On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me... a partridge in a pear tree.

What a generous person to treat their loved one to all those fancy (if slightly over-the top) Christmas goods.

Quite why so many of them are of the feathered variety is anyone’s guess, although according to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes: "Suggestions have been made that the gifts have significance as representing the food or sport for each month of the year. Importance certainly has long been attached to the Twelve Days, when, for instance, the weather on each day was carefully observed to see what it would be in the corresponding month of the coming year.”

So how are these birds faring in Dorset?

A partridge in a pear tree There are two types of partridge in England – the English grey and the French red-legged variety. The former is a native species whose numbers are in such decline it has been given red conservation status. However, the red-legged partridge is more common and you are quite likely to seen these birds year-round on farmland.

Two turtle doves You’re more likely to hear the soft purring of a turtle dove than see one. It is the UK’s smallest dove and is a summer visitor mainly to south and east England. They are also declining, with recent figures from the RSPCA revealing numbers have fallen by 70 per cent since 1995, probably due to changes in farming practice and land use.

They can be found in open wooded farmland, hedgerows and woodland edges.

Nicky Hoar from the Dorset wildlife trust said: “I haven’t seen or heard one in Dorset for years, but I’ve seen them on open grassland at Martin Down just across the Hampshire border.”

The bird is migratory and arrives from Africa and Europe to our shores in April and May. They aren’t in this country in December, making them hard to pin down as a Christmas gift.

Three French hens Three French hens are easier to locate. The Maran, for example, is a fairly common French breed and comes in a choice of colours. As well as being handsome and docile, it lays amazing big brown eggs.

And there are plenty of poultry breeders in the area. You can pick up a trio (a cockerel and two hens) for about £40.

Four Calling Birds The four ‘calling’ birds in the song were originally ‘colly’ birds.

Colly means black and comes from the old word for coal, so the four birds are, in fact, blackbirds.

This area has plenty of them, and many in this area have come in from the continent for the winter. They aren’t in any danger, although under the Wildlife and Countryside Act it is illegal to take any wild birds or their eggs.

“They are considered to have the most beautiful song of all – very tuneful and melodious,” said Nicky Hoar. Perhaps that’s why they were chosen for the Christmas gift list in the song.

Six geese a-laying According to goose farmer Michael Coleman, at Hewish Farm, near Milton Abbas, fowl need to be at least a year old for them to be mature enough to lay eggs. And technically they only lay between the end of February and the end of June, so the geese a-laying in December is a myth (unless you use an artificial light which I was told could get things moving).

As for wild birds, you’re most likely to see Brent geese in Dorset, which favour areas such as Poole, Weymouth and Portland harbours for over- wintering.

“Greylag geese also come to this country in the winter,” added Nicky. “And we have loads of Canada geese that can be seen all year round.”

Seven swans a-swimming The classic white mute swans are the birds which spring to mind and a great place to go to see them is the Abbotsbury Swannery which has around 600 birds.

The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040s.

The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish Dorset banquets, and many a Christmas table in well-off households had a swan as its centrepiece (those who were not in the swan-eating class had goose or chicken).

However, there are Berwick swans who come here from Siberia in winter in small numbers and can be mainly seen in Wareham’s Frome Valley.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to help our wild birds by leaving food and water out in their gardens, particularly in the colder months.