These are woodland birds who live on invetebrates, but as Ian's photo shows are quite happy to take advantage of food put out in gardens. They are a British success story with the population increasing by 20% since the 1970s.

Is it a kite or is it a buzzard? Both are frequently seen soaring over the downs but the consensus of opinion on the Facebook page is that this is a kite. These are a great example of how taking action on bio-diversity can make a difference. In 1989 the only red kites left in the UK were 42 breeding pairs in North Wales. Following a reintroduction programme from Spain there are now over 6,000 breeding pairs in the country. They are doing so well that we are now sending young birds back to Spain to help as the population are struggling there. Read more about the story here.

Phesants are a common sight on the Clarendon Palace estate and its borders, but I was a bit surprised to find this one wandering across someone's front garden on Riverside Drive!

Although they have a long history in the UK, pheasants are not a native species and were imported for hunting. They now compromise around half of all wildbirds by biomass in the UK. Read more about the impact of gamebirds and their management on the UK's native raptors on Dr Ruth Tingay's Blog.

You can't go far in Laverstock without meeting a wood pigeon, but this great photo by Barry reminds us how all of our birds really benefit from access to water in our gardens. Creating somewhere for them to drink or bathe is a simple thing to do to help them and guarantee you lots of interesting things to see from your windows. The RSPB describes UK birds as being in a slow and gradual decline for the last thirty years, particularly farmland species. Click here to find out more about which species are doing well and which are really struggling.

I think this is a house sparrow (not just because I saw it in someone's gutter) but because of the grey patch on the top of its head, but it would take someone more expert than me to be sure. Click here to find out more about tree sparrows and have your own go at working out what this is!

In 2015 the robin topped a poll by the BBC of 200,000 people to be named 'Britain's National Bird' and there are plenty of these tuneful, inquisitive birds in Laverstock. Find out more about them and their songs on the RSPB website.