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Patio Heaters for Wildlife Spotters: The Big Garden Birdwatch

Patio Heaters for Wildlife Spotters: The Big Garden Birdwatch

We bet spending time on the patio hasn’t been high on your list of things to do this month. Since Christmas ended, our days have consisted of trudging to work in the dark and scraping ice off the windscreen of our cars. While it’s undeniably cold outside, shutting yourself inside all day is far from ideal. This January, it’s time to grab your binoculars, hunt down your childhood bird spotting book, and get involved with the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch. Whether you have a garden full of goldfinches or golden eagles, spending time outdoors is a great way to beat the January blues. For bird spotting adventures free from cold, we have an outdoor heating solution that’ll keep you warm and toasty while you wait for the wildlife…

Bird spotting in January promises to be a chilly affair. If you’re not keen on layering up and taking the cold on the chin, it might be worth considering one of our outdoor electric patio heaters. What better way to spot a chaffinch than from the comfort of a heated patio? Let the hardened naturalists camp outside in camouflaged windbreakers, this is bird watching for the 21st century! Pour some tea, pick your spot on the patio, and revel in the soothing warmth of an outdoor infrared heater.

Firstly, what is The Big Garden Birdwatch?

RSPB logo

From the 27-29th of January, the RSPB asks homes across the UK to dabble in some light ornithology and record the different types of bird that land in their gardens. This simple tally helps the RSPB keep an eye on our UK bird population, charting the rise and fall of certain species. It also helps them to track bird movement and contributes to a wider understanding of our UK wildlife. If you have children, used to be a bit of a bird spotter in your youth, or just like being outdoors, the Garden Birdwatch is a great way to reconnect with nature ahead of the spring.

For the best chance of seeing some wildlife, it’s a good idea to bait your garden. A bird feeder, or some scattered bird feed if you don’t have one, will do wonders for enticing our winged friends to land. Birds are naturally quite skittish, so making a den on the patio and setting up some binoculars is probably the best way to make sure they aren’t too scared to visit. Aside from this, keeping still and having patience are key considerations here. This isn’t a race to see how many birds you can spot, but merely a relaxed survey of whatever you can entice into your garden. To ensure you’re keeping track of the birds you encounter, the RSPB have a tally sheet you can download from their website. When you’re finished, post or submit your results, and your work is done!

What you need to start bird watching

• Binoculars
• A bird feeder or bird seed
• RSPB wildlife counting form (online or paper version)
• Bird spotters guide
• A flask of tea & several biscuits
• The Ecostrad Thermaglo (or similar outdoor heater)

The Ecostrad Thermaglo – the perfect outdoor heating solution

The Ecostrad Thermaglo

Keeping warm while you wait for the flutter of tiny wings is essential. While hats and coats may do the trick for a few minutes, something more substantial is required for lengthy bird watching sessions. For all your patio heating needs, look no further than the Ecostrad Thermaglo.

Encased in a modern tear-drop housing, this outdoor heater boasts an undeniable sophistication that places it at the top of the league for patio heating. The Thermaglo uses mediumwave infrared, a type of infrared that produces a softer and less intense heat compared to other electric outdoor heaters. Perfect for sitting under for long periods of time, mediumwave infrared penetrates deep into the skin, creating a satisfying sensation of warmth that won’t fade the second you move from under it. Unlike other patio heaters, the Thermaglo’s heat output can be incrementally increased using the remote, providing a versatile outdoor heating solution. Choose from a soft background heat for mild weather or use the Thermaglo at its maximum for freezing cold nights outdoors.

To ensure the birds don’t get wise to your presence, this outdoor heater comes with an ultra-low glare carbon heating element. This reduces the amount of light that’s produced by the Thermaglo and increases the longevity of the bulb, which can provide up to 10,000+ hours of use. For covert garden patio operations, like taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, the Thermaglo’s discreet low-glare bulb is ideal.

With a high IP55 rating, the Thermaglo is more than capable of coping with the wild British weather and will keep you warm whatever January has to throw at you. The Thermaglo can even be used as a portable outdoor heater and is easily attached to a compatible tripod – allowing you to nestle in exactly the right place to spot some wildlife. If you’re really not keen on being outside, the Thermaglo even comes with a timer, allowing you to predetermine exactly how long you want to spend outside bird watching and when’s the best time to head inside and tally up your results.

Whether or not you intend to birdwatch every day, the Thermaglo will be ready and waiting for whatever outdoor social gathering comes next. From summer garden parties to relaxed evenings under the stars, the Ecostrad Thermaglo is the smart choice for outdoor heating.

For further information on the Thermaglo, click here or on the image above to be taken to the relevant page on our website. Alternatively, our friendly sales team are always on hand to offer their advice.

The Thermaglo being used as a patio heater

Image Sources

Bird and berries: photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

Bird watching logo: RSPB website