Birds in Fulham Cemetery

Tits are woodland birds that have adapted well to man-made environments. They are often seen in groups with other tits.

Smaller than the great tit, the blue tit is also a bird of woodland, parks and gardens. It nests in holes in trees, but is just as happy to use nestboxes. Blue tits are active feeders, hunting out insects and spiders among the smaller branches and leaves of trees in woodlands. But they are also well-adapted to gardens and towns and will visit birdtables and peanut feeders; they are even famed for breaking the tops of milk bottles and taking the creamy top off the milk. In winter, they will form flocks with other tits, roaming the countryside and visiting gardens in groups. Blue tits have a trilling, 'tsee-tsee-tsee' song.

How to identify: The blue tit is a colourful little bird with a blue cap, white cheeks, black eyestripes, a greeny-blue back, yellow belly, and blue wings and tail.

The long-tailed tit is a tiny bird of hedgerows, woodland, parks and gardens. It builds a domed nest out of moss in a bush or the fork of a tree, and camouflages it with cobwebs and lichen. It lines the nest with as many as 1,500 feathers to make it soft for the eight to twelve eggs it lays. Long-tailed tits are active feeders, hunting out insects and spiders among the smaller branches and leaves of trees in woodlands. But they are also well-adapted to gardens and towns and will visit birdtables and feeders. In winter, they form flocks with other tits, roaming woodlands, parks and gardens, and commons and heaths with suitable bushes.

How to identify: The long-tailed tit does, indeed, have a long black-and-white tail that is bigger than its body. It has a black, white and pink back, a white head with a wide, black eyestripe, and a pale pink belly.

Regularly voted Britain's favourite bird, the robin is one of the most familiar birds of the UK, regularly visiting gardens. Robins are also common in parks, scrub and woodland, making their presence known with a loud, territorial song. They sing from prominent perches right through the winter, when both males and females hold territories; indeed, they are fiercely territorial, driving off intruders and even fighting. During the breeding season, the female is allowed into the male's territory where she sets up a nest of dead leaves, moss and hair. Nests often crop up in the oddest of places, such as plant pots, old wellies and shelves, but Ivy and other shrubs are their natural choice.

How to identify: The robin really is unmistakeable: brown above, with a white belly and a famously red breast. Young robins are mottled gold and brown, and do not have a red breast.

A much-loved garden bird, the blackbird is famous for its harmonious song. In winter, our resident birds are joined by migrants from Scandinavia and the Baltics.

Blackbirds are especially fond of feeding on lawns and can be seen with their heads cocked to one side, listening for earthworms. They also feed on insects and berries - leave out a few old apples or plant berry-producing bushes in the garden to attract these delightful birds.

How to identify: Male blackbirds are unmistakable - they are entirely black, with a yellow bill and yellow ring around the eye. Females are dark brown, with streaking on the chest and throat. Juveniles are also dark brown but covered with gingery streaks. 

The tiny wren, with its typically cocked tail, is a welcome and common visitor to gardens across town and countryside. It builds its domed nests in sheltered bushes and rock crevices.

The diminutive wren can be found in almost any habitat where there are insects to eat and bushes or rock crevices in which to build their domed nest out of moss and twigs. In fact, the wren is the most common breeding bird in in the UK; there are currently 8.6 million breeding wren territories.

How to identify: A tiny, brown bird with a short, cocked tail and a loud voice, the wren is unmistakable. 

A king among birds, the goldcrest displays a beautiful golden crown. Our smallest bird, it can be spotted in conifer woodlands and parks across the UK. The goldcrest is widespread in the UK, apart from in areas which are treeless. In winter, it joins other tits and woodland birds in flocks. Although it is our smallest songbird, it can lay up to 12 eggs in a clutch, which is about one and a half times the adult female's bodyweight.

In the cemetery, the goldcrests are often seen on the lower branches of conifer trees.

The 'drumming' of a great spotted woodpecker is a familiar sound of our woodlands, parks and gardens. It is a form of communication and is mostly used to mark territories and to display in spring.

The great spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker. It nests in holes that it excavates in trees in broadleaved woodlands, large parks and gardens. It has a distinctive, bouncing flight, but is mostly likely to be heard, rather than seen, as it 'drums' away at a tree trunk during its breeding displays. Great spotted woodpeckers eat insects and larvae, probing tree trunks with their extremely sticky tongues to extract them from their nests. In autumn and winter, they will switch to eating berries and nuts, and will visit peanut feeders in gardens.

How to identify: The great spotted woodpecker is black and white, with white shoulder patches and red underneath the tail. Males have a red patch at the back of the head. Only likely to be confused with the lesser spotted woodpecker, which is much smaller and rarer.

The green woodpecker is the largest of the UK's woodpeckers. It nests in holes that it excavates in trees in broadleaved woodlands, orchards, large parks and gardens. It can often be seen hopping about on pastures and lawns, looking for ants and invertebrates to eat, but it will also climb tree trunks and has a barbed tongue to help it extract insects from crevices in the bark. It has an undulating flight.

How to identify: The green woodpecker is olive-green, with a yellow rump, red crown and black around the face. Males have a red 'moustache' edged by black, but females have an all-black moustache.

A medium-sized, green parakeet, the ring-necked parakeet is the UK's only naturalised parrot and the most northerly breeding parrot in the world. ring-necked parakeets are originally from Africa and southern Asia and were kept as pets in the UK. They escaped into the wild, however, and have become naturalised, aided by warmer winters. They nest in holes in trees in gardens and parkland, and are often found in noisy, roosting flocks of hundreds of birds. They eat nuts, seeds, berries and fruits.

The crow that we are most familiar with is the carrion crow. It is completely black and makes a hoarse, cawing sound. Carrion crows make big nests out of twigs, rags, bones, and anything else they can find, which they hide in tall bushes; they do not nest in colonies like rooks, but are mostly solitary. Carrion crows are birds of farmland and grassland, but are extremely adaptable and will come to gardens for food, often seeming to be quite fearless. They feed on dead animals (as their name suggests), invertebrates and grain, as well as taking eggs and chicks from other birds' nests. Although now classed as a separate species to the similar hooded crow, the carrion crow can interbreed with its cousin, and hybrids occur where their ranges cross.

The jay is a colourful member of the crow family, with brilliant blue wing patches. It is famous for searching out acorns in autumnal woodlands and parks, often storing them for the winter ahead. Surprisingly shy, its screaming call is most likely to be heard as it flies between trees - watch out for a flash of a bright white rump. Jays eat invertebrates, especially caterpillars and beetles, and are famous for enjoying acorns (and other nuts and fruits) during the autumn; they will also cache their finds for later. Jays are present all year-round, but are most obvious in autumn when they have to move about in the open more often, looking for food.