Table of contents for April 2021 in Bird Watching

If lockdowns have taught us anything, it’s the value of our gardens, balconies or the nearby parks in which we’ve taken our daily exercise. Many of us have got to know our garden wildlife much better, but if you’ve only just got the bug for back garden birding, you’ll love our free 24-page supplement. Over time, of course, you get to know what to expect... or you think you do. But as Ruth Miller points out this month, sometimes the best birding experiences involve seeing familiar species in unfamiliar surroundings. Reed Bunting (above) is one for me – they’ve surprised me by turning up in my parents’ suburban garden, and on high moorland (along with Grasshopper Warbler). And that’s what birdwatching, and Bird Watching, are all about – celebrating surprises…

RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare 1 SPOONBILL Spoonbills used to be amazing-looking fantasy birds from every Old Skool field guide. Something to be dreamt about, with accompanying text sometimes promising that they may one day colonise the UK. Welcome to the future, folks. Spoonbills now breed (in tiny numbers) in places like north Norfolk, and are on the ‘expected’ list at many coastal sites in the east of the England (found throughout the winter in some). Come mid-April, they may be on the move, and can drop in anywhere (or at least any shallow wetland site) for a wash, drink and feed. That said, getting action out of a Spoonbill is an extra treat, as these big white beauties are notorious…

Find the location closest to your destination and add or subtract the hours and minutes from the high tide time at London Bridge, below. SOUTH WEST Weston-Super-Mare (+5:05) Barnstaple (+4:30) Newquay (+3:32) Falmouth (+3:30) Plymouth (+4:05) Torquay (+4:40) Bournemouth (-5:09)* Portland (+4:57) St Peter Port (+4:53) Swanage (-5:19)* Portsmouth (-2:29) Southampton (-2:53) SOUTH EAST Ryde (-2:29) Brighton (-2:51) Eastbourne (-2:48) Dungeness (-3:05) Dover (-2:53) Margate (-1:52) Herne Bay (-1:24) Southend-on-sea (-1:22) Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) EAST ANGLIA Felixstowe Pier (-2:23) Aldeburgh (-2:53) Lowestoft (-4:23) Cromer (+4:56) Hunstanton (+4:44) WALES Colwyn Bay (-2:47) Holyhead (-3:28) Barmouth (-5:45) Aberystwyth (-6:11) Fishguard (+5:44) Swansea (+4:42) Milford Haven (+4:37) Cardiff (+5:15) NORTH WEST Whitehaven (-2:30) Douglas (-2:44) Morecambe (-2:33) Blackpool (-2:50) NORTH EAST Skegness (+4:29) Grimsby (+4:13) Bridlington (+2:58) Whitby (+2:20) Hartlepool (+1:59) Blyth (+1:46) Berwick…

It’s very, very simple – we challenge YOU to see 200 species of bird during 2021. YOU set your own restrictions – birds seen on your patch, in your county, or bird club area, across the whole UK, or beyond. YOU decide what and what not to tick. YOU shape it to suit your lifestyle, location, lockdown restrictions, etc. For example, count subspecies, to make the target more attainable. Or only count birds you’ve photographed, if you’ve found it too easy before. For all of us, the start of 2021 has been dominated by lockdown – birdwatching has been pretty much restricted to what we can see from our houses, in our gardens, on our daily walks, and for some of us, while leaving the house for work, etc. But…

CAMPFIELD MARSH RSPB, CUMBRIA Excellent for Lapwings (plus Curlew and Dunlin), but Golden Plovers are always possible too, along with Grey Plovers on the shoreline. SOUTHPORT, LANCASHIRE Marshside RSPB is a good place to start looking, but there are plenty of sites nearby, with Grey Plovers possible from the town’s promenade. MENAI STRAIT, NORTH WALES There are a number of good wader roosting sites along the Strait, while Anglesey offers excellent feeding for Lapwings and Golden Plovers. BURRY PORT, CARMARTHENSHIRE See last issue’s Go Birding section for details – this is an easily viewed estuary that gets a good variety of wader species, including our three targets. TAW AND TORRIDGE ESTUARIES, DEVON These extensive estuaries are a great place to look for all three species, and not just at reserves…

