In the UK there are around 270 species of bee. One of these is the honeybee and 24 are bumblebees. These are known as social bees because they live in a colony comprising a queen, who lays all the eggs, and worker bees, who gather pollen and nectar for the grubs to eat. The rest are solitary bees, some of which are known as mining bees because they ‘mine’ into the ground to build their nests. Unlike bumblebees and honeybees, solitary bees nest individually so do not have any need for a queen and workers. They lay eggs in a series of individual chambers which they provision with nectar and pollen before they die – they never see their grubs. Some mining bees nest in huge aggregations so give the appearance of being social. However, each female bee has its own nest and lays her own eggs.

In gardens, mining bees nest in light or sandy, often sparsely vegetated soil in sunny, sheltered locations. This can include your lawn. If you have mining bees nesting in your lawn, don’t worry. Mining bees are typically active for just three weeks of the year, so tolerating them is a small inconvenience for having these wonderful insects making a home in your garden.

What are mining bees?

Mining bees are a type of solitary bee that ‘mines’ into the ground to make their nest chambers. Examples include ashy mining bee (Andrena cineraria), tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva) and ivy bee (Colletes hederae).

After a busy period of mating and egg-laying, the males and females die and everything goes quiet above ground. Beneath the surface, the eggs hatch into grubs, which eat the store of pollen and nectar the female has left for them. The grubs remain in the nest, where they grow and pupate into an adult bee. They overwinter in their nest, too – either as a grub, pupa or adult – and then emerge a whole year later, exactly the same time of year they started life as eggs.

How to identify mining bees

Mining bees nest in the ground, either individually or in large aggregations. Large aggregations will be obvious because there will be a lot of bees all buzzing around together – the ivy bee is an example of a mining bee that can nest in large aggregations. Others nest in smaller aggregations or individually in small holes at the edge of a garden border or beneath grass stems. Some leave small mounds of earth that resemble a volcano near the nest hole – if you sit close by for long enough you will see a bee entering or leaving the nest.

To identify mining bees to species, the best thing to do is take a photo of the bee and then compare it with images and other descriptive factors known as ‘keys’ in an identification guide on British solitary bees. Make sure you get a clear photo with all parts of the bee visible – parts of the body to get a clear image of include the tergites (abdominal sections), scopa (a ‘brush’ of hairs on the underside of the abdomen or hind legs), face shape and length of antennae. The time of year and location can help you in your search, as different species nest at different times of year and in different locations. And, as a rule of thumb, if you think you’ve found a rare bee in your garden, you’ve probably got the wrong ID!

Common types of mining bees

A black and greyish bee the size of a honey bee. Both sexes have a band of greyish hairs at the top and bottom of the thorax, and a patch of grey hairs on the face. The abdomen is black. Males are smaller than females with less defined grey bands, and additional whitish hairs along the thorax.

Flying from March to June, females collect nectar and pollen from a variety of spring flowers such as apple, pear, cherry, willow, blackthorn, dandelions and buttercups. Females make burrows 10-20cm deep in bare soil, sometimes in small aggregations. Look out for a heap of soil near the burrow entrance.

One of our more distinctive solitary bees, the tawny mining bee is a gingery red (tawny) bee. Females are about the same size as a honeybee and have dense, dark hairs. Males are smaller and have less dense hairs and a white patch on the face. They fly from late March to June and nest in sparsely vegetated ground such as lawns, typically in aggregations. Look out for volcano-like mounds near the entrance hole.

They feed on spring-flowering fruit trees like cherry, pear and apple.

A recent arrival to the UK, the ivy bee was first recorded in the UK in 2001, and is now found in much of Southern England and Wales, and the Channel Islands. It looks similar to a honey bee but has distinct black and yellow stripes on its abdomen. It flies late, from September to November, and feeds mainly on the nectar of ivy flowers. It nests in large aggregations in light or sandy soil in full sun.

Frequently asked questions

Do mining bees nest in bee hotels?

