With the country in and out of lockdown over the past year, there has been an increase in interest in all things avian. Already close to 400,000 people have signed up for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual event which aims to count the types and numbers of birds showing up in the nation’s gardens and green spaces during winter, and the organisation hopes that it will top the 33,000 Scots who contributed to last year’s event, which counted 500,000 birds.

“People have really reconnected with wildlife and what's in their gardens and their green spaces in the past year, and as lockdown progresses it will become more important,” says RSPB spokesman Martin Fowlie. “I hope that because of lockdown, taking part will be something that people feel they have time to do.”

Ahead of the Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place over the weekend of January 29 to 31, The Herald magazine offers a flavour of the event and a handy guide to some of the birds you might see through your kitchen window, from everyday visitors such as robins and blue tits to the exquisitely-coloured goldfinch.