Birdwatching: questions and Band 8 answers

Yes, quite a few actually. I live on the top floor of a block of flats near a park, so I often spot pigeons and magpies perched on my balcony railing in the morning. It's quite nice hearing them chirp while I make my coffee.

Pigeons and sparrows are everywhere, especially in built-up areas. If you head towards the coast, seagulls are obviously really widespread. Occasionally in the countryside, you might catch sight of birds of prey like buzzards or barn owls hovering above open fields.

Not formally, no. I've never gone out with binoculars specifically to track rare species, but I do enjoy watching them casually when I'm walking in nature reserves. Last summer, I spent ages just observing a pair of swans nesting near a local canal.

A little bit in primary school science lessons, mostly about basic lifecycles and migration. My granddad was also really keen on nature, so he used to point out robins and blackbirds in his back garden whenever I went over to visit him.

I wouldn't mind giving it a go, to be honest, though I suspect I might lack the patience for it. It sounds quite peaceful to sit quietly in a wooden hide in a woodland, waiting to spot an elusive species like a kingfisher.