjoy watching birds. I am going to tell you about birds I have seen regularly in London and Singapore and how to do annual bird watches and find out more about birds worldwide..
UK
Starting with the UK where I grew up. In the UK everybody, inlcuding every child, can identify the red breasted robin because it appears on Christmas cards.
How many birds can you recognize?
I was surprised to find that even with only the most basic knowledge of birds I could identify at least ten.
1 The robin,
2 pigeon,
3 stork,
4 flamingo,
5 vulture,
6 eagle,
7 owl,
Another easily identified owl is the barn owl.
8 ostrich,
9 parrot,
10 budgerigar.
What about the big beaked toucan? We are now into 11.
11 Toucan
How about you? How do you compare with the rest of your family, of all ages?
I soon get to 15, adding
12 peacocks,
13 turkeys,
14 chickens and cocks.
15 magpies
I can identify a few more common birds in the garden, which I think are basic and obvious but which challenge the rest of the family, so I shall describe them here. If you know them all, you can teach them to your ignorant friends and family or gandchildren.
Black Birds
Black birds are small and easy to identify and name because they are black. Bigger black birds are likely to be of the crow or raven family. Hopping around on the ground, on the lawn, and f lying high to those tree top nests which you can see silhouetted when the leaves drop in winter.
Magpies
Black and white birds, looking like they are wearing smart evening clothes are magpies. My favourites. However, if you are choosy and support the underdog, perhaps I should say the underbird, most big birds steal food from smaller birds. Bigger birds survive and smaller ones disappear. Pretty obvious really.
I am a back garden bird watcher. I am short sighted and like the bigger birds because I can see them. However, I draw the line at predators. To my mind, eagles belong on banners. I am appalled that huge birds of prey which died out are being brought back into Britain and protected.
Green and Black Redhead Big Beak Birds
Little bright green birds which sit in trees are parrakeets. Fancy birds. Look like budges.
Woodpeckers
Middle size multi coloured green or black and red birds with big beaks which sit on tree trunks and spiral up and down tapping are, as their name so aptly says, woodpeckers. They are tapping to get at insects.
Grey Pigeons
Under city bridges those grey birds with big bellies sitting on signs asking you not to feed pigeons are - you guessed, pigeons.
In woods and gardens similar birds are the aptly named wood pigeons.
Seagulls
At the seaside bigger birds with yellow beaks hanging around looking longingly as your sandwiches are seagulls. They have long legs and big wings and big appetites.
When I did the garden and park bird watch in the UK I was sent a guide to identifying birds.
USA
I lived in the USA. Birds and trees seemed much the same. Just more of them.
Singapore flag
Singapore Birds
When we went to Singapore we met a totally different set of birds.
Our latest discovered is a tiny bird which squeaks and sings.
Singapore Singing Bird
From a distance a teeny bird on the balcony looks brown. Take a photo and enlarge it and you will see it had a contrast colour breast.
One friend on Facebook told us our bird was an olive-backed sunbird. I do like the name sunbird. So happy.
That curved beak, hollow resembling a drinking straw, is for sucking nectar.
UK Bird Watching
In the UK we have the bird watch in early spring. The R.S.P.B. organizes it. Go to their website and you will see much more scientific and detailed descriptions than the ones I have given. They listed wildlife as well as birds. They had a code for whether you saw the birds and animals daily, weekly, monthly, never. The well-designed questionnaire also included the vital 'don't know'.
Singapore Bird Watching
In Singapore they have another bird watching exercise based on the big Botanical Gardens.
Useful Websites
UK
RSPB
rspbshop.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/birdwatching/
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/
SINGAPORE
https://singaporebirds.com/
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/community-in-nature-initiative/nparks-garden-bird-watch
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/mygreenspace/issue-41-vol-2-2019/lifestyle/recreation-and-activities/identifying-the-sunbirds-of-singapore
USA
https://feederwatch.org/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/
FRANCE
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Annual-LPO-protection-oiseaux-garden-bird-count-in-France-this-weekend?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook
WORLDWIDE
http://www.birdwideweb.com/
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
UK
Starting with the UK where I grew up. In the UK everybody, inlcuding every child, can identify the red breasted robin because it appears on Christmas cards.
