This weekend saw the annual event which is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. It takes place on the last weekend in January and is easy to take part in as it only takes an hour.
The Big Garden Birdwatch was born 33 years ago in 1979 and was an experiment for the members of the Young Ornithologists` Club (which has now evolved into the RSPB Wildlife Explorers). Since then it has grown and grown, with adults being allowed to join in in 2001. In 2011 609,177 people took part and saw 10,262,501 birds. The principles have remained the same, you spend an hour watching birds in your garden and record what you see. It`s as simple as that.
This event has helped the RSPB track the health of our bird population and has in some way noted the tragic fall in `common` birds, such as House Sparrow, Starling and Song Thrush with the rise in numbers of birds such as the Goldfinch (the digiscoped picture above) and the Long-tailed Tit with the advent of Nyjer seed feeders and the popularity of feeding fat balls.
This year was just like any other year for me, with the usual suspects such as Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue and Great Tits outnumbering everything else (still have yet to note a House Sparrow), but a couple of nice surprises were a pair of Bullfinches and a male Blackcap.
Hi John, that's a lovely photo!
ReplyDeleteMy count was very unrepresentative of what I usually see in the garden, not a Great Tit or Coal Tit to be seen and that's just two of the 'regulars' that let me down!
Oh, we’ve got masses of sparrows (not sure if they’re House Sparrows or not), dunnocks, pigeons, a robin, and a goldfinch. None of them stayed very long though because the dog wanted to befriend them all.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see the Bullfinches made it to the count. I don't know what has happened to the local Goldfinches. They have been AWOL for well over a week. Maybe they found a more convenient food source.
ReplyDeleteThat's a remarkable amount with Blackcap and the Bullfinch. The Goldfinch is a prize photo.
ReplyDeleteNice Goldfinch pic John and good to get a winter Blackcap too.
ReplyDeleteHI John...I was down for the count with a sore throat and an ear ache yesterday lol
ReplyDeleteYou sure have a lovely photo here of the Goldfinch ..it is a beauty!!
I sometimes wonder where the birds are on some days ..like today hardly a bird at the feeders ...yesterday the place invaded with them....well at least you didn't end up without any...I will send you some House Sparrows..lol..there are big flocks of them in the city and at the big department stores and feed stores ..they get into the feed even ...crazy huh!!
I am now reporting my sightings count on ebird .. started a couple of weeks ago and I love it !!
oooop's Rambling ; }
Grace
Hi Jan,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Isn`t that always the way with these bird counts? I have regular large flocks of Starlings and Wood Pigeons, but on the day of the count these flocks were greatly reduced in numbers, they must have gone elsewhere!
J
Hi Mask,
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have large numbers of Sparrows (I am pretty sure they are House Sparrows), just like my Mum and Dad, but as yet we are yet to see more than one of these birds in our garden and that was last summer!
J
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI was lucky to see them, they were only there for a split second, but they made it onto the count!
I think more people put out food on these occasions, which means the birds can go elsewhere!
J
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteThank you, you are too kind about my humble effort!
I suppose that I am quite lucky with what I get in the garden, not many people that I know have Reed Buntings visit and we have 5 of these as regular visitors at the moment!
J
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes, another split second visitor, but he has been back, so I am hoping that I may be able to get a photo one day!
J
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I hope you are feeling better now!
It is enjoyable to count the birds in your garden and send off the records, it makes you feel as if you are doing `your bit` for nature!
My Mum and Dad have got oodles of House Sparrows, they keep telling me that they are going to send some my way! ;)
J
Goldfinch, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, House Sparrows and a Wren made an appearance alongside my regular Woodpigeons... not in big numbers though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely capture of your Goldfinch John.
Thanks Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThat`s a good list though and at least you get to note House Sparrow! It sounds daft, but I would like to get regular visitors of this bird in my garden!
J