In 1938, British ornithologist Reginald Moreau discovered a new species of warbler in the Kinole Forest of what is now Tanzania. He gave it the scientific name Scepomycter winifredae, the second part being derived from his wife’s first name. It became known as Mrs Moreau’s Warbler, or sometimes Winifred’s Warbler. He couldn’t use his own surname in there, as seven years previously, he had discovered another warbler species in broadly the same region, and had given it the scientific name Artisornis moreaui. It’s now better known as the Long-billed Forest Warbler, and is also sometimes called the Long-billed Tailorbird. Moreau, who was also a long-time editor of the journal Ibis, and his wife spent long periods of their married life in Africa, and such was their love of ornithology and…

POSTCODE: PH26 3NW GRID REF: NJ 047 196 MAPS: OS Explorer 417, OS Landranger 36 PARKING: Follow Causer Road eastwards out of Nethy Bridge for 3 miles and park at the junction of a minor lane signposted to Dorback Lodge TERRAIN: Mostly level ground on unmade tracks. The metaled lanes to the lodge is suitable for those with mobility issues and affords good views across the bog ACCESSIBILITY: Year round access on public footpaths FACILITIES: Full range of facilities in nearby Nethy Bridge…

POSTCODE: CT4 6DN GRID REF: TR 137 441 MAPS: OS Explorer 125, OS Landranger 189 PARKING: Park in the Forestry Commission car park south of Mockbegger Lane just east of the Sixmile junction with Stone Street TERRAIN: A combination of rough tracks and surfaced lanes on mostly level and gently sloping ground but muddy after rain ACCESS: Open access on well-marked public rights of way throughout FACILITIES: None on site. The George Inn on Stone Street at Sixmile Bottom is highly recommended…

Birds on the Brink is a conservation grant-awarding charity (Charity No: 1188009) that owns the competition Bird Photographer of the Year. Grants are awarded to projects that support bird conservation, typically offering between £200 and £1,000 to small groups or individuals carrying out grassroots conservation work that has measurable impact. It was borne of a passion for wildlife and in particular birds, and is a response to the seemingly unstoppable process of human environmental exploitation and biodiversity’s steady progression towards extinction. At its heart there is a recognition that all is not yet lost and Birds on the Brink aims to inspire people to care using striking imagery – to capture the imagination and thereby nurture interest and compassion. Bird Watching magazine is proud to support conservation and money generated…

SOUTH WEST Highlights In association with Once again, the Sociable Lapwing was the star attraction in locked down Cornwall, for at least the Bude locals to enjoy. The Kentish Plover was still overwintering at Huntspill, not far from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset. AVON CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: A Mandarin was still in Clevedon and the Goosander count on the Blind Yeo reached 24. Up to 16 Avocets were logged around the estuary of the Yeo on several dates – they are getting to be more usual. Wader flocks at the Axe, Uphill reached 85 Oystercatchers, 250 Lapwing and 235 Redshank, while maxima at Clevedon-Yeo were 50 Grey Plover, 300 Curlew, 30 Knot, 4,000 Dunlin and 350 Redshank. The Spotted Redshank remained, and a Grey Phalarope was watched off Yeo (25th). Kenn Moor held…

Ruth Miller: From my fourth floor lounge window, an Alpine Swift in last April’s lockdown! Steve Wiltshire: Two Ring Ouzels in my apple tree during a large arrival of winter thrushes David Lindo: My first ever Redstart on my mum’s garden path in urban west London John Miles: Black Grouse! A cock bird came to claim the local hen Pheasants!…

In a month of many rare birds, we could choose virtually any bird as a potential visitor. Here are our guesses though. ROCK BUNTING There have only been five accepted Rock Buntings in the UK. Two were more than 100 years ago and the other three were in 1965, 1967 and 2011 (the last at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire). In April 2019, a suspected Rock Bunting on St Mary’s, Scilly, turned out to be an escaped Godlewski’s Bunting. So, Rock Bunting remains an exceptionally rare vagrant. Will this be the year? GREEN HERON Fewer than a dozen Green Herons have made it across the Atlantic to reach the UK. Nearly all were first found in the autumn, but the most recent turned up in April 2018, by a private pond…