No. Bee hotels are designed for use by cavity nesting solitary bees, not mining bees. However, you could experiment by making a ‘bee bank‘ using sand, which can encourage mining bees like the ivy bee to start a colony.

Do mining bees mine?

Mining bees burrow into the soil and create tunnels, or chambers, in which they lay eggs. These tunnels can help to aerate the soil and aid drainage.

Do mining bees sting?

Only female bees have a sting. While female mining bees do have a sting, they are much less likely to sting you than bumblebees and honeybees because they don’t have a large nest to protect – they just want to get on with laying eggs so it’s extremely unlikely they will bother you.

Are mining bees a problem?

Some gardeners would prefer mining bees not to nest in their lawn. However, it’s important to remember that bees are an important part of the garden ecosystem and we need them to pollinate our food. Mining bees are usually active for around three weeks of the year, so tolerating them for this short time will be beneficial to your garden and the wider landscape.

How can I get rid of mining bees?

Mining bees really aren’t a problem in gardens and should be tolerated for the short time they are nesting. Learning to identify them and getting to know them may actually help you not only tolerate them but also enjoy them, as they and their activities are fascinating to watch and a good marker of the seasons. If you really can’t tolerate them in your lawn, the easiest way to stop them nesting is to let the grass grow long during the period when they start to emerge. As they typically prefer short grass, letting it grow long may encourage them to nest elsewhere.

Can I mow the lawn when mining bees are nesting?

Mining bees prefer to nest in short lawns and areas of bare soil, but running a lawn mower over them could harm them so it’s best to wait until they have finished. Mining bees are active for only around three weeks, so you won’t have to wait long before you can mow your lawn again.

Do hedgehogs hibernate?

Hedgehogs are one of the few mammals that truly hibernate. During hibernation they look like they’re asleep but they’re actually in a state of torpor, dropping their body temperature to slow down bodily functions and save energy. During hibernation hedgehogs don’t eat or drink, relying instead on stored body fat. It’s therefore important that hedgehogs eat as much as possible before hibernation to help them survive winter – those that don’t gain enough weight before autumn can’t hibernate. These individuals are often found during the day and need taking to a rescue centre immediately.

Where do hedgehogs hibernate?

Hedgehogs hibernate in dry, sheltered, out-of-the-way places such as in log and leaf piles, large open compost heaps, and in the spaces beneath sheds. They may also choose a well-placed hedgehog house. If you have a hedgehog house, avoid checking it as any disturbance may disturb the hedgehog and result in it losing energy or having to find a new place to rest.

Hedgehogs never hibernate in an exposed place. If you find a hedgehog out in the open that appears to be sleeping or hibernating then it will almost certainly be very sick and will need taking to a rescue centre immediately. Using gloves, pick up the hedgehog and pop it in a high-sided box with a towel in the bottom and keep it warm – use a covered hot water bottle if necessary. Call your local rescue centre immediately.

When do hedgehogs hibernate?

Hedgehogs typically hibernate from October to March, although in mild winters they can be active into November and December, and some may not hibernate at all. Those that do hibernate may not do so constantly – it’s perfectly normal for them to move to a different hibernation site during the hibernation period. Having said that, it’s important not to disturb a hibernating hedgehog. Any disturbance will cause hedgehogs to use up energy reserves which they may not be able to replace as natural sources of food, such as beetles and caterpillars, are scarce in winter.

How long do hedgehogs hibernate for?

Hedgehogs can hibernate for a few weeks to a few months, depending on the condition they’re in when they go into hibernation, the ambient temperature, or whether or not they’re disturbed. It’s not unusual for hedgehogs to come out of hibernation in mid-winter and then go back into hibernation, often in a new spot. The main thing we gardeners can do is ensure there is plenty of food for them to eat if and when they wake up.

What can you do in your garden for hibernating hedgehogs?

The main thing to do for hibernating hedgehogs in your garden is to ensure they aren’t disturbed. Take care when gardening, particularly in wilder areas and around your compost heap and shed, as you could unwittingly disturb or harm a hibernating hog.

