Very good of our Goldcrest & a couple of Long-tailed Tits to turn up during my count this morning. Both onto the suet balls. Biggest count was 16 Goldfinches, which is about the usual at the moment.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I’ve just completed my hour on the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and although I’ve recorded a good diversity of species, my normal numbers didn’t turn up, this always seems to happen!!
Robins 3 Bullfinch 2 House Sparrow 2 Chaffinch 1 Dunnock 3 Coal Tit 2 Great Tit 3 Blue Tit 3 Siskin 3 Nuthatch 2 Long Tailed Tit 4 Blackbird 3 Goldfinch 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Greenfinch 4 Wren 1 Pied Wagtail 1 Magpie 1 Wood Pigeon 1
I cannot see the point in sending my Birdwatch count. I did it on Sunday afternoon when I have to stay in the shed as my garden is over the road. Normally there are no end of birds feeding so much so that it's hard to count them. The only birds that appeared initially were my tame blackbird and robin which I hadn't seen for quite some time. The goldfinches usually take over the feeders and it would be impossible to have an accurate figure. Waited for ages and a few goldfinches arrived but stayed in the apple tree and were camouflaged so there could have been a couple of others as well. No cats around to frighten them off so I have no idea why they didn't attack the sunflower hearts. Very disappointing. Doesn't seem worthwhile sending in 1 blackbird and 1 robin and a few goldfinches when it has no relation to what is normally the case.
Very disappointing. Doesn't seem worthwhile sending in 1 blackbird and 1 robin and a few goldfinches when it has no relation to what is normally the case.
I can well understand that Fran. Many people have been critical of the count for years, me included. The RSPB would justify you sending in your list on the basis that one of your neighbours will have a bigger list consisting of your usual visitors, but in reality I suspect that is seldom the case.
Ideally they would have a way for us to submit approximate nos for what we usually see on a daily basis at that time of year but I guess that would make double the work for them so unlikely to happen.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Ideally they would have a way for us to submit approximate nos for what we usually see on a daily basis at that time of year but I guess that would make double the work for them so unlikely to happen.
This is why I prefer the weekly reporting of bird visitors and numbers for the BTO Garden Birdwatch project. Every week I report the highest number, at any given time during the week, of the different bird species that visit my garden. Last week I reported 15 Long Tailed Tits to the BTO whereas for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch I reported 4! Similar with Goldfinches, 8 for the BTO and 1 for the RSPB.
I can view all my weekly records for the past 3 years and compare various dates/species/numbers etc. It’s quite interesting to look back over the years and see various patterns, one thing I noticed over the years is that I seem to get a Sparrowhawk regularly visit the garden during the months of October and November but rarely at other times, not sure why?!
@LunarSea I'm glad you are inclined to agree with me! I think it would be so much better if we could choose our own day to do it within a longer range of days in January. I feel sure if I had gone there today there would have been birds galore. @CatDouch What you do sounds interesting so I shall have a look at that link later. Many thanks.
Posts
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Robins 3
Bullfinch 2
House Sparrow 2
Chaffinch 1
Dunnock 3
Coal Tit 2
Great Tit 3
Blue Tit 3
Siskin 3
Nuthatch 2
Long Tailed Tit 4
Blackbird 3
Goldfinch 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Greenfinch 4
Wren 1
Pied Wagtail 1
Magpie 1
Wood Pigeon 1
Very disappointing. Doesn't seem worthwhile sending in 1 blackbird and 1 robin and a few goldfinches when it has no relation to what is normally the case.
I can well understand that Fran. Many people have been critical of the count for years, me included. The RSPB would justify you sending in your list on the basis that one of your neighbours will have a bigger list consisting of your usual visitors, but in reality I suspect that is seldom the case.
Ideally they would have a way for us to submit approximate nos for what we usually see on a daily basis at that time of year but I guess that would make double the work for them so unlikely to happen.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I'd kill to get half the birds you all get in your gardens! I wouldn't kill birds obviously 😆
@CatDouch What you do sounds interesting so I shall have a look at that link later.
Many thanks.