Many birdwatchers confuse the songs of these two common Sylvia warblers. Having said they are both common, the UK breeding population of Blackcap is actually 1,200,000 pairs, compared to 170,000 pairs of Garden Warbler. Add to that the fact that Blackcaps arrive in the UK earlier than Garden Warblers (and so start singing earlier), and you can understand that part of the problem comes with the Blackcap’s being a much more familiar song to most of us, particularly early in the spring season (such as for most of April). Both songs are lovely to the human ear, with a fluty tone somewhat reminiscent of the tone of a Blackbird’s song (especially the case with Garden Warbler). Both birds are capable of mimicry, which makes separating them a little more tricky.…

Skydancers In late April and May, you’ll be hard-pressed not to notice swarms of male St Mark’s Flies, which slowly yo-yo at head height on the edge of woods, hedges or wetlands, hind legs dangling. The gathering is designed to attract females – and it’s a race against time to mate, as adults live only for a week. Remarkably, the male’s eye is divided by a groove; the upper part scans for females, while the lower element checks the insect’s position relative to the ground. MOTH Moth mystery The male (illustrated here) and female Muslin Moth are surprisingly different. The enchantingly fluffy male is predominantly silvery-grey; the female white. She is active by day, while he is nocturnal. Which rather begs the question: how do the sexes meet to mate?…

I want to talk about what goes on in the smallest room in the house (mind you, the way they build homes these days, that could be any of them!) In the UK alone, we use 1.5 million tonnes of toilet tissue annually. That’s 127 rolls per person. Two and a half rolls a week, each! What is more, the amount of recycled paper used by the top brands has dropped in the last decade from more than 30% to less than 25%. The leading brand (think puppies) actually dropped a product using a mix of recycled paper and bamboo, at a time when virgin forests are going down the toilet. Pure wood pulp uses more chemicals than recycled, despite what people think about bleach. Only 30% of the world…

I always enjoy setting myself challenges when out birding. Bird Watching’s #My200BirdYear is, of course, a big challenge, but you can also set yourself smaller daily ones, too. So, how about going for a hat-trick of ‘plovers’? Can you get a Grey Plover (left), a Golden Plover (middle) and a Green Plover (aka Lapwing; right) in one day? Winter and spring are the time to go for this triple and the beauty is, you’ll no doubt get to see many other species too, some of which you may be able to add to your #My200BirdYear list. THE GREY PLOVER The Grey Plover is a classic winter estuary wader, and of the three, it is probably the bird that will be the hardest to find as you go for the plover…

SPECIES FACTFILE FIRECREST Species name: Regulus ignicapilla Length: 9cm Wingspan: 13-16cm UK numbers: 550 breeding territories Habitat: Evergreen woodland Diet: Spiders, moth eggs, small insects Botanists routinely use scientific names, finding they cut through the morass of colloquial monikers many plant species have acquired. Birders don’t tend to use them much and, even after a few decades of rifling through field guides, I still have trouble remembering the scientific names of most British birds. But, when I do look them up, I find deciphering their Latin (or Greek) derivation rather interesting. These two-part scientific nomenclatures – genus, then species epithet – can sometimes contribute to the overall picture of a bird. But they don’t always bring much to the party. Grey Heron: Ardea cinerea = Grey Heron. Others, however, describe a…

In 1962, a statistical analysis in British Birds by John Nelder, and an editorial by Max Nicholson and James Ferguson-Lees, made public what had been whispered in some birding circles, especially in the south-east, for years – scores of records of rare birds from within around 20 miles of Hastings were false. As a result, 29 species and subspecies were dropped from the British List, and 550 records, relating to more than 80 species, were rejected. The cuplrit in the vast majority of the cases was a Hastings taxidermist and gunsmith called George Bristow. Nelder showed that the likelihood of so many rare birds being seen in such a small area during the period in question (1892-1930) was statistically tiny, and estimated that Bristow had made more than £7,000 by…

Warbler song flights While most warblers sing from within cover or on an exposed branch, twig or reed stem, a couple of our breeding species also sing in song flights. And this can be a more or less surefire way to identify them from any potential confusion species. These are the Sedge Warbler, which usually rises from reeds or vegetation near reeds or water; and the Whitethroat, which will occasionally rise from a small bush or hedge to do a brief burst of song. Potential confusion species, such as Reed Warbler for Sedge Warbler; or Lesser Whitethroat, will never sing in a song flight. Grasshopper Warbler hints The Grasshopper Warbler is one of a very few streaked warblers in the UK (the other common one being the Sedge Warbler). Of…

