Big Garden Birdwatch

The Big Garden Birdwatch seems to come round more quickly every year! I did our survey early this afternoon, as a bit of a break from the more physical activities of the day. The weather was overcast, about 3C and with very little wind - conditions which are usually pretty good for spotting garden birds.

The survey started with a bit of excitement, when I spotted a greater spotted woodpecker in one of the apple trees. It was there for some time, though mostly on the far side of any branches, and then flew up into the top of the willow tree. The next bit of excitement was a blackcap, which suddenly appeared in the dogwood and then flew up into the climbers on the patio. It then spent some time on the fat feeder, clearly enjoying the mix that Pete makes (bad record photos can be seen on my blog).

As usual there were plenty of wood pigeons and blackbirds, but blue tits were unusually the commonest species, and it was difficult to keep track of them. I discovered that untidiness in the garden can have unexpected rewards. A bucket accidentally left out overwinter has filled up with water and makes an ideal drinking spot for tits. They queue up on the adjacent bush to use it. I think the rim must be just the right size for their feet, but is probably too narrow for the larger, less agile birds. I even managed to get the above image of a coal tit while he was queueing up for a drink.

The final list for the year was as follows:
Blue Tit - 8
Wood Pigeon - 7
Blackbird - 6
Chaffinch - 3
Collared Dove - 3
Coal Tit - 2
Dunnock - 2
Blackcap -1
Great Tit - 1
Greater Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Goldcrest -1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Magpie - 1
Robin - 1
Starling - 1
Wren -1

The main differences from last year were the absence of greenfinches and goldfinches, significantly fewer chaffinches, and a greater variety of invertebrate feeders such as blackcap, wren and goldcrest.

If you want to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch you just need to count the birds in your garden for an hour tomorrow. All the details can be found on the RSPB website here.

Other news for the day: the hedgerow alongside our ancient woodland was successfully planted this morning. There was a good turnout, which meant it only took a couple of hours, and we were all rewarded with coffee and flapjack. Yum!