How many birds can you recognize?
I was surprised to find that even with only the most basic knowledge of birds I could identify at least ten.
1 The robin,
2 pigeon,
3 stork,
4 flamingo,
5 vulture,
6 eagle,
7 owl,
Another easily identified owl is the barn owl.
8 ostrich,
9 parrot,
10 budgerigar.
What about the big beaked toucan? We are now into 11.
11 Toucan
How about you? How do you compare with the rest of your family, of all ages?
I soon get to 15, adding
12 peacocks,
13 turkeys,
14 chickens and cocks.
15 magpies
I can identify a few more common birds in the garden, which I think are basic and obvious but which challenge the rest of the family, so I shall describe them here. If you know them all, you can teach them to your ignorant friends and family or gandchildren.
Black Birds
Black birds are small and easy to identify and name because they are black. Bigger black birds are likely to be of the crow or raven family. Hopping around on the ground, on the lawn, and f lying high to those tree top nests which you can see silhouetted when the leaves drop in winter.
Magpies
Black and white birds, looking like they are wearing smart evening clothes are magpies. My favourites. However, if you are choosy and support the underdog, perhaps I should say the underbird, most big birds steal food from smaller birds. Bigger birds survive and smaller ones disappear. Pretty obvious really.
I am a back garden bird watcher. I am short sighted and like the bigger birds because I can see them. However, I draw the line at predators. To my mind, eagles belong on banners. I am appalled that huge birds of prey which died out are being brought back into Britain and protected.
Green and Black Redhead Big Beak Birds
Little bright green birds which sit in trees are parrakeets. Fancy birds. Look like budges.
Woodpeckers
Middle size multi coloured green or black and red birds with big beaks which sit on tree trunks and spiral up and down tapping are, as their name so aptly says, woodpeckers. They are tapping to get at insects.
Grey Pigeons
Under city bridges those grey birds with big bellies sitting on signs asking you not to feed pigeons are - you guessed, pigeons.
In woods and gardens similar birds are the aptly named wood pigeons.
Seagulls
At the seaside bigger birds with yellow beaks hanging around looking longingly as your sandwiches are seagulls. They have long legs and big wings and big appetites.
When I did the garden and park bird watch in the UK I was sent a guide to identifying birds.
USA
I lived in the USA. Birds and trees seemed much the same. Just more of them.
Singapore flag
Singapore Birds
When we went to Singapore we met a totally different set of birds.
Our latest discovered is a tiny bird which squeaks and sings.
Singapore Singing Bird
From a distance a teeny bird on the balcony looks brown. Take a photo and enlarge it and you will see it had a contrast colour breast.
One friend on Facebook told us our bird was an olive-backed sunbird. I do like the name sunbird. So happy.
That curved beak, hollow resembling a drinking straw, is for sucking nectar.
UK Bird Watching
In the UK we have the bird watch in early spring. The R.S.P.B. organizes it. Go to their website and you will see much more scientific and detailed descriptions than the ones I have given. They listed wildlife as well as birds. They had a code for whether you saw the birds and animals daily, weekly, monthly, never. The well-designed questionnaire also included the vital 'don't know'.
Singapore Bird Watching
In Singapore they have another bird watching exercise based on the big Botanical Gardens.
Useful Websites
UK
RSPB
rspbshop.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/birdwatching/
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/
SINGAPORE
https://singaporebirds.com/
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/community-in-nature-initiative/nparks-garden-bird-watch
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/mygreenspace/issue-41-vol-2-2019/lifestyle/recreation-and-activities/identifying-the-sunbirds-of-singapore
USA
https://feederwatch.org/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/
FRANCE
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Annual-LPO-protection-oiseaux-garden-bird-count-in-France-this-weekend?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook
WORLDWIDE
http://www.birdwideweb.com/
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