POSTCODE: DE13 8EN GRID REF: SK 210 185 MAPS: OS Explorer 245, OS Landranger 128 PARKING: There is a free car park just off Station Lane on the Road to Walton-on-Trent. Open between 7am-7pm TERRAIN: Good surfaced paths but can be prone to flooding after heavy rain, unsurfaced rough tracks around the smaller pools and towards the river ACCESS: Open all year round. The car park is locked at night. Dogs allowed on leads FACILITIES: Viewing screens and information boards around the lake. There is a pub and shops nearby at Barton Marina, and facilities at nearby Walton-on-Trent…

RUTH MILLER I was washing up at the kitchen sink and idly gazing out of the window. The view’s not bad from our lofty top floor position; we look out over Llandudno’s rooftops towards the sea and the limestone headland of the Little Orme, the smaller cousin of the Great Orme where we’ve been walking regularly through the COVID-19 lockdowns. While I lazily sponged the breakfast plates, a yellow streak caught my attention as it zoomed past the window. Blue Tits and Great Tits often dash across to a neighbour’s garden feeders, but this was different. The vivid lemony yellow really stood out on this grey morning, making the bird easier to follow with the naked eye. Of course, binoculars are always close to hand and, dishcloth abandoned, I focused…

When I think of rural life in the English countryside, my romantic vision is of a beautiful summer’s day with people having lunch and generally being jolly in a country pub beer garden in a quaint village. Nearby, there are rolling green fields, maybe dotted with a few cows, bordered by lush hedgerows crammed with breeding Whitethroats and Yellowhammers. On the horizon, is a lush, dense deciduous wood whose treetops are crowned with the nests of Rooks – the archetypal rural corvid. The nest owners are cawing noisily as they go about their business; what an idyllic scene. Of course, my daydream is just that: a dream. In reality, some of our blocks of ancient woodland are being knocked down and hedgerows in the UK are increasingly difficult to come…

THE COLLINS GARDEN BIRDWATCHER’S BIBLE VARIOUS, COLLINS, HB, £30 What can you say about a Bible? It’s a title that’s making a pretty big claim, so the book has to live up its name! It covers 56 birds that you might find in your garden, and encourages you to feed them and make a bird bath, as well as look at all the features of the birds, such as plumage, flight, song and territories, and which plants will encourage birds into your garden. There’s also material on getting the best use of your optics, looking at the art of birds, and about the history of birdwatching, and there are some amazing pictures, even if some are of American birds! It might not be a Bible, but you can still learn…

That’s not to say that you have to go all the way down the rewilding route (although don’t let us stop you, if you have the time, money and inclination), but neither should you go too far the other way. A garden made up of nothing but decking, artificial grass, paving and the like won’t attract many birds. So bear these ideas in mind, and you can start to make your garden more wildlife-friendly. ‘Wilder gardens’ tend to attract more birds, but any garden can be ‘improved’ 1 Think holistically ‘Wildlife-friendly’ is the key term used above, because you won’t get lots of birds without also getting lots of other wildlife. At its most simple, a wildlife-friendly garden needs plenty of cover for birds (for roosting, safety from predators, and…

APRIL BIRD OF THE MONTH BLACK REDSTART The Black Redstart is a very familiar bird across much of Europe, especially southern Europe, including Spain and the countries which border the northern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean. In the UK, though, it is mainly seen as a passage bird, from March onwards, and in October. Some winter, and probably fewer than 50 pairs now breed. The continental birds are found as town and city breeders, as well as turning up in rocky countryside. In the UK, though, breeding first occurred in north London (Wembley) in the 1920s, but they truly colonised what were probably perceived to be similar looking habitats to those on the continent, after the destructive bombing of British cities in World War II led to rocky, rubbly…

