Laura: Hi, I'm Laura Cradock and I'm a member of the local Coventry and Warwickshire RSPB group and a keen Bird Watcher.

Ian: Hi, my name's Ian. I work here at the University of Warwick and I'm a big fan of all things nature, particularly birds.

Ian: We are really lucky here at Warwick to have so many green spaces the birds have made a home in, including Woodpeckers, which can often be heard drumming on trees around campus. Jays, which have an incredibly distinctive call. There's Pied Wagtails, there's Long-Tailed Tits, there's Green Finches, and my absolute favourite bird - the Goldfinch, which you can always recognise by it's really distinctive red face.

Laura: This time of year is great for winter Thrushes and we can often see Red Wing on campus throughout the winter months. My top tip for birdwatching is to use your ears as well as your eyes.

Quite often if you stand still or sit for long enough, you'll soon find that you can hear a chorus of bird songs surrounding you, especially around the FAB building, here in Tocil Woods and amongst the trees on Windmill Hill.

I always like to take my notebook out with me so that I can record what I've seen. And a hot flask of tea is essential. When you're looking for birds, remember to look all around you, including down at the floor where you'll see some of our ground-feeding birds, including Robins, Blackbirds and Dunnocks.

Ian: For beginners, I'd recommend using the Merlin app, which can be really helpful for identifying different bird songs. And if you do pick up the sound of a particular bird or you are lucky enough to get a photo of it, then you can record that on the iNaturalist app.

Lastly, remember to be patient. You'll be really surprised at the variety of things you'll see after just a few minutes of watching and waiting and hopefully seeing some birds around campus will lift your spirits just as it does for me.