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Big garden bird watch 2017

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  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328

    The goldfinches have largely disappeared in my garden, too, Gardening Granny - they always seemed to be on the sunflower seeds until just after Christmas.  Strange...

    The website finally accepted my results this morning.  image

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • That's a shame about the red kites, Liriodendron, I don't read the blurb nowadays, just go straight to the "submit results". In my defence I will say that one of them was hanging around for a while in one of the large trees that edge the field! I hope my fields count as my "green space" because I've recorded the dozens of starlings that were pecking around there. Incidentally we are lucky enough to see probably a couple of hundred that fly over in the late afternoon with a great woosh as they head to their roosts, we keep saying we must go and watch them up at Aber, its supposed to be a spectacular sight! We usually have a lot of Canada geese on our pond but none this winter, mind you that might not be a bad thing with the avian flu as we keep poultry and although they are on lock down until the end of Feb its still difficult to keep them away from the wild birds.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I did mine on Saturday as I wasn't expecting to be around on Sunday. Fortunately it was snowing too, so the birds were hungry   image

    image

    The blackbirds arrived a bit late, but there was plenty left after the nuthatches chucked more out image

    image

    I still think the count is misleading too, but that's how they do it. If it had been last week, I might not have seen the nutties which are new visitors here. I've lived in this area for a total of twenty years, in two different houses, and I've never seen them before. There's nowhere to add occasional sightings of other visitors (apart from foxes/badgers etc) which I think is a mistake. 

    Nuthatches aren't common up here so you'd think it would be useful if they were getting info about them for researching the reasons for new or more regular sightings. Same in lots of areas where birds are becoming more visible, or indeed, more rare. image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489

    I've had a pied wagtail at the 'cheese pot'  for the past week and when I put it in as 'other' it said it wasn't on their list.

    It's the first one I've seen in 48 years of living here so you would think they would be interested.

    SW Scotland
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    They're fairly common if you're near water Joyce, but if they're visiting your feeding areas, I'd think that was quite unusual.

    We used to get them at the last house as we had lots of water, and they were often round the feeders too, because we had them near the big pond, but I can't say I ever saw them eat any of the food. I wonder if their usual diet was a bit scarce, making them look for alternatives?

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489

    There is a river at the back of the house so, as you suggest, they may not be getting their normal food supply.

    SW Scotland
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,146

    Fairy image  I submitted a paper version and there was a space to add any other creature - bird or animal - that appeared.  I added a Jay. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Aah - perhaps that's the issue then Dove. Slightly daft if they don't have the same facility online. I know I have a wren which visits, but the nature of their habit means I only see him/her now and again, and  I can't add that. You can add occasional animals  ( although not squirrels for some reason ) but not occasional birds. 

    Unless I missed it somehow. Quite possible....image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • When I tried to add "Moorhen" it came up as not on their list, then I tried it again and it came up with a picture of one and accepted my count of 3.......it let me add "Willow Tit" with no problems, maybe just a technical glitch with your pied wagtail? Thinking about it we often have them here, but no sign of them on Birdwatch weekend of course and the wrens didn't show up either even though we see them quite regularly loitering around the muck heap image 

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410

    Think the website was a bit tempermental - had the same problem as Liri here, but succeeded late yesterday evening. And I couldn't add a magpie ......which is hardly exotic !

    I think I do it for selfish reasons ......I enjoy sitting staring out the window for a whole hour......don't often get the chance to do itimage.  And I always see something I haven"t noticed before - this year it was a pair of siskinsimage. Had to get the book out to identify themimage

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