The name of this small, elegant falcon derives from the Old French ‘hobet’ (which in turn derives from the Medieval Latin ‘hobetus’) and is a diminutive of ‘harpe’ which means a bird of prey, a falcon or small hawk, or a scimitar (presumably associating the curved shape of the scimitar with the wings of the falcon). Though the word is not related to the word hobby used for a pastime, this double meaning was embraced by the creator of a famous table-top football game, Peter Adolph. Adolph, a birdwatcher, was apparently refused the trademark ‘Hobby’ for his game, so turned to the scientific name of the bird, subbuteo. Incidentally, the bird’s name subbuteo means close to Buzzard (ie combining sub and buteo), and has nothing to do with tabletop football.…

It is near the end of February, though you wouldn’t know it if you popped outside. It feels so mild, you barely need a jumper, let alone a big coat. ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May is out’ they say, but I am casting clouts left, right and centre at the moment. Not that it has been like this throughout the month. A couple of weeks ago, we were in the heart of the ‘Beast from the East 2’ (as it was tagged), with the nation gripped by snow and ice. The cold weather produced notable movements of birds, across the country, with for example huge numbers of Woodcocks seen in the north-east and beyond. And in my local (Peterborough) area we had a surge of scarce birds which would…

Summit streaming On 10 April, Dorset-based charity Birds of Poole Harbour in partnership with Chris Packham’s and Megan McCubbin’s Self Isolating Bird Club, will host the first ever R eintroduction and Rewilding Summit, a virtual event which you will be able to stream live from home. Speakers will include the likes of Roy Dennis, beaver expert Derek Gow and Rebirding author Benedict Macdonald. To find out more, and to download the podcasts that will lead up to the event, go to: www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/the-reintroduction-rewilding-summit/ Record-breakers A survey has revealed that a record-breaking 64 pairs of Cranes bred in the UK in 2020, bringing the total population here to over 200 birds. Cranes became extinct in the UK around 400 years ago, but following the natural recolonisation of a few birds and extensive…

Pluvialis is the first part of the scientific name for both Grey and Golden Plover. It is Latin and means relating to rain, but no one really knows why it forms the names of these two birds. Some suggest that it relates to the old belief that plovers forming large flocks is a sign of forthcoming rain; others that the birds migrate to avoid rain; while another theory is that it refers to the plumage on the backs of the Grey and Golden Plovers, that look as if they have been dappled with raindrops. The second part of the Grey Plover’s scientific name, squatarola, is taken from an old Italian dialect and was the name used for a kind of plover. The second part of the Golden’s scientific name is…

Warblers are a tricky group for many birdwatchers. Unlike their not-very-closely-related American equivalents, the so-called ‘wood warblers’, they are generally not very strikingly marked, in shades of grey, green, brown and buff. And they are often quite elusive, hiding themselves in scrub, bushes, hedges, trees, brambles and reedbeds! But they are great singers, one or two of them among the finest songsters we have (although others are not so fancy, like the Chiffchaff). Songs and calls are very useful in identifying warblers in the field; but they won’t help you identify this bunch of ID Challenge birds. The idea is simple: put a name to each bird, then turn the page for the answers and explanations. And, as always, if you crave more ID tips, turn the page once more…

COLLECT & KEEP Every month we bring you 10 more sites to build up your GO BIRDING collection CAITHNESS MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS DUNNET BAY Diverse divers at a well-watched migration spot This is a bay which has been well watched in recent years. The number of good birds found here gives you a clue to how the bay draws in wind-blown birds from the Pentland Firth, anything from skuas and shearwaters to Grey Phalarope and Sabine’s Gull — 2020 even had an Hudsonian Whimbrel! JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 Come off the A836 by the Heritage Centre and scan the rocks and deeper water. This is a great place for Turnstone and Purple Sandpipers. Check the gulls in winter, as it can have…

POST CODE: PE8 6NN GRID REF: TF 039 004 (northern parking area) MAPS: OS Explore 227, OS Landranger 141 WHERE TO PARK: In summer, park at northern free parking area (for about 6-8 cars) 100m south of A47 on western edge of wood. Or drive along the same hard track and park near the gate. Access to this track also possible from King’s Cliffe to Wansford road TERRAIN: Largely flat with slight slopes. Can be very boggy after weather, and wellingtons are recommended ACCESSIBILITY: Open all year but gates often closed, stopping complete north-south access to roads FACILITIES: None on site. Petrol station on A47 or go to Peterborough or Stamford…

