I really question the value of this survey in its current format. I tried to do mine today, but there were hardly any birds to count compared with a normal day. I am going to try again tomorrow to see if the results are more representative - I'm not trying to get more than anyone else, nor add them together, just to give a truer picture. Maybe the birds won't know that we can now do the count on a Monday too
I filled my feeders last night so I could get it done early, but didn't start till 11 as there was so little activity. Usually when I walk past a window there is a flurry of wings, and I often stop for a few moments to see what is about. Generally, by midday the feeders are well on their way to empty, but today the ones at the back have still hardly been touched, so it isn't just that I missed the birds, they haven't been in for their usual feed. If I submit my figures for today it will look as though there has been an ecological disaster here, which is definitely not the case!
I know that a null result is useful in experimental science, but in this survey it is of less value. I didn't see any coal tits, and haven't seen any at all this year, though we had them before, so that is significant. But I didn't see a blackbird either and there are plenty of them. I see them every day and saw some this morning outside my 'hour'. I know there are wrens here too, though actual sightings are infrequent, but I have not seen them on a birdwatch day. And there are lots of birds which have never been seen here, including house sparrows, which are of special interest to the RSPB. All would just be counted as zero though and so the meaning would be distorted.
At the other end of the scale, it is really hard to be accurate about numbers when lots of birds are dodging about on the feeders and adjoining bushes. I have to use binoculars to ID the birds that I see silhouetted against the light sky and this makes it even harder. Even on a poor day like today, at one moment I counted 12 assorted birds just in the hawthorn tree, with others nearby: chaffinches, goldfinches, greenfinches and at lleast one reed bunting and a robin, but I can't be sure which of the first two was most plentiful as they kept moving! I did try for a photo though, which may help if it comes out
Good point maybe they don't know bird watch is on tomorrow the birds always seem to know
Have done my bird watch late morning got a few birds, not all the regular ones but a starling made it so pretty in colour, will see if results are better tomorrow but not sure weather will be great meant to be foggy or misty - I prob scare the birds off a bit I am near my small shed unit under a tree a bit and only about 2 - 3 metres away so I do sit really still and enjoy watching
There were a lot of some bird that flu onto a tree two gardens away but would not come my way
I didn't have a large count nor did the SparrowHawk appear but I am pleased that the Bullfinches were around as I hadn't noticed them before this weekend. I think my count was affected by the squirrel who was having a bumper-shop with all the nuts I had put out. The magpies also cashed-in so they probably scared the smaller birds away.
I would do again tomorrrow but the tree surgeon will be working so that won't impress the wildlife.
There was a squirrel in my bird count I could here him lifting up the squirrel feeder a few times which is nice - we call him cyril - the feeder is on the other side of garden and down a bit so does not disturb the birds
Just submitted my results. I did my hour between 8 and 9 this morning on the basis that the birds would be hungry after the night and would flock to my feeders which I'd stocked up yesterday. I counted:
2 bluetits
2 starlings
4 goldfinches
4 sparrows
1 dunnock
2 robins
1 blackbird
1 collared dove
Soon after I'd finished I saw a pair of collared doves in the tree just outside our garden then a pair of blackibirds (not the one I'd already counted) on the lawn! There was no sign of the greattits I heard "singing" all afternoon when I was gardening yesterday!
We've been doing the birdwatch for several years now, pleased to see our house sparrows are doing well, they had a good breeding season last year, we think we counted about 20 My OH has just built a terrace of 3 nest boxes for them & put it up on one of our outbuildings. Sadly did not see the 3 bullfinches (2 male, 1 female) that have been attacking the honeysuckle on a daily basis since Christmas, nor the Nuthatches, but the usual chaffinches, greenfinches & great spotted woodpecker all showed up as usual, together with 3 of the moorhens from our pond, who are becoming a bit of a pain as they frighten the little birds when they fly up onto the bird table, one even tries to get onto the hanging feeders. Not sure if I'm allowed to include the 50-60 starlings who were pecking around in one of our fields (within sight of my kitchen sink) and the pair of red kites circling overhead (looking to see if my rat traps had yielded any lunch for them today)?
MerryWeather, the blurb the RSPB send out says "Only count the birds that land in your garden, not those flying over." Pity - I had a lovely lot of Canada geese honking overhead... though your red kites are rather more interesting.
I've not been able to submit my results on the Web - tried 3 times and each time it says "An error has occurred"; I think I'll resort to the paper version.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Poured with rain all day yesterday and hardly a bird to be seen - just the occasional one dashing to the seed or fat balls. It's pretty overcast today too, but I'll give it a go later on. As you say it seems not to reflect the reality of bird life. We now have red kites regularly overflying the garden, loads of sparrows and blackbirds chasing each other on the grass, and yes, we too have blackcaps. I will try the count today (Monday) but am not optimistic of seeing the vast variety who normally visit. Part iof the problem is the "hour" as different birds come at different times of day. But where are all the goldfinches?