If you do accidentally disturb a hibernating hedgehog, immediately cover it back up with leaves. Leave out some supplementary food and water in case it wakes up and needs the energy to find a new nest and return to hibernation.

If you feed hedgehogs using a feeding station, it’s a good idea to keep leaving a small amount of supplementary food out so the hedgehogs have something to eat if they emerge from hibernation. Simply leave a small handful of kitten biscuits in a clean dish with a covering such as a saucer on top. The saucer will stop mice eating the food but will be no problem for a hedgehog to move out of the way. Check your feeding station every few days and top it up if the food has been eaten. Uneaten food should be discarded and replaced once a week.

Otherwise, make sure you have the ideal hibernating habitats for hedgehogs in your garden. Create a log or leaf pile, or open compost heap in a quiet part of the garden. For those emerging from hibernation in spring, ensure there’s plenty of natural food such as worms, beetles and caterpillars. This means having as many natural areas in the garden as possible, with native plants that moths can lay their eggs on. You can also provide supplementary food to give them an extra helping hand.

If you see a hedgehog out during the day in autumn or winter or are concerned about a hedgehog, please call your nearest rescue centre immediately for advice. Use gloves to pick the hedgehog up and place it in a high-sided box with a towel in the bottom, and a covered hot water bottle to keep it warm. If you don’t know the details of your nearest rescue centre, call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890801 and they will put you in touch with a rescue centre if necessary.

What do hedgehogs eat?

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) eats a variety of invertebrate food such as worms, insects (particularly beetles), caterpillars and small slugs. They will also sometimes eat carrion such as roadkill, frogs, small rodents, and birds’ eggs.

Do hedgehogs eat slugs and snails?

Hedgehogs do eat slugs and snails but not as many as we gardeners would like them to! Hedgehogs have small mouths so large slugs and snails are generally avoided. What’s more, slugs and snails often carry the parasitic worm lungworm, which can infect a hedgehog’s lungs and potentially make them very ill and even kill them. It’s therefore best for hedgehogs that our gardens have a balanced natural supply of beetles, caterpillars, worms and other invertebrates to choose from.

Do hedgehogs eat fruit?

Hedgehogs do not have a cecum, a pouch in the digestive tract used to digest plant material. Fruits and vegetable matter therefore pass through their gut quickly, without providing any nutrition. This means hedgehogs might eat bananas, strawberries, pumpkins, apples or any other fruit or vegetables, but they can not digest them, so they are useless to them. Indeed, these foods may give hedgehogs an upset tummy, which can cause dehydration.

What do hedgehogs drink?

Hedgehogs drink water. They will drink naturally from ponds with sloping sides, or from bird baths placed on the ground. They also benefit from additional water placed in water bowls near a source of food.

It was once thought that hedgehogs enjoyed milk. While they will drink milk, milk can give hedgehogs an upset tummy, which can dehydrate them.

What to feed hedgehogs in your garden

The best way to feed hedgehogs in your garden is to ensure there’s a good variety of natural food such as beetles and caterpillars. This means creating habitats such as log and leaf piles, large open compost heaps, native shrubs and long grass. Never use slug pellets or any other insecticide that’s designed to kill insects, as this will remove natural food for hedgehogs and could also harm hedgehogs that eat any infected food.

If you want to supplement their diet then dog or cat food is best, ideally dry kitten biscuits which are designed for small mouths. Food that claims to be designed specifically for hedgehogs is available but isn’t necessarily best for them – unlike pet food, wild animal food isn’t regulated and can therefore contain anything, including honey, fruit, seeds, nuts, fruit or mealworms, which aren’t safe for hedgehogs to eat. Always check the label on hedgehog food and ensure the main ingredient is meat, and that there’s no honey, seeds, nuts, fruit, mealworms or calci worms included. Cat and dog food has been rigorously tested and is safe and nutritious for hedgehogs. It’s usually much cheaper to buy than hedgehog food.

