I've just read the posts from January, and as someone with a bit of scientific training (BSc in Biology), may I correct some misunderstandings?
For research purposes, 15 birds is not a "better" result than 5. They are simply trying to estimate the populations and how they change from year to year. So it isn't helpful to do more than one count, and submit the highest number. It's not a competition.
Counting over a week would not produce a reliable result, as no-one could keep constant watch for 168 hours. In practice, participants would be counting for differing lengths of time within the week, and the results would be meaningless.
I was interested by what some people said about birds appearing at different times of day. Mine generally arrive whenever the food goes out! and as I'm not very organised, that can be any time from dawn to dusk.
Some people said they watched for an hour and saw nothing. That's fine. If you saw nothing, then report that you saw nothing. If you read the RSPB instructions, zero is just as valid a result as any other. This doesn't happen to me, because I put out the food, then sit indoors by a window that overlooks the feeders, with a cup of tea, a sheet of paper and a pen. The hour doesn't start until the first bird appears. I can do it that way because I'm retired, I realise it wouldn't fit with everyone's lifestyle.
Apologies if this has been asked (and answered) before, but is there any particular reason that Birdwatch is carried out in January as opposed to later in the year ?
So do I watch at 7.30 when it's possible to see the Wren, Songthrush, or Coal Tit . Do I wait till 9 to see the Blackbirds, Robin's, Sparrows and Dunnocks. Or maybe 3pm when the most numbers of the 9am sort come with Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons and Blue Tits, plus the odd Starling. Same food available at all times but definite choices of time of day to come. If only one time of day is chosen other regular visitors will be missed making a mockery of the numbers reported and a totally inaccurate reading of present numbers.
Surely starting the hour from when the first bird arrives is also flawed methodologically as well.
Quite!
We scored a big fat zero for our birdwatch this year. As I remember it, it was windy and raining which is never great for spotting birds in our garden. We literally didn't have a visitor for the full hour, nor much at all during the day. Funny thing was, the next morning there was a buzzard sitting on our shed roof, as well as the usual suspects throughout the day. Never seen that before or since.
@AnniD, it's in January so we count native birds not summer migrants; because there is less wild food so the birds have more incentive to come into gardens; and because some people only feed birds in the winter.
@purplerallim, since the RSPB's instructions don't specify a time of day, I assume they intend us to watch and count at whatever time we find most convenient. With all of us watching at different times, one participant will count what another doesn't. I think the people at the RSPB probably know more about it than us, and have designed the best protocol they could, even though it's not perfect.
Thanks @josusa47 I wonder if they changed it to early March, (before the summer migrants arrive), more people would take part. I can see the reasoning behind going for January, but there are definitely more native birds in my garden on the first weekend in March rather than the end of January. Unless of course, they still have that uncanny knack of knowing that l'm trying to count them.........
Because they are comparing year on year, it makes no difference which month they choose. The value of these type of studies is the repetitive nature of them, building up a picture over time. Trying to make your figures look more flattering, by taking samples at different times, does not aid accuracy.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Surely it's better science to know what are resident birds in your garden, instead of a false reading from a bad day because of weather/ noise or other disruption. My count would have a lack of Wrens, whereas actually we have a Wren nesting in the blue tit box. Bad science. How can they say birds are disappearing, it may well just be a bad count.
It is not nearly as bad science as recording species that you know you have, but have not actually seen that day. The whole point is that with enough people doing the survey, it will take account of you not seeing something you know you have, and me seeing something that I don't normally see. Doing the count at a certain time and making up results, cannot be good science.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Posts
For research purposes, 15 birds is not a "better" result than 5. They are simply trying to estimate the populations and how they change from year to year. So it isn't helpful to do more than one count, and submit the highest number. It's not a competition.
Counting over a week would not produce a reliable result, as no-one could keep constant watch for 168 hours. In practice, participants would be counting for differing lengths of time within the week, and the results would be meaningless.
I was interested by what some people said about birds appearing at different times of day. Mine generally arrive whenever the food goes out! and as I'm not very organised, that can be any time from dawn to dusk.
Some people said they watched for an hour and saw nothing. That's fine. If you saw nothing, then report that you saw nothing. If you read the RSPB instructions, zero is just as valid a result as any other. This doesn't happen to me, because I put out the food, then sit indoors by a window that overlooks the feeders, with a cup of tea, a sheet of paper and a pen. The hour doesn't start until the first bird appears. I can do it that way because I'm retired, I realise it wouldn't fit with everyone's lifestyle.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
We scored a big fat zero for our birdwatch this year. As I remember it, it was windy and raining which is never great for spotting birds in our garden. We literally didn't have a visitor for the full hour, nor much at all during the day. Funny thing was, the next morning there was a buzzard sitting on our shed roof, as well as the usual suspects throughout the day. Never seen that before or since.
@purplerallim, since the RSPB's instructions don't specify a time of day, I assume they intend us to watch and count at whatever time we find most convenient. With all of us watching at different times, one participant will count what another doesn't. I think the people at the RSPB probably know more about it than us, and have designed the best protocol they could, even though it's not perfect.
I wonder if they changed it to early March, (before the summer migrants arrive), more people would take part. I can see the reasoning behind going for January, but there are definitely more native birds in my garden on the first weekend in March rather than the end of January.
Unless of course, they still have that uncanny knack of knowing that l'm trying to count them.........
The value of these type of studies is the repetitive nature of them, building up a picture over time.
Trying to make your figures look more flattering, by taking samples at different times, does not aid accuracy.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
The whole point is that with enough people doing the survey, it will take account of you not seeing something you know you have, and me seeing something that I don't normally see.
Doing the count at a certain time and making up results, cannot be good science.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border