Information

The following pages provide background information on matters relating to garden birds and bird watching in general.

• Bathing, Preening & Bird Baths
  Why do birds bathe? Often it looks as if they enjoy splashing about as much as we do watching them, but there's an important reason for them to bathe regularly, and you can help. Find out also how you can provide birds with a safe place to drink and bathe.
• Binoculars & Spotting Scopes
  Buying your first pair of binoculars can be daunting when faced with the jargon, choice and prices. Further, a spotting scope is probably the largest investment you will make in bird watching equipment. This simple guide will explain some of the jargon and provide a little guidance.
• Caring for Birds
  That abandoned young bird's parents may not be too far away, so leave well alone unless it is in immediate danger. If it has been abandoned or you've found an injured bird, this article offers some guidance.
• Songs & Calls
  Someone, somewhere in the World is waking up to bird song right now. But why do birds sing and, more importantly, how do they do it?
• Bird Song Tutorials
  Some tutorials to help you learn the songs of some of our common garden birds.
• Feeding Birds
  Some people think feeding the birds is wrong, others disagree. Here are some of the issues for and against feeding birds.
• Eggs and Nestlings
  Egg collecting is illegal and immoral, but there's nothing to stop you learning about the miraculous life support system provided by the egg and how the nestling develops.
• Evolution
  There are dinosaurs in your garden! Well, at least one theory is that birds have evolved from prehistoric reptiles into the beautiful, diverse range of species we see today.
• Feathers
  Feathers are unique to birds, but how are they made and what are they made of? What gives them their colour? Also find out how and why birds change or moult their feathers.
• Flying
  A very few warm-blooded animals can fly, but birds are the most numerous. How do they fly? Learn about the physics of bird flight.
• Hearing
  Is a bird's hearing better than our own? In this article, you will learn about how and what birds can hear.
• Hygiene
  Birds can harbour all sorts of parasites and diseases. Find out what some of the illnesses are and how you can avoid personal health problems when working closely to them or where they have been.
• Life Expectancy
  How old is that Robin in your garden? Is it the same one that's been visiting for the last few years? Find out how long-lived some of your garden birds are.
• Migration  
  For many of the birds in our garden migration is a way of life and yet to us it seems a colossal undertaking. Read this article to find out how, when and why birds migrate.
• Predators
  Birds are killed by many different predators including other birds but cats and squirrels possibly annoy us the most. Here are a few ideas that may help to discourage them from your patch.
• Sight
  Do eagles have unusually keen sight? How do owls see in the dark? These questions and others are answered in this article.
• Smell
  How does a bird's sense of smell compare with our own? Find out by reading this article.
• Territory
  Why do birds have territories? How large are the territories? How they keep them? Read this article for the answers.
• Windows
  Why birds attack and fly into windows, and how to stop them.