Send your snaps to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk to be in with a chance of seeing your photo in print. All images should be high resolution JPEG files. 1 Black Swan by Doug Bottrell Camera: Canon EOS 90D Lens: 200mm, Shutter Speed: 1/400 sec Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 200 2 Blackcap by Cheryl Cross Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 500mm, Shutter Speed: 1/400 sec Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 900 3 Sparrowhawk by Kevin Bowers Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 300mm, Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 2,000 4 Linnets by Dennis Stinton Camera: Canoin EOS 6D Lens: 600mm, Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 1,000 WE LOVE... Kevin’s Sparrowhawk is utterly immaculate, even showing the extended middle toes of this species very well!…

How much do you know about Magpies? I’m asking the question because you, the reader, probably have an opinion about the black-and-white rascal. After all, everybody does. The Magpie is one of those birds about which you can converse with a complete stranger; it’s an area of common ground, such as the state of the English cricket team, the Sussexes’ marriage and, of course, the current pandemic. And, just like all those subjects, many of us hold solid opinions based on rather little personal knowledge. Few of us are true experts in sports, in royal matters or in epidemiology. And almost none of us knows very much about Magpies. If you disagree, answer a couple of questions. What is the Magpie’s favourite berry? How long does this bird take, on…

● Wellington Gravel Pits: has picked up Scaup and Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Common Scoter, Pink-footed Goose, Temminck’s Stint, Yellow-legged, Caspian, Mediterranean and Little Gulls. ● Brockhall Gravel Pits: Cattle Egret, Long-tailed Duck and Shag were here in 2020. ● Lugg Meadows (especially when flooded): Yellow-legged Gull, Ring-billed Gull and Brent Goose have been recorded here. ● Black Mountains: Whinchat, Red Grouse, Wheatear, and Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Wood Warbler in some of the woods. Parking at Red Darren and Black Hill in the Olchon Valley. ● Hergest Ridge (above Kington): Wheatear, Redstart and Wood Warbler. ● See also: herefordshirebirds.org/county-sites/…

Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus UK Population (summer): 22 males (source: BTO) UK Conservation Status: Red World Population: Unknown (source: Birdlife International) IUCN Red List Category: Red List, Least Concern Phalaropes are amazing birds, and among waders they are the ones that are most tied to water. Of the three species that comprise the group, two in particular are supremely adapted to an aquatic lifestyle: outside the breeding season, the Red-necked Phalarope and Grey Phalarope are pelagic and shun land, living lives in the open ocean. Of course, even phalaropes have to visit land to nest and Red-necked and Grey Phalaropes are for the most part Arctic breeders. The former is also a rare breeding bird in the UK (at pretty much the southern limit of its range) and, in a…

Let’s start with the obvious – these are not pants as you and I understand pants, these are trousers. To be more precise, they are softshell trousers in a stretch fabric that are wind resistant, water repellent, breathable and have a warm lining. According to Mr Wolfskin, wear these and “exploring the winter countryside is a warm and cosy experience”, which means they sound good for cold weather birding. The Chilly Tracks are Bluesign® certified – which means they have been produced with minimum impact on people and planet and the responsible use of resources. Their water-repellent finish is PFC-free. Mostly, they are polyester – with 9% elastane in the outer shell. And there’s a version for women as well as the men’s version. The Chilly Tracks seem well made…

Throw to grow Kabloom make seed bombs which could create an explosion of colour and biodiversity in your garden. Shake it up, fill it with water, split it open, then throw it on the part of the garden you’d like to fill with flowers. The casing is biodegradable. Prices start at £3.95, and there’s a variety of bombs available at ethicalsuperstore.com/products/kabloom Native Wildflower Seeds for Bumblebees All bees need help these days, with the loss of most of the UK’s wildflower meadows, so this pack of seeds is perfect for sowing a small patch of your garden, to attract pollinators. It contains Kidney Vetch, Foxglove, White Clover, Viper’s-bugloss, Meadow Cranesbill and Red Clover, and can be sown in spring or autumn. Price is £3.99, from wildlifeworld.co.uk Help the butterflies and…