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The robin – our favourite festive feathered friend

It’s no wonder the robin is the UK’s favourite bird, says the RSPB. They are easy to spot, with their handsome red breasts, they’re people-friendly and they provide us with beautiful birdsong pretty much all year round. However, Christmas is the time we really get to celebrate robins.  Stories about their association with the season … Read more

200th chick for pioneering Rutland Osprey Project

In July, the ground breaking Rutland Osprey Project celebrated a key milestone by releasing its 200th fledgling into the English skies. The Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust began the initiative 25 years ago in a bid to reintroduce this magnificent bird of prey to England and Wales, where they had been extinct for more than 150 years.

Five feathery signs that spring is here

The arrival of the spring equinox is a welcome reminder that winter is behind us and we have warmer weather and lighter evenings to look forward to. The changing of the season can also we seen as nature shows us green shoots, leaf buds on trees, blossom on blackthorn and the first buzzing of bees.  Another … Read more

*WIN* This CJ Wildlife garden bird feeder prize!

 * COMPETITION TIME * Win! This CJ WILDLIFE Garden Bird Feeding Prize – includes Hudson Seed Feeder, No Mess Seed Mix + Window ID Chart! We’ve teamed up with CJ Wildlife to offer one lucky winner this Garden Bird Feeding bundle (worth over £55!). This fantastic prize includes: A CJ Wildlife Hudson Seed Feeder This attractive wooden … Read more

What to look for when choosing a nest box

National Nest Box Week (14-21 February) is organised every year by the British Trust for Ornithology as a way to encourage more people to help birds find a suitable place to nest. Putting up a nest box in your garden will help our feathered friends through nesting season, which runs from March to August, by providing them with a clean, warm environment to lay their eggs and raise their chicks.

Gift ideas for a greener Christmas

Looking for festive gift inspiration that is sustainable, recycled and kind to the planet? We’ve selected our favourite gift ideas for those wishing for a greener Christmas…   Eco Recycled Bird Feeder/Cake Kit  Designed & manufactured in the UK, this Ashortwalk bird kit contains a feeder made from recycled yoghurt pots and a cake mix … Read more

A Christmas feast for your garden birds

Wildlife charity The RSPB has issued some guidelines to help us when feeding our garden birds over the festive season. Christmas may be different for many of us this year, but our garden birds will be just as hungry with less food around during winter. If you’d like to help our feathered friends this season, here’s … Read more

How to help robins with the RSPB

Britain’s favourite bird has long been associated with Christmas, but do you know how the mighty robin became iconic at this time of year? The robin’s association with the festive season is believed to have begun when scarlet-jacketed postmen started delivering Christmas cards during the mid-19th century. The robin redbreast soon became linked to this tradition, … Read more

First golden eagle in four decades for Highlands estate

A pair of golden eagles have successfully reared a chick at a rewilding estate in the Scottish Highlands for the first time in 40 years. Regarded by many as Scotland’s national bird, golden eagles had regularly been seen over the 10,000-acre Dundreggan Estate, near Loch Ness. But until now, there had been no sign of … Read more

Beautiful books for bird lovers

Birds in the Ancient World by Jeremy Mynott Published by Oxford University Press – £16.99 (new to paperback) Jeremy Mynott’s fascinating book explores the many different roles birds played in ancient Greek and Roman civilisations and how they impressed upon the imagination to influence the literature and art of the time. Using quotations from the … Read more

Help hedgehogs in your garden + WIN! A Seedball collection

It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week and to mark the occasion Seedball has collaborated with People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) to bring you their new Hedgehog Mix – specially created to produce a hedgehog friendly wildflower patch in your garden. All flowers in the mix – a blend of Birdsfoot Trefoil, Poppy, Red Clover, Self Heal, … Read more

Endangered penguin chicks hatch at Edinburgh Zoo

RZSS Edinburgh Zoo welcomed the first Northern rockhopper penguin chicks of the year when four new arrivals hatched earlier this week. Although currently closed to the public, the tiny chicks can be seen on the Zoo’s live webcams, where it is hoped more will appear over the coming weeks.  Dawn Nicoll, senior penguin keeper, said, … Read more

‘Extinct’ doves hatch at Birdworld

Great news to report from Birdworld in Surrey following the announcement that two chicks from an extinct in the wild bird species have hatched at the park. Birdworld has been home to the Socorro dove for the past seven years and currently has two pairs as part of a European captive breeding programme. There are … Read more

Watch wild birds live for wellbeing

Spring is a busy time of year for our wild birds who are currently nest building, looking after eggs and rearing their young.  For the opportunity to connect with nature and watch some of our native species, CJ Wildlife is offering a season of live nest box webcams to view from home. Take a front-row seat and … Read more

Good news for our smaller garden birds

The results for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch are in and reveal good news for smaller birds who were spotted in greater numbers in our gardens across the country this year. The wildlife survey, which takes place over the last weekend in January, attracts over half a million people of all ages with almost 8 … Read more

Puffin numbers stable despite last summer’s wash-out

A survey carried out by National Trust rangers found puffin numbers on the remote Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, are stable despite the heavy rainfall last summer. It was feared that the population would be affected after numerous burrows were flooded. At least 300 pufflings were lost after 5 inches (12cm) of rain fell … Read more

Lovebirds flock to Cotswold Wildlife Park ❤️

Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire has welcomed a new species of bird with a flock of magnificently coloured Black-Cheeked Lovebirds – just in time for Valentine’s Day. The name ‘Lovebird’ comes from the parrots’ strong, monogamous pair bonding and the long periods of time the birds spend sitting closely together.  Believed to be Africa’s most … Read more

What not to feed your garden birds this Christmas

Wildlife charity The RSPB has issued some guidelines to help us when feeding our garden birds during the festive season. If you are tempted to put out cooking fat from the Christmas roast, the advice given is not to. The cooled fat mixed with roasted meat juices can easily smear onto birds’ feathers and interfere … Read more

Breeding success for scarlet ibis in Devon

Famous for its bright red feathers, the scarlet ibis is one of the most striking birds in the world. Keepers at Paignton Zoo have successfully bred this colourful wading bird  – although the chicks are anything but scarlet at the moment. Originating from South America and the Caribbean, the scarlet ibis get their dazzling plumage from … Read more

Top tips for feeding garden birds during the heat

CJ Wildlife would like us to spare a thought for our garden birds this summer as they may be struggling to find essential food and water in the heat. Although most wild birds are well adapted and have several ways to regulate their body temperature, the heat still brings with it a number of problems … Read more

RSPB seek citizen scientists for ‘Puffarazzi’ project

The RSPB has launched a citizen science photography project to find out more about one of our best-loved seabirds. Puffarazzi is a ground-breaking project which will help scientists learn more about puffins and what they are feeding their chicks, known as pufflings. For this study, the RSPB would like visitors to puffin colonies around the … Read more