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Sunday, January 27
Our Bird watch Results
38 comments:
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Quite a good show there Sue. As expected, all my regulars have taken themselves away for the weekend.... every year the same!
ReplyDeleteI think some people just feed birds this weekend, Jules and the birds being disloyal decide they had better make the most of the unexpected bounty.
DeleteToday I've noticed a few starlings in my garden. They usually don't winter in Poland but when they appear they are a harbinger of spring! :) I was more than happy to see them!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have as many starlings as we used to Dewberry. Ours migrate for winter but we have another batch from further north migrate to us.
DeleteI used to do weekly counts for the BTO but I seem to have too much else on the go these days. Perhaps I'll get back to it eventually, until then, WELL DONE to you for participating.
ReplyDeleteI read about the weekly counts, Bilbo but I think that is too big a commitment
DeleteBird count week...that's why my feeders have appeared empty today...or it could just be that the warm spell has actually turned up some bugs for them to eat and water to drink so I have been made redundant for the day.
ReplyDeleteI think you got a pretty good showing Sue!!
Our feeders are less in demand today, Tanya. Yesterday we still had snow and today it is fairly windy but the goldfinches are ever present.
DeleteA real Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit dilemma here Sue. I put them all down as Coal Tits but perhaps they were all Blue Tits. The Dunnock is a new one on me. I thought they were Wrens but it seems not. I guess this hones the public's identification knowledge. Too many pigeons. Your montage is impressive!
ReplyDeleteIf the are black and white only - then they are either coal tits or possibly willow tits (coal tits more likely. The coal tit has a white stripe down the back of it's head.
DeleteIf it is small with a yellow chest and blue cap - its a blue tit. If it is larger with a black stripe down it's chest and a black cap it's a great tit.
Wren are smaller than dunnocks and have a pointy up tail. Lots of people mistake dunnocks for sparrows but their beaks are more pointy and they have greyish heads
I haven't formally taken part, but I have been semi-consciously on the lookout for birds today. The ones I saw were mostly the same as the ones you saw, but with the addition of a Mistle Thrush. I seem to have a resident one at present, which I see nearly every day. Why is it that on days like this the unusal ones keep a very low profile??
ReplyDeleteHaven't had a mistle thrush for a while Mark. My guess us that too many people are feeding them who don't usually. The birds soon spot a free meal.
DeleteReally good bird watch results and good photos too. I spotted 1 blackbird, a few great tits, 1 coal tit and a magpie, but I think I have accidently deleted my bird watch photos.
ReplyDeleteBetter than usual Kelli probably down to the snow.
DeleteWith the exception of 4 lonely hearts, our birds all went into hibernation. I blame BT, who turned up unannounced to do some work on our ash tree. As you might expect, the birds returned once we had stopped counting (I found two in the chicken coop). Next year, we WILL do better.
ReplyDeleteYour results are impressive!
Pity that you couldn't include the chickens GS
DeleteGood selection of visitors, I saw our regular Robin early on but was out most of the weekend so didn't take part.
ReplyDeleteBusy selling potatoes Damo?
DeleteWe are hopeless at birds. It used to amount to LBB and BBB (little brown...etc). But we see more in the garden than we used to, or perhaps 'notice' would be a better description. And this weekend we both noticed, without knowing what it was, a bird which seemed to have made the local shops, especialy the bakers, it's territory. No idea what it was until, serendipitously, Saturday's Daily Telegraph contained Kate Humble's bird guide. Immediately, and without a shadow of doubt, we identfied it as a pied wagtail. Never in my life have I knowingly seen a pied wagtail. But I have now!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching, Woody one of our cleaners thought that the pied wagtails that were always around school were baby magpie.
DeleteAnd I see Eric the 'Eron very regularly. In fact there are two herons in my local park and I sometimes see them having a bit of a set-to.
ReplyDeleteWe sometimes get a heron which is why we now have to put strings across our pond
DeleteBetter than I saw, Sue. I've been leaving seed, apples and a peanut bag at the entrance to our local Country park and have seen loads of birds over the last few weeks, Today hardly any - 1 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Greta Tit - wonder if the sudden thaw had anything to do with it - plenty of their own food around now!
ReplyDeleteI think that is what has happened Chris
DeleteGood Morning Sue. First, good job on the montage :-) This is a great way to let others see what visited your garden in the time frame of one hour. I also fully appreciate that it is not a full representation of your garden just now. I definitely think people feeding over the Birdwatch weekend that don’t normally have an impact on numbers in gardens where food is regularly provided.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the time taken in producing your montage as I have shown my numbers this way myself (I’ve taken slightly easier option this time). Didn’t spot our regular Dunnock but spotted another brown bird that looks like it has been in my garden before but I have missed it – a nice surprise to end my count :-)
Birds are disloyal aren't they, Shirl.
DeleteI just thought some visitors may not know what some of the birds looked like - we often assume don't we?
I think that's a good selection, and I'm still envious of all the goldfinches you see. I had every intention of taking part, and then ended up being too busy, though I didn't notice very many birds about over the weekend, Saturday because of the snow and Sunday because of the driving rain.
ReplyDeleteSaturday when we did our count we had more birds than Sunday, Jo. I guess after the thaw they were less desperate. No blackbirds queuing waiting for the bird tables to be replenished
DeleteSuch a good show for you - I got a Bullfinch pair this year, which was thrilling - and wonderful display of Jackdaws, Rooks and Crows flying in a big flock - looked like playing in the wind - but they don't count!
ReplyDeleteWe had a pair of bullfinches during the last count, Jennifer. They visit occasionally but haven't been seen for a while. The long tailed tits stayed away too and no greenfinches.
DeleteMartyn thought he had seen a wren but it moved quickly so he wasn't sure
Aren't Goldfinches just amazing! Lovely to have them visit your garden. My little visitors seem to have disappeared? They're not eating anything from my garden at the minute???
ReplyDeleteWe may have had more goldfinches Anna but they were flitting around in the magnolia waiting for a turn on the sunflower hearts and were difficult to count. Most times we look out of the window we see some
DeleteI have a pair of nesting wood pigeons on my roof, they were the only birds I saw in my garden on Saturday when I was counting, and I counted my roof as in my garden! Shame, because I have made great effort to attarct birds to my garden, they have just not turned up yet...
ReplyDeleteYou have made an effort Helene - hopefully they will notice soon.
DeleteLots of lovely birds. We don't get many in our garden, sparrows, blackbird, starling, robin, bluetit and a wren. We get loads of magpies & crows and I think these keep most birds away.
ReplyDeleteMartyn thought he saw a wren out of his eye corner but wasn't sure so didn't count it. We get more now that we offer a variety of food and in a variety of feeders - the sunflower hearts are the biggest attraction
DeleteSo now I know where all my birds went. They've come back now that the bird count is over.
ReplyDeleteHOw disloyal is that Crystal?
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