How to make a hedgehog feeding station

Leaving food out for hedgehogs can attract them into the garden but it can also attract other animals, such as cats, foxes and mice. By making a hedgehog feeding station, you can ensure only hedgehogs are eating the food you leave out for them.

Hedgehog feeding stations are simply a box with a hedgehog-sized entrance hole that prevents other animals from getting in. It often includes a tunnel system that prevents cats from swiping the food and disturbing the hedgehogs, and usually has a heavy brick on top to prevent foxes from gaining access. You can buy ready made hedgehog feeding stations or make your own, using either a plastic or wooden box. Plastic storage boxes work well as they often come with a lid so you can make the hole and create a self-contained feeding station that’s easy to clean. Wooden boxes (or plastic boxes without a lid) can simply be turned upside down and the ‘base’ of the feeding station is the ground.

You will need:

• A plastic or wooden box
• Strong scissors or jig saw
• Ruler and pencil
• Strong tape or sand paper
• A brick
• Small but heavy ceramic bowls for food

Step 1

Choose where you want the hole and measure it out, using the ruler and pencil. Aim for a hole around 13cm x 13cm.

Step 2

Depending on whether you have a plastic or wooden box, use the scissors or jig saw to carefully cut out a hole around 13cm square. Sand away any splinters or use tape to cover them if using plastic.

Step 3

Position your box in place, ideally in a quiet part of the garden. If the box has a base, line it with newspaper and place the food at the far end of the box. Alternatively, use bricks to make a ‘wall’ or ‘tunnel’ that the hedgehogs can travel along but which will prevent a cat from getting to the food.

Step 4

Place a heavy brick on top of the box to prevent the box being moved by a fox.

Please note: the hedgehog used in this photoshoot is a rescue that was not able to be released back into the wild due to injury, and was allowed to be photographed under strict supervision from the rescue centre. Visit our page on helping hedgehogs for advice on what to do if you see a hedgehog out during the day.

What to avoid giving hedgehogs

Avoid feeding hedgehogs bread and milk. Both of these are bad for hedgehogs – the milk can upset their tummy, which leads to dehydration, while the bread fills them up without providing them with any nutrients.

Mealworms, seeds and nuts, including sunflower seeds and peanuts, are found in bird food and are sometimes added to hedgehog food mixes. They are not safe to feed to hedgehogs because they have high levels of phosphorus and low levels of calcium, which leads to brittle bones and fractures known as Metabolic Bone Disease. Most hedgehogs found with Metabolic Bone Disease have to be put down. If you feed garden birds then fix a tray beneath your feeders so the food doesn’t spill on to the ground, which may then be eaten by hedgehogs at night. If you buy ‘hedgehog food’ then read the list of ingredients to ensure none of the above foods is included in the mix.

Other ingredients sometimes added to ‘hedgehog food’ include honey, sugar, cereal and fruit. These are useless to hedgehogs because they can’t be digested, and can cause tooth decay. Some mixes contain a mealworm alternative called ‘calci worms’ which are said to contain more calcium than mealworms and are therefore considered ‘safe’ for hedgehogs. This has not been proven so why take the risk? Feeding them a scientifically balanced meal, such as cat or dog food, is best.

Watching birds feeding, displaying and collecting nest material in the garden is the most wonderful way to connect with the natural world. Whether you are listening to chiffchaffs singing while you are weeding the borders in spring or watching redwings feeding in the snow, birds bring life and joy to our gardens throughout the year.

Attracting birds into the garden is straightforward and is as much about what you don’t do as what you do. Avoid using insecticides and herbicides, leave trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers to mature, create plenty of areas with good undergrowth cover and allow herbaceous plant material to stand overwinter. If you create a garden that supports healthy soil and encourages biodiverse insect populations, it will also be good for mammals, amphibians and birds. Growing plants with berries, fruits and seeds is also important, and can be supplemented by providing good quality bird food.

Provide the right conditions for our feathered friends to feed, shelter and nest – and they will come.

