Sunday, January 29, 2023

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

 As expected not many birds around this weekend. I think they'd flown to different gardens for a holiday.

I was ready with notebook and pencil to get on with my 'five bar gate' way of counting but not many five bar gates were reached this year.

 We eventually saw both Robins together after seeing just one at a time during the count and therefore only being able to record one they suddenly appeared at the same time in different parts of the garden.  Thank you Robins.

 
 Here is my list
6 Blackbirds, 1 Wood pigeon, 2 Robins, 7 Goldfinches, 1 Collard Dove, 2 Coal Tits and 2 Blue Tits.

Below is a record of my submitted count.


I was concerned to see only one Collard Dove as there are always two and always together.  I hope the second one is still around somewhere.

Did you take part in the count?  If so what did you spot in your garden?

18 comments:

  1. Good total Rosie but as you say so many go AWOL in that hour! I only had one five bar gate for Wood Pigeons! Most but not all of the regulars turned up here but none of the less frequent visitors. Will do a post next week.

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    1. We usually have more wood pigeons and collard doves, sparrows too but not on Sunday. Look forward to reading your post:)

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  2. That's actually a great number of spots considering. Our garden has been very quiet. We've put the camera on the bird table to see what that comes up with but I'm not holding out much hope. 😊

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    1. Not too bad and the coal tits were a bonus. Hope you caught one or two visitors on your camera:)

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  3. I think the small birds have been hiding in the hedges in my garden this weekend but they are singing beautifully. I did see a couple of robins on the feeder and a sparrow while I was washing up.

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    1. Paul could hear the birds in our hedges, I can't hear them now unless I am outside and close by, Wood pigeons I can hear and they have been quite vocal:)

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  4. It's always nice to hear what you've had visit in the Bird Watch and wish we had things like that out here, though last week we had six of my magpies at once, all carolling together, so very noisy. Have a great week, take care & hugs.

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    1. That must have been quite a sound to hear, I love hearing about your garden bird visitors, so different to ours:)

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  5. Great photo of your Robin. I should check and see if we do a similar count in my part of the US. We stopped feeding the birds this fall, sadly. Tbe cost of the feed shot up, but we were also having problems with mice, chipmunks, squirrels, you name it, eating so much of the seed it was frustrating. I have noticed that since there is no birdseed, we bave had no mouse problem in the house.
    We will feed again starting in March and stop in June when the birds have plentiful feed, and then pick up in winter again. I think this long pause has eliminated the majority of the seed thieves. I hope.

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    1. The cost of bird food has gone up hasn't it? We have carried on feeding and luckily don't have mice about. Our cats used to bring in the occasional wood mouse but we don't have any pets now. We do get squirrels though and they take quite a lot of the food, there are four that visit the garden as well as foxes and badgers. The squirrels like the suet pellets we put out for the ground feeding birds:)

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  6. Well done on the count. Now kitties are back in our garden I have stopped feeding the birds to protect them from my furry friends. I do still have my regular robins, blackbirds and sparrows but they wisely keep out of the cats way. Fortunately they are not roaming cats preferring to stay in the garden and not bird catchers either. So far so good 🤞🏻 B x

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    1. I understand re the furries. Our cats never caught or brought birds into the house but the female used to bring in a wood mouse occasionally carrying it gently like a little kitten, she would then put it in the bath and watch it run around. They were easily caught and put back outside at the top of the garden. We had a cat visitor in the garden this morning, it chased a couple of squirrels. Glad you still have your regular visitors:)

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  7. I didn't take part but regularly have sparrows in the hedge at the front of the house and we have plenty of magpies around here as well as pigeons and hear the intermittent arrival of parakeets now and then! Hope you have a lovely weekend Rosie and hopefully see some more bird visitors. :)

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    1. Just seen two herring gulls flying low over the garden and the pigeons are calling again in the early morning. How wonderful to have the parakeets visit your garden and good to hear there are still lots of sparrows too in your front hedges:)

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  8. I did, we were quite lucky this year, plenty of tits and starlings, blackbirds, collared doves and robins we also had a pair of bullfinch! not many sparrows this year though xxx

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    1. Great to have the bullfinches visit at the right time. We see them occasionally here usually in snow or at nesting time:)

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