Birdwatch weekend. Unpleasant East wind, feeders swinging wildly and blown snow.
Saw a magpie try, and fail, to get at the fatballs, though 4 jackdaws managed later. A few goldfinches, the odd chaffinch and great tit. Even the robin wasn't singing.
When I went to top up the feeders, half the sunflower seed was still there. I've been having to fill it twice some days!
I didn't do the count today, but will try tomorrow, though I'm not optimistic. If the count is so uncharacteristic though, how much good is it for understanding bird population?
Thank goodness I did my birdwatch yesterday. Knowing how bad the weather was going to be over the weekend I decided it was the best thing to do. Sitting in a cold and damp shed is not the best way to spend an hour but doing it today or tomorrow would have been worse. A very strong wind and bitterly cold today. I don't think the birds would have been able to hold on to the feeders they were swinging about so much.
Yesterday the goldfinches stole the show as usual. There were at least 20 of them but very difficult to be accurate. 1 pigeon 1 starling 4 sparrows 1 blue tit 1 robin The second half hour was a waste of time as they all disappeared except for the robin. Couldn't see any cat lurking in the undergrowth so maybe it was their bedtime. (3.30pm)
Does anyone know why they choose to do the birdwatch at this time of the year? It would be more enjoyable to do it in the Summer or even Spring when I could produce a much longer list of bird visitors.
We had twelve on the lawn when I pulled back the curtains the other morning. They have first breakfast while I have coffee. Second breakfast about an hour later. If they want more, they come and glare at me through the glass. My fault for feeding daddy blackbirds live mealworms last year while he had a nestfull. The Robin jumps up and down above the garage door. Thats where we keep the live mealworms. Hubby says they have me trained.
Far too wet, cold, windy for much birdlife to visit the garden 'flythru' takeaway today! All the sensible residents were probably cwched up in neighbouring overgrown gardens!!??
Maybe we can tempt them out into the open tomorrow - but the strong NE wind is due to continue unabated...
Well @Buttercupdays years ago when I first started counting ( before all the advertising) this count was to see what quantities of birds overwintered here. Plus catch any visitors overwintering from abroad. So it was about numbers to see if certain types were declining. Now it's more about advertising the RSPB and raising funds, the science is taking a back seat.
I've just entered my result but when I pressed the submit button it just came up with an error message so now I'm not sure whether they've been submitted or not! Has anyone else had this problem?
I've just entered my result but when I pressed the submit button it just came up with an error message so now I'm not sure whether they've been submitted or not! Has anyone else had this problem?
No, I'm not doing the count but I did just try to get an ident for a bird I saw this morning and I think perhaps their website has crashed or at least is creaking under the strain
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
A brighter day today after a lovely sunrise. Still very cold, East wind a little less strong, and a light covering of snow to see January out. I think there have only been 5 days with no snow cover at all in the entire month.
But the birds were back
I started before I had planned, as I saw resident robin displaying aggressively at an intruder and wanted to get 2 on the list! So started the clock from then. Needn't have worried though, the invader had to be seen off several times while I was watching.
As usual, goldfinches dominated the feeders. Managed to count 9, though there were probably more, but with their speed and chaffinches and greenfinches trying to get in on the act it was impossible to say with any accuracy.
3 greenfinches, 10 chaffinches - they did well this year with 2 nests that we knew of.
2 male blackbirds, they also nested, but the females are much shyer. One pair likes poking about amongst the moss on the shady garage roof. I can see them from the landing window.
2 robins, think we currently have at least 4; one pair nested in the shed and we saw quite a few babies. Some are tamer than others, we have found we change robins as we move round the garden
2 bluetits, 1 great tit. There are more, but they fly in one at a time, grab a seed and disappear in a flash.
1 GS woodpecker - they've nested the last 3 years and are regulars on the feeders.
1 dunnock - there were lots of nests, daughter counted 6, but they prefer the damper North side of the house and spend a lot of their time on the gravel drive and yard.
I did spot 2 jackdaws landing in the sheep field beyond the garden, but can't count them.
Absentees included the stock doves, only 2 again this winter and they haven't been regulars. No wrens of course, but I wasn't expecting to see them, though the ones that nested in the sheep shed got used to us coming and going
Reed buntings which we have usually had, or coal tits who visit occasionally, haven't been seen at all this year, I'm blaming the topsy turvy weather, some days in February were warmer than August!
Posts
Yesterday the goldfinches stole the show as usual. There were at least 20 of them but very difficult to be accurate.
1 pigeon
1 starling
4 sparrows
1 blue tit
1 robin
The second half hour was a waste of time as they all disappeared except for the robin.
Couldn't see any cat lurking in the undergrowth so maybe it was their bedtime. (3.30pm)
Does anyone know why they choose to do the birdwatch at this time of the year? It would be more enjoyable to do it in the Summer or even Spring when I could produce a much longer list of bird visitors.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”