Common garden birds in the UK

This gregarious garden bird often nests in holes in buildings or in grouped nest boxes on house walls. The male has a streaked brown back, brown head and neck, with a grey cap and black bib. Females and juveniles are less distinctly marked, with streaky backs and no bib. House sparrows feed on seeds and grains in autumn and winter, but in spring they need access to a plentiful supply of small invertebrates to feed their developing chicks. Although still among the most common birds in UK gardens, house sparrow populations have significantly declined in the past 50 years.

With its blue cap and wings, this charming, colourful tit is a familiar sight in many gardens. Feeding on peanuts and sunflower hearts at garden feeders, the adults collect caterpillars and other insects to feed to their young in spring and early summer. Blue tits commonly nest in garden bird boxes which mimic holes in trees – their natural nest sites. In winter they travel through woods and gardens in groups, often with other tits and small birds such as goldcrests.

Starlings are striking birds – black with white, green and blue iridescent markings that become more prominent in winter. They gather in large flocks to feed and roost. At dusk they fly in huge synchronised ‘murmurations’ thought to offer protection for individuals within the flock from avian predators such as peregrine falcons. They visit garden bird feeders in winter and feed on invertebrates in summer. Groups of starlings can sometimes be seen picking leatherjackets (cranefly larvae) out of lawns. They can often be heard whistling and singing – starlings are wonderful mimics. Unfortunately, the UK’s breeding population has declined by more than 50 per cent in the past 25 years.

The ubiquitous woodpigeon is actually a remarkably attractive bird with a soft pink breast, blue-grey head and white neck patch. It is the UK’s largest pigeon, and pairs nest year-round, although their main breeding season is in the summer. Woodpigeons eat insects and a wide range of plant material. They can be seen in parks, gardens, woodland and fields all across the UK.

Male blackbirds are black with a yellow beak and yellow eye-rings, while females are brown and speckled, rather like a song thrush, though the speckles are not as distinctive on a female blackbird. Blackbirds eat mainly invertebrates and fruit. They tend to nest in between forked branches in shrubs, trees and climbers, so areas in gardens with mature, dense planting are ideal for these common thrushes. You might hear snatches of blackbird subsong in winter before the breeding season gets underway, then male blackbirds start singing with gusto around the beginning of March – a beautiful sound that heralds the arrival of spring. In some milder regions of the UK, however, the full song can be heard as early as December, possibly due in part to warmer winters as a result of climate change.

Fiercely territorial, the robin sings throughout the year, and its trickling song is thought to sound more mournful in winter. Robins are ground feeders, so they tend to come to bird tables rather than hanging feeders, and prefer seed mixes and sunflower hearts to peanuts. You can also spot them searching for worms on lawns. Males and females look alike, and juveniles are brown and spotty without the red chest of the adults. Robins are fearsome fighters among their own kind, but often follow gardeners around to catch invertebrates that are unearthed during digging. Sometimes garden robins become quite tame.

The goldfinch is an exquisite garden bird with a red face, white cheeks, black cap and golden bars on the wings. They usually visit in flocks called charms, and the first you hear is their tinkling call, like a shaking of tiny bells. These small finches are seed feeders and they’re attracted to sunflower hearts and nyger seeds. In autumn and winter, they feed in meadows and gardens on seeds from plants such as lavender, teasel, knapweed and Verbena bonariensis.

Larger than the blue tit and with greeny-yellow wings, a yellow breast, black head and black stripe down the breast, the great tit is a common sight in gardens, both on hanging feeders and in deciduous trees. Males and females look similar, but males can be distinguished by their more obvious black stripe. Like blue tits, great tits often nest in bird boxes around the garden and start laying eggs around late March to early April. Their main call is easily distinguished with its see-sawing ‘teacher teacher teacher’ repetition, but they also have a wide range of other songs and calls.

Magpies are doing well in urban areas and you can’t ignore their noisy chattering and bickering when they gather in flocks to roost for the night. Males and females are similar in appearance. Males are a little larger, but the size difference is not significant enough to be a reliable identification feature. Magpies might look merely black and white at first glance, but their plumage has a blue iridescent sheen which takes on a greeny hue down the long tail. They can be seen in and around gardens throughout the year.

