big garden birdwatch rspb (1 Viewer)

[budgiegirl]

hi anyone doing the garden bird survey next weekend 26th 27th jan 2008, i am been looking in my garden today seen loads of chaffinches, but thats about all, apart from blackbirds magpies etc,

 

[paulwfromtheden]

hi anyone doing the garden bird survey next weekend 26th 27th jan 2008, i am been looking in my garden today seen loads of chaffinches, but thats about all, apart from blackbirds magpies etc,

I'm skiing in France next week-end, have already written to the RSPB to register my disgust at not checking with me first....I shall be doing mine on Monday (but dont let on...)

 

[NeilF]

I will definitely be giving it a go. No doubt the birds will get wind of whats going on and decide to spend the weekend in someone else's garden




That's just the way it is

 

[Peewit]

I hope to join in as I missed out last year becuase I had other priorities like moving house.

Any suggested links to contact?

 

[RiB]

No real problems doing the Birdwatch on the Monday if you're busy on the weekend. The main thing is to get stacks of people taking part - and lets hope we get a cold snap this year and it brings the birds into the gardens. Last year was so mild, many people saw very little. On that point, even if you see very few birds, please send in you results - online if possible.

Cheers

Richard Bashford

 

[esmondb]

Was moving house this time last year, so I didn't/couldn't participate. I'm looking forward to it this year.
I wonder if I'll get one hour's peace and quiet from the wife.

 

[Peewit]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/about/index.asp

I would like to participate myself this year not long to go now

 

[deborah4]

I will be - good excuse to get the hang of my new camera too! No doubt all the birds that have been frequenting my garden will vanish mysteriously just for the hour I select for the Watch - I think they know!

 

[Katherine]

** Runs off to pack her garden full of seed, sunflower hearts, peanuts, fat balls, suet cakes, fruit fallen off trees and kitchen scraps **

I am determined to do better than the one House Sparrow and single Blackbird I got last year. A total non-event owing to a Sparrowhawk visiting the garden 5 mins before my hour started!

 

[Mike Cook]

I am determined to do better than the one House Sparrow and single Blackbird I got last year. A total non-event owing to a Sparrowhawk visiting the garden 5 mins before my hour started!

Be honest Katherine.

Were you not even a little bit tempted to start the hour five minutes early and include the sparrowhawk? I would have been |8.| (but don't tell the RSPB - they'll never believe anything I submit in future). I thought it was up to the observers when they started the hour; and who's to say they can't change their mind at the last minute (or last five minutes)?

I shall now wait for the RSPB compliance team to ban me from all their reserves and to excommunicate me.8-P

Mike

 

[grey_beard]

What I've done in previous years is log the time as well as the birds and then pick the best hour from the morning. I usually find that the birds tend to visit all at once and then disappear for some time.

Gary

 

[Peewit]

What I've done in previous years is log the time as well as the birds and then pick the best hour from the morning. I usually find that the birds tend to visit all at once and then disappear for some time.

Gary

Hi Gary

I find birds are around earlish in the morning, and again just before it gets dark.

Mid-day to mid-afternoon seems to be much quieter. :eek!:

I always notice that the Blackbirds will keep feeding until it is quite dark along with members of the Tit family. The Blue Tits have so much energy to keep feeding as long as possible.

 

[RiB]

Well it has been a busy day today with plenty of PR work around BGBW. Really great to see all the interest out there. Aside from gathering loads of bird data, raising awareness about the wildlife around us is pretty valuable among the wider public so do spread the word please.

One point about the birds you see in the hour, thanks to the vast number of people taking pat, it doesn't matter if you local birds avoid your garden in the hour (as might happen). It is just a likely you see more than normal and it all evens out. What I would say is please submit your sightings even if you only see one or two birds. That data is just as important as a bird-filled garden. It all gets combined to produce the stats and the more gardens watched, the better the data.

Best wishes

Richard Bashford

 

[Euan Buchan]

I love doing the birdwatch I will probably have to do it on Sunday as Saturday is to be wet

 

[Katherine]

About to put the outdoor light on and pack the back garden full with food!

There'll be all sorts of seed mixes, suet cakes, mealworms, slightly damaged fruit, peanuts, fat balls, raisins, rice, wholemeal bread (DON'T put white bread out!), extra water........

 

[Mike Cook]

Absolutely bloody typical. 8-P

I complete my hour, enter the results on line and then look out of the window. There I see a House Sparrow and two Goldfinches, neither of which were there during the hour.|=@|

Not a bad list though for a small suburban garden, considering how windy it is up here today. I would have waited for tomorrow when less wind is forecast but I'm desperate to complete another tetrad for the Atlas Survey.

My BGB list was:

Stock dove 4
Dunnock 1
Robin 1
Blackbird 2
Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 2
Chaffinch 4
Greenfinch 11
Siskin 15
Bullfinch 1

I also got Sparrowhawk, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Magpie and Carrion Crow flying over and a mouse under the feeder sharing the fallen seeds with some Siskins. Can't count any of those though.

 

[Euan Buchan]

Good turn out

 

[RiB]

1200 forms in on the website already, 41,000 birds recorded - keep them coming!

Richard Bashford

 

[Katherine]

Dunnock - 5
Collared Dove - 3
Blackbird - 9
Goldfinch - 8
Great Tit - 2
House Sparrow - 7
Starling - 3
Robin - 2
Blue Tit - 2

 

[Pete Mella]

Typically, for the hour I was looking, not a sniff of a coal tit, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, GSW or various other birds that sometimes venture into the garden! Instead I got...

Great tit - 4
Blue tit - 3
Magpie - 3
Blackbird - 1
Dunnock - 2
Robin - 2
Jackdaw - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Woodpigeon - 1