Posts
I really question the value of this survey in its current format. I tried to do mine today, but there were hardly any birds to count compared with a normal day. I am going to try again tomorrow to see if the results are more representative - I'm not trying to get more than anyone else, nor add them together, just to give a truer picture. Maybe the birds won't know that we can now do the count on a Monday too
I filled my feeders last night so I could get it done early, but didn't start till 11 as there was so little activity. Usually when I walk past a window there is a flurry of wings, and I often stop for a few moments to see what is about. Generally, by midday the feeders are well on their way to empty, but today the ones at the back have still hardly been touched, so it isn't just that I missed the birds, they haven't been in for their usual feed. If I submit my figures for today it will look as though there has been an ecological disaster here, which is definitely not the case!
I know that a null result is useful in experimental science, but in this survey it is of less value. I didn't see any coal tits, and haven't seen any at all this year, though we had them before, so that is significant. But I didn't see a blackbird either and there are plenty of them. I see them every day and saw some this morning outside my 'hour'. I know there are wrens here too, though actual sightings are infrequent, but I have not seen them on a birdwatch day. And there are lots of birds which have never been seen here, including house sparrows, which are of special interest to the RSPB. All would just be counted as zero though and so the meaning would be distorted.
At the other end of the scale, it is really hard to be accurate about numbers when lots of birds are dodging about on the feeders and adjoining bushes. I have to use binoculars to ID the birds that I see silhouetted against the light sky and this makes it even harder. Even on a poor day like today, at one moment I counted 12 assorted birds just in the hawthorn tree, with others nearby: chaffinches, goldfinches, greenfinches and at lleast one reed bunting and a robin, but I can't be sure which of the first two was most plentiful as they kept moving! I did try for a photo though, which may help if it comes out
Last edited: 29 January 2017 15:05:27
Good point maybe they don't know bird watch is on tomorrow the birds always seem to know
Have done my bird watch late morning got a few birds, not all the regular ones but a starling made it so pretty in colour, will see if results are better tomorrow but not sure weather will be great meant to be foggy or misty - I prob scare the birds off a bit I am near my small shed unit under a tree a bit and only about 2 - 3 metres away so I do sit really still and enjoy watching
There were a lot of some bird that flu onto a tree two gardens away but would not come my way
Dove you were not there turned up later on
I didn't have a large count nor did the SparrowHawk appear but I am pleased that the Bullfinches were around as I hadn't noticed them before this weekend. I think my count was affected by the squirrel who was having a bumper-shop with all the nuts I had put out. The magpies also cashed-in so they probably scared the smaller birds away.
I would do again tomorrrow but the tree surgeon will be working so that won't impress the wildlife.
I think that would put the birds off
There was a squirrel in my bird count I could here him lifting up the squirrel feeder a few times which is nice - we call him cyril - the feeder is on the other side of garden and down a bit so does not disturb the birds
Just submitted my results. I did my hour between 8 and 9 this morning on the basis that the birds would be hungry after the night and would flock to my feeders which I'd stocked up yesterday. I counted:
2 bluetits
2 starlings
4 goldfinches
4 sparrows
1 dunnock
2 robins
1 blackbird
1 collared dove
Soon after I'd finished I saw a pair of collared doves in the tree just outside our garden then a pair of blackibirds (not the one I'd already counted) on the lawn! There was no sign of the greattits I heard "singing" all afternoon when I was gardening yesterday!
We've been doing the birdwatch for several years now, pleased to see our house sparrows are doing well, they had a good breeding season last year, we think we counted about 20
My OH has just built a terrace of 3 nest boxes for them & put it up on one of our outbuildings. Sadly did not see the 3 bullfinches (2 male, 1 female) that have been attacking the honeysuckle on a daily basis since Christmas, nor the Nuthatches, but the usual chaffinches, greenfinches & great spotted woodpecker all showed up as usual, together with 3 of the moorhens from our pond, who are becoming a bit of a pain as they frighten the little birds when they fly up onto the bird table, one even tries to get onto the hanging feeders. Not sure if I'm allowed to include the 50-60 starlings who were pecking around in one of our fields (within sight of my kitchen sink) and the pair of red kites circling overhead (looking to see if my rat traps had yielded any lunch for them today)?
MerryWeather, the blurb the RSPB send out says "Only count the birds that land in your garden, not those flying over." Pity - I had a lovely lot of Canada geese honking overhead... though your red kites are rather more interesting.
I've not been able to submit my results on the Web - tried 3 times and each time it says "An error has occurred"; I think I'll resort to the paper version.
Liri, it was like that yesterday but I was able to submit results in the evening.
Thanks Joyce - I'll give it another try this morning.
Poured with rain all day yesterday and hardly a bird to be seen - just the occasional one dashing to the seed or fat balls. It's pretty overcast today too, but I'll give it a go later on. As you say it seems not to reflect the reality of bird life. We now have red kites regularly overflying the garden, loads of sparrows and blackbirds chasing each other on the grass, and yes, we too have blackcaps. I will try the count today (Monday) but am not optimistic of seeing the vast variety who normally visit. Part iof the problem is the "hour" as different birds come at different times of day. But where are all the goldfinches?