This adorable small British bird can be seen bouncing through the branches in garden trees and shrubs in pairs during the breeding season and in flocks, sometimes called voleries, in winter. As their name suggests, they have long, narrow tails, longer than their bodies, and white, black and creamy-pink plumage. As well as insects, they also eat peanuts and fat at garden feeders. Long-tailed tits start nest building as early as the beginning of February, constructing intricate domed nests made of lichen, moss and spiders’ webs and lined with around 1,500 feathers.

For such a tiny bird, the wren has an extremely powerful voice and you can often hear it singing and trilling while the secretive singer remains hidden in the undergrowth. If you get a glimpse of this fast-moving bird, you’ll see it has a brown barred body, with the barring especially visible on the wings and tail, a white stripe over the eye and a cocked tail. They have one or two broods of chicks and nest in dense vegetation or open-fronted nest boxes.

The dunnock is a common garden bird about the size of a robin. Although these small brown and grey birds are often overlooked, they have a sweet warbling song. You’ll notice they move with an upright stance as they shuffle along the ground. Primarily insectivores, you may see dunnocks beneath feeding stations, eating seeds that other birds have dropped.

Collared doves were first recorded breeding in the UK during the 1950s, having spread across Europe from Asia and Turkey in the early twentieth century. These attractive doves are now common in UK gardens, especially in rural areas. They’re smaller than a wood pigeon and grey-pink in colour with a narrow black half-collar around the back of the neck. Collared doves nest in evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and climbers, making a rudimentary platform of sticks upon which they lay two white eggs. They mainly eat seeds and can be seen feeding under seed feeders. In summer they also eat insects, while berries provide extra sustenance in autumn.

With its characteristic repeated song phrases, spotty breast and habit of smashing snails open on stones, the song thrush is a familiar bird to many gardeners. Sadly, this may not be the case for much longer as its breeding population has dropped by around half since the late 1960s, most likely as a result of habitat loss causing food shortages, especially for young birds. The song thrush is slightly smaller than a blackbird and lacks the red underwings and pale stripe above the eye of the redwing. They are more often seen in gardens than the related mistle thrush, which is bigger and has more distinct markings on the breast.

Greenfinches are commonly seen at garden feeders eating sunflower seeds. Recently, numbers have been seriously affected by Trichomonosis – a parasite-induced disease that causes deaths and that is passed from an infected bird to other birds at feeders. It can affect many species, including house sparrows, great tits and other finches. For this reason, it’s important to clean bird feeders regularly. With their colourful green-yellow plumage and sturdy beaks, greenfinches are easily recognisable in the garden. They have a twittering song which ends in a long wheeze, and often nest in evergreen shrubs.

The redwing is a small thrush with a brown back and creamy breast streaked with brown, rather like a song thrush. It has a creamy stripe above the eye and an orange-red patch under each wing which is particularly visible in flight. This delightful thrush arrives in the UK around October from Scandinavia, the Faroes and Iceland to feast on ripe berries and fruit, and returns to its breeding grounds in spring. Redwings sometimes visit gardens looking for food, especially in periods of very cold weather. Planting berried shrubs and trees, and leaving windfall fruit on the ground, helps redwings and other birds survive over the winter.

Although you might think woodpeckers wouldn’t visit gardens, they can often be seen at bird feeders, feasting on peanuts, mealworms and suet. When they’re not taking advantage of food offered in gardens, these distinctive woodpeckers hammer holes in trees to find insects such as beetle grubs. About the size of a starling, the great spotted woodpecker is primarily black and white, with a red patch under the tail. Juveniles have red crowns and males have red on the back of the neck which enables identification of the sexes.

