If you enjoyed looking out for birds at the weekend why not join one of the free courses being run by the RSPB during February?

The first course takes place on Wednesday 1st February at Upton Country Park. You will be able to learn the best way to use binoculars and which ones are the most suitable for birdwatching.

Our Guide will help you to discover the birds in the park and find out more about their behaviour. Meet by the Education Centre. The course runs from 10am – 12pm.

The next course will be run on Wednesday 8th February at Talbot Heath. By visiting a different type of habitat you may see different species such as woodlark, stonechat and linnet.

This is also a great chance to learn about lowland heath which is now under constant threat of invasion by scrub and has to be carefully managed.

In contrast, in the early 1800s, most of south-east Dorset was covered by heathland and it was maintained through the activities of people who made use of it to graze their livestock and used the gorse for firewood and the heather turfs for fuel.

Please meet by Coy Pond in Bournemouth. The course runs from 10am – 12pm.

Watch this space for details of the other courses or visit the Events page for Dorset on the RSPB’s website (www.rspb.org.uk).

Based on information supplied by .