What sort of birds and animals should be in my area?

[Bethy]

I live in a small village on the outskirts of Barnsley. I see a lot of Sparrows, collerd doves and starlings. I have also seen a hedgehog once and some feild mice (victims of my cat and her friends, not the hedgehog, just the mice!) does anyone have any tips for how i can see more animals without having to arrange to go for walks in the countryside (i am 14 years old so i cant exactly drive somewhere)? I do have a little woodland nearby, but the only signs of life there are rabbit holes and a nasty bulldog who lives at a house there.

[diggleken]

Hi Bethy, just a very quick one from me - there are loads of ways to do what you want - but a few spring to mind - 1, get in touch with your local authority countryside service and get involved with them if they have a youth group, 2 find out your local wildlife group if there is one and 3, get someone to take you to Old Hall wetlands centre between barnsely and rotherham (its rspb - join the youth arm of that) and just start to enjoy watching and learning, go to your library or on line and read about wildlife, biodiversity and nature - it will all start to come as time gooes by!
The very best of luck -dont give up!
Ken

[Bethy]

I think ive been to Old Hall once before, but it was cold and wet and there was nothing there, so i gave up. I'm going to go again sometime in the summer with my grandad. I've got an RSPB membership, but i'm not sure when it expires. Thanks for that, i'll have a look round next time i go to the library.

[Tracey.A]

Hi Bethy,

have you had a look round your garden when it's starting to get dark? You might have bats visiting, they are a joy to watch You may well have foxes and badgers. Have you heard owls hooting? Wildlife is such an addictive learning curve. Ken's advice is excellent, sounds like you will be pretty busy Don't forget to look out for butterflies and moths, you'll see butterflies on warm sunny days and moths can be day flying or night flying. The library is a good place to start for wildlife books, mainly, because they're free Good luck and enjoy

Tracey

[ron1863]

Hi Bethy and welcome to WAB. Have to got bird feeders out? You could put peanuts out which may attract Squirrels and larger birds like Crows, Jays and Magpies. Good Luck.

[Kayleigh]

Hi Bethy good advice about putting different food out to see what you attract but please don't put whole peanuts out in Spring as the baby birds at this time of year could choke..
You can still put nuts out in a nut feeder..

[Bethy]

ive got a bird table out with suet feast things, fat balls, bird seed and peanuts in winter ( i make dad take them down in the spring) but reasentally the only birds i have seen are a few crows flying overhead and some blackbirds.

[Bethy]

I've seen a new bird in the garden, it's obviously a baby cos it iis fluffy, but i don't know what species it is, i thought it was a starling, but ive had them in the garden today and it's obviously not, it's a lot bigger. it's about twice the size of a starling, brown and fluffy, any ideas?

[Naturenutz]

its hard to say without a photo but it could be a thrush baby or blackbird baby if your sure its not a baby starling . Mistle thrushes are large but not the most likely .

[Bethy]

I tried to take a picture the other day, but couldn't find my camera, i will try again. i don't think it's a blackbird cos i saw it next to one the other day and it's bigger than them as well. i doubt it's a thrush as ive never seen one round here, but i suppose there's a first time for everything.