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With so many people reporting sightings of unusual birds in their gardens - and observing some pretty odd behaviour - I'm struggling to entice anything other than pigeons to my plot. I don't know if I should even take part in this year's RSPB Big

the wiser.I only get pigeons regularly visiting my garden. Last winter I made efforts to entice smaller, hungrier birds, and managed to attract a desperate pair of wagtails, a blackbird, a robin and a blue tit. They disappeared as soon as the ice thawed

's Big Garden Birdwatch – from a safe distance. It might be quite dull, as most other birds have now found pastures new, but if anything dares encroach on Our Sid's territory, there will be quite a show.The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011 takes place

down into 10 categories based on the best wildlife-friendly garden features, the audit invites you to rate your garden's value to wildlife. All you need to do is tick the description that best matches your garden and tot up the results at the end

It's easy to consider bees and birds when gardening – we see plenty of them if we grow the right plants – but what about bats? Emerging from their roosts at dusk and returning by dawn, they can often go unnoticed.My partner is a huge fan of bats

Last winter, when I went to great trouble to feed the birds in my garden, my offerings were largely ignored. This winter, I'm trying again, leaving seeds, chopped apples and suet pellets for ground-feeding birds such as robins, blackbirds

about the creatures I’ve created a ‘safe’ haven for.The UK is home to approximately 10.3 million cats. Together, they kill more than 200 million wild creatures each year, according to some estimates, including threatened dormice and bats. A two

other calls they make (listen here) - pretty nondescript to be honest.Finally, as my friend will hopefully now be able to identify the voice of his tormentor, so should our beloved garden birds. The sparrowhawk's call is shrill and cold, though may also

of the reasons cited for such declines is a lack of insect food. While sparrows and starlings have adapted to use garden bird feeders, insects form a large part of their diet and their young are almost exclusively fed on insects. And you'll never find swifts

bumblebees to nest in my garden, despite providing them with a good source of food throughout the year. Last summer several bumblebees grew fond of one of my bird boxes and would pop inside to shelter from the sun, so I’m hopeful some might nest