I personally would have the beloved House Sparrow as our National bird. They are resident and sedentary in their populations, they don’t migrate and move about like say a robin does! Full of cheeky presence and character its my favourite sound of childhood, 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 being told 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 it would have to be the endangered nightingale but for a commoner garden bird surely nothing beats the song thrush?
I bet the robin gets chosen but of the ten short listed I would have to select the barn owl. Stunningly beautiful a glimpse of this bird will quicken your heart and stun you with their presence. A flag ship bird of all conservation stands for, 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.
Barn Owl at Farndon Grange
