Topic: RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH

[Plottie]

Spend one hour in the garden/ lottie/ park this weekend watching and recording the birds you see for the RSPB survey.

go to www. rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for details

There you can download a counting sheet, see pictures of the common birds you might see and submit your results.

You need to do your birdwatch this weekend (29-30 January)

Great fun for the littlies...my youngest is poised by the kitchen window, binos in hand, ready to record her sightings!

Plottie :)

[rosebud]

Will do plottie, i shall print me sheet now. :)

[eileen]

DONE!!!   ;D

[Gardengirl]

Did the bird watch at the weekend.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I found myself going cross-eyed trying to count some of them.  The t*ts especially - they are so quick, they don't hang around like most of the others.  Had quite a variety though, blackbird, blue t*t, great t*t, robin, collared dove, chaffinch, goldfinch and LOADS of greenfinch and of course the dunnocks and other types of sparrow.

Has anybody seen the magpies lately.  I know they are not the friendliest of birds but we used to have them nesting in our large hawthorn tree but no sign of them at the moment.  We have however had quite a few crows around - do you think that the magpies and crows don't mix :-\

Pat

PS  Forgot to mention the army of starling :o

[eileen]

You're welcome to some of 'my' magpies Pat - they're all over the place causing their usual havoc.
We have crows, jackdaws, rooks and pies and they all feed in the gardens so I can't explain what's happening down your way I'm afraid.

I know what you mean about trying to count the birds for the RSPB I had a headache after an hour. I still don't know how accurate my numbers were as I'm not at all sure that I wasn't counting the same t'ts, sparrows etc over and over again. LOL

[Mrs Ava]

Didn't do it I'm afraid  :(, but we have magpies a-plenty!  Also lots of wrens, and I do love those teeny weeny birdies!

Today on the allotment I stood against my compost heap with a mug of hot coffee and just listened and the amount of bird song was amazing!  There was cooing, gaggling, whistles, chirrupping, chirping, kissing, squawking, quacking and something that I think was a peacock doing its thing!

[NattyEm]

awe I forgot, I had a sheet printed out last week ready. never mind.  Maybe we'll do the sheet just for fun at some point.

[Val]

 ;D Hi all only just seen this so didn't do it, but I've had a real mix of different birds in the garden the past few days , we don't normally get so many together. Poor things looking for food, I'll be glad for their sake and all wildlife..except maybe just 2 species. when this snow goes.Its so sad to watch them trying to fluff up their feathers to keep warm. Seems like Jan. not March.

[Marianne]

I spent the morning dusting the snow off their food trays!  The quicker I brushed it off, the quicker it came back!

Thankfully, the snow has now subsided but it was sad to see the pigeons in the High street not being able to find any grub...  I do hate winter!!!  It's always bad news for our friends the birds.   :'(

[wardy]

I'm a big supporter of Bird Watch as sparrow numbers here have been decimated.  By what we're kind of sure but aren't supposed to say.  If you think everything in the garden is lovely just keep tabs on your most common birds and if their numbers start falling then be aware then you can do something about it. 

You take the common sparrow for granted until you no longer see it  By then it may be too late

Wardy  :(

[Carol]

Wardy,  Sparrow numbers are definately down but especially so in London.  I think the numbers keep going in rural areas.  I know there is quite a lot of them in my village but not in my garden.  I have about one who visits, think he is a stray from the doctors house down the road.  He has loads of them cos he keeps hens.  The sparrows then come up my end of town during the spring and make usse of my sparrow terraced nesting box.  The Starling is another common bird on decline.  Yes, we are doing something wrong for previously common birds disappearing.  I do my fair share of feeding them all year. 

[Val]

We still have quite a few sparrows and starlings although I have noticed starlings don't  arrive en masse like they used to.We seem to have 2 different groups, those out the back and those in the front. I put seed out the back and the fat balls in the front. Its probably the same ones but it just seems strange watching them feed.