When we put out food for garden birds, we inadvertently create a feeding station for predators such as sparrowhawks. These small but powerful raptors often fly low over walls and fences, swooping in at speed to catch prey like tits and finches from garden feeders. The good news is that sparrowhawk predation doesn’t appear to have a significant effect on overall population numbers, and they are magnificent birds to watch with their pale breasts with conspicuous barring, yellow eyes and sharp talons. Male sparrowhawks are smaller than females, with a blue-grey back. Females and juveniles have dark brown backs, darker barring on the breast and a white stripe above the eye.

Feral pigeons are commonly seen in gardens, often moving around in small flocks. Their wild ancestor, the rock dove, is now found only in coastal areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the feral pigeon can be seen across the whole of the UK. Feral pigeons eat mostly grain and seeds, and will eat wild flower seeds. They nest in cavities in buildings, on ledges and anywhere else that resembles the nooks and crannies in rock faces favoured by their wild cousins. Their plumage varies widely from the grey, black and green form similar to the rock dove, to white birds and mixes of white, grey and brown.

Jackdaws are the smallest members of the crow family in the UK. The adults are black with grey around the back of the neck and pale irises. These sociable birds can sometimes be seen foraging in gardens – you might hear their loud ‘Jack Jack’ calls. They feed on a wide range of scraps, grains, fats, fruits, invertebrates and even small mammals. They will also eat other birds’ eggs if they can find them. Jackdaws breed in colonies, choosing to build their nests in holes in buildings, trees or even chimneys. They’re doing well in the UK – a recent survey showed a sixty per cent increase over 20 years.

Blackcaps are easily identified by their crowns, which are black in males and brown in females and juveniles. Both males and females have pale grey bodies with grey-brown wings. Blackcaps have a melodic song and they breed in shrubby undergrowth. Blackcap song is similar to that of the garden warbler, but these two species look very different and garden warblers are less likely to be found in gardens, despite their name, as they require woodland and dense scrub. In autumn the blackcaps that spend summer in the UK migrate to southern Europe, but in recent years their place has been taken by other birds from central Europe that spend the winter here, largely as a result of supplementary feeding in gardens. Look out for blackcaps visiting bird feeders from mid to late winter.

Chiffchaffs usually arrive in early March from North Africa and the Mediterranean, although some birds are now overwintering in the UK, most likely as a result of milder winters due to climate change. These greeny-yellow warblers look very similar to willow warblers, but have a completely different song. Willow warblers have a sweet descending melody, while chiffchaffs sing their names over and over: ‘chiff-chaff chiff-chaff’. They’re more likely to be seen in gardens than willow warblers, which are more often seen in open woodland. As insectivores, chiffchaffs don’t visit seed feeders. Instead, they can be seen flitting about in trees eating flies, aphids and caterpillars.

Smaller than both great tits and blue tits, the coal tit has a black head with white cheeks and a prominent white patch at the back of the neck. It has a buff body and blue-grey wings. Coal tits feed on conifer seeds and also visit seed feeders. In the winter, these little birds often join flocks of other tits moving through the countryside looking for food. These small British birds nest in holes in trees, often in conifers, and rarely use nest boxes.

These attractive little finches sometimes visit gardens in small groups during the winter to feast at seed feeders. The male is green with a black crown, chin and wing patches, and a yellow-green breast. Females are streaky grey-green and lack the black crown of the male. Siskins eat tree seeds, such as birch, alder, pine and spruce, and add insects to their diet in summer. They tend to visit gardens in the New Year, especially in years when the Sitka spruce seed crop is meagre and in periods of wet weather when cones close up, restricting access to seeds.

Female chaffinches have greeny-brown plumage with white patches on the wings, while males have bright orange heads and bodies, a blue-grey crown and nape, and brown back. Chaffinches are ground feeders, often seen below bird tables eating the seeds which other birds have dropped. Chaffinches nest in trees and shrubs, and need a good supply of insects in summer to feed both adults and chicks. This beautiful finch is a common garden bird, but there have been sharp population declines since 2012, possibly due to the parasite-induced disease, Trichomonosis. As with greenfinches, the best way to help chaffinches is to ensure that garden feeders are regularly cleaned.