Birdwatch Weekend 27-29 January 2023

[Stravaig]

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/ac ... birdwatch/

I've signed up.

Edit: and have now received more info. You only have to commit to one hour of logging what you see, so it's not something you need to do for the whole weekend.

They also give you descrptions and pics of birds to look out for. I'd expected to see wagtails on the list, but they're not. We regularly have three.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/ac ... k-out-for/

Apparently sparrows and starlings are on the UK's Red List. We get loads of starlings so it's good to be helping them.

[retropants]

Thanks Stravaig, we have lots of starlings, especially when we put out the meal worms!

[Stravaig]

Yeah, even so-called insect eaters just love the blocks of meal worms in suet.

I'm not exactly sure what a meal worm is but I'm glad I'm not one.

[Stravaig]

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the start of Birdwatch week!

Edit: I should have said "weekend" not "week". It's Saturday and Sunday.

[oldherbaceous]

I must admit, Stravaig, this is something I have never done before….it always seems to happen when I have a lot of weekend work to do….although that could be every weekend….

[Stravaig]

Hi OH,

It only takes an hour and you could do it from your garden or allotment or wherever while you're working. All you have to do is keep your eyes peeled for birds and report online the maximum number of birds you saw at any one time within your hour.

My desk faces the roof terrace which is kinda our garden so it'll be very easy for me. I will be diligent but I pretty much know now what I'll be reporting. Two or three wagtails and maybe 20 or more starlings.

I currenly have a yellow waggie and a pied waggie running about on there. And no doubt the starlings will be back later too. We had a crow yesterday. First time I've seen one up here.

I love waggies. They are so cute. Sprinting champions and I love the way they run sideways too.

[Stravaig]

I've just completed my hour of recording what birds I see. Sadly, not as many as I often see on most days and now two aerial rats (feral pigeons) are daily visitors. I don't like them so I'm glad the food cages at our bird bistro are too small for them to benefit from.

My totals:

1 house sparrow (first time ever seen up here)
1 yellow wagtail (very frequent visitor)
2 pied wagtails (also daily visitors)
3 starlings (this is a very low total as sometime it looks like a Hitchcock film out there because of starlings)

[Stravaig]

Oh YUK!

I don't like pigeons but they're even more disgusting than I'd realised.

https://www.earthguardpest.com/blog/201 ... ith-wings/

[Colin2016]

Did this a few years back found the constant upsell after a pain.

[Stravaig]

I know what you mean, Colin. I've already received several "invitations" to join the RSPB. I'm happy to help with their Birdwatch, we bought one of their books to help us identify birds, and we even created a "bird cafe" to help the birds. But if I'd wanted to join the RSPB I have already done it by now so I'm not wanting to be pestered.

[retropants]

my neighbour will not stop feeding the ferals, even though I've asked her not too. There are about 20-30 of them sitting on her roof and coming down into my garden and stealing the dove/robin/dunnock food. I have now got a large water jet gun thing, which I blast at them if they come down, they stayed away for about 6 months, but must be hungry again, and have been down onto the patio. I am not happy. They bomb the doves out of the way to get to the food.

[oldherbaceous]

I noticed the Blackbirds flying about with nesting material, this morning!

[Primrose]

I do it most years and had the lowest count ever - just a couple of feral oigeons and atwo wood pigeons. Even the injured wood pigeon with the damaged leg who comes to our patio door every day to be fed stayed away. I can onky assume that the human"going on strike" habit has migrated to the avian population, along with bird flu.

Very disappointing but perhaps they'd all cleared off to another garden when a special supply of bird seed had been our chased for the purpose of taking part in the exercise!