Big Garden Birdwatch

[alan refail]

It's that time of year again - just over a week to go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

[glallotments]

Don't shout too loudly about it as our birds will hear and go into hiding as they usually do on RSPB weekend

[PLUMPUDDING]

We've got the young male sparrowhawk and now his new girl friend as well coming round regularly. They made 6 attacks on my feeders in less than hour one day and most of the birds have stopped coming for breakfast or are extremely nervous. It is saving me a fortune in bird food but doesn't look good for the Birdwatch.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Well I've done the birdwatch. Got 17 species, but not in very large numbers. The sparrow hawks have put the larger flocks of everything off, and the birds seem to feel safer in ones and twos with one on watch at the top of the tree while the other feeds.

The sparrow hawk is about the only "regular" I've not seen this morning though!

[DiG]

I had 17 species too, unless I'm allowed to count the swans and mallard on the river which is technically part of my garden. My numbers were not high either - the biggest being 10 blackbirds. Its a great shame I couldn't count the 30+ fieldfares that were stripping the crab apple yesterday, only 2 today. I get much higher numbers of visitors when the weather is very frosty but only a light frost here this morning. Beautiful sunrise though.

Diane.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Guess what - lots more birds this morning, including one attack from the sparrow hawk and a rare visit by a flock of 12+ redpoll. It must be the snow on the moors that's brought them down, although it isn't freezing at the moment.

I'd count your swans and the mallard Diane if it is adjacent to your garden. I sometimes count what is sitting in the tree over the wall as its branches overhang my garden.

[DiG]

PP, I had to add the swans as extras but I did include them in the end. It was a beautiful sight - two adults and four late brood cygnets from last year in the stunning sunrise. Shame I didn't have the camera.
How lovely to see that large number of redpolls, such pretty little birds. We normally see them around this time but none so far this year. Others conspicuous by their absence in our garden are all the sparrows and dunnocks, although there are always a good number just down the lane. They obviously prefer the farm environment.

Diane

[glallotments]

15 species for us - some of our regulars didn't show and we had a sparrowhawk too - fortunately neat the end of our count.

usually the birds seem less frequent of BW day - I wonder if more people put food out just to take part and the birds make the most of this irregular food before returning to the places they can rely on more.

So diffiicult to count the sparrows as they tend to be spread all over the garden and move around a lot so it always has to be an estimate.