Catherine Brereton - RSPB Nature Guide: Birds

For Liz and Lucy, my birdwatching buddies, and for Tyra, who has all this to discover C. B. For Dad, thank you for all the lovely walks love Kate x BLOOMSBURY CHILDRENS BOOKS Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK This electronic edition published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY CHILDRENS BOOKS and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Text copyright Bloomsbury, 2020 Illustrations copyright Kate McLelland, 2020 Kate McLelland has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Illustrator of this work Published under licence from RSPB Sales Limited to raise awareness of the RSPB (charity registration in England and Wales no 207076 and Scotland no SC037654). For all licensed products sold by Bloomsbury Publishing Limited, Bloomsbury Publishing Limited will donate a minimum of 2% from all sales to RSPB Sales Ltd, which gives all its distributable profits through Gift Aid to the RSPB. All rights reserved
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-5266-0281-7 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-5266-1330-1 (eBook) To find out more about our authors and their books please visit www.bloomsbury.com where you will find extracts, author interviews and details of forthcoming events, and to be the first to hear about latest releases and special offers, sign up for our newsletters. CONTENTS BIRDS ARE EVERYWHERE! You can probably see some from your window right now, whether you live in a big city, a town or in the countryside. You can see birds in your garden, street or local park, or you can take a walk in a nearby wood, beside a river or along a beach. You can watch birds in your favourite local spot every day throughout the year. You can find places near you that are good for spotting birds, and you can visit places especially to see the bird life there. This book will help you recognise most of the birds you see around you, and find out about how they behave.

Be a birdwatcher There are lots of ways to enjoy birds. You can watch them on your own, with your friends and family, or join a group of bird fans. You can try to spot as many different birds as you can, or find out all about your favourites. You can draw them, photograph them, help to look after them and much more.Some people call it birdwatching, some people call it birding but whatever you call it, prepare to get hooked!A nature reserve with a lake is a great place for spotting birds. Birdwatchers code Be respectful of birds and their home. Remember, the birds interests come first!Try to be quiet, patient and still when watching birds. Dont disturb or frighten birds, dont get too close, and keep away from their nests.Never take birds eggs (it is against the law) or disturb nests.Follow the Countryside Code.

Ask permission before you go on to private land, and dont walk on farm crops. Make sure you shut gates behind you.Protect habitats. Dont drop litter, or pick or damage any plants. HABITATS A place where a bird lives is called its habitat. The right habitat will provide the right types of food and places to shelter and nest. Some birds can live in lots of habitats, while others can only live in certain habitats. Gardens and parks Gardens and parks are great places for birds to find food and water and somewhere to shelter and to nest.

Trees, bushes and other plants provide food and attract insects for birds to eat. Nesting places include trees, sheds, roofs and nest boxes!Find out how to encourage birds to come to your garden . Towns and cities Some birds are happy living in the middle of towns and cities in squares and car parks, under bridges and on roofs and ledges. They nest in buildings as well as in trees and bushes, making the most of every scrap of green space they can find. Fields and hedges Many wild birds live on farmland. They eat the weeds, insects and small animals that are found in fields, as well as leftover crops. Farms often have hedges, which contain lots of plants that birds like, and are brilliant places for them to nest, shelter and hide. Woods Woodlands are some of the richest bird habitats in Britain. Just one tree can support thousands of insects and make thousands of seeds, so its no surprise that woods are good places for birds.

With so many places to hide, it can be tricky to see birds in woodland, but listen out for calls and songs. Rivers and lakes All living things need water, and where theres a lot of water there are lots of birds! Some eat the many insects, fish and other small animals that are found in or near rivers and lakes. Some make their nests on islands and in vegetation at the waterside. Some swim on the water, some dive down underneath it, and some just live next to it. The seaside Some birds live at sea, nest on cliffs and feed on fish and other sea creatures. Others are found on beaches or estuaries, which are the flat, muddy areas where rivers meet the sea. These places are rich habitats where birds can find food such as insects and shellfish. Birds come and go as the tide goes in and out. Mountains and moorland Some birds only live high above most farms and towns.

The landscape may be huge stretches of heather moorland or conifer woodland with mountain streams. Many moorland birds are small and well camouflaged, so they are difficult to spot.