On a personal level it would have to be the beloved house sparrow voted as our national bird… they are resident and sedentary in their populations, they don’t migrate and move about like a robin does for example! They are full of cheeky presence and character – my favourite sound of child hood, along with swifts circling high at dusk above the houses. I would lie on my back as a little girl at stare at them in wonder, having learnt about their migration passage!
Indeed with blackbirds and robins there is much seasonal fluctuation with many birds coming from the continent. Last Autumn I had 14 black birds in one tree in the garden. As a songster, the nightingale would win my vote for just that, but for a common garden bird surely nothing beats the song thrush?
I think the British will choose the robin, but of the ten shortlisted I will vote for the barn owl. Stunningly beautiful. A glimpse of this bird will quicken your heart and stun you with their presence. A flagship bird of all that conservation stands for, and there has been much success in recent years with breeding programmes and careful monitoring of barn owl sites. There are currently 4-6000 pairs in the wild.
Which bird would you choose? Please do spare a minute to vote here – http://www.votenationalbird.com/
Sharon x
