Rspb Garden Bird Watch

[nick the grief]

One of the Wardens at the woods nr me is a Birder & he always opens up & does a walk round & regularly clocks up 20 - 30 species! We have loads of sparrows because we haven't blocked our eaves up so they nest in the roof apart from that I get

Bullfinches
Greenfinches
Goldfinches
Blackbirds
House Sparrow
Hedge sparrow
Wren
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Long tailed tit
Collard dove
Wood pidgeon
the odd Heron !

Thats the ones I've seen usuall when I get the old Bino's out they all disappear !!

[Alice]

Madderbat,you can record even if you don't see any. The RSPB want to know that too.

[Digger-07]

How do you know what you have not seen???

[Crazy Chickie]

I love watching the birds in my garden, such different species to those we would have visit the garden in when we lived down in Edinburgh. Here we get Sparrows, Starlings (by the mob, will try and post a pic I have where there must be over a thousand sitting on every availible roof/chimney/wire etc.), Thrushes, Collard Doves, Black Birds and the odd Robbin. Not to mention Crows and marauding Gulls (they attacked one of the hens last summer and sliced her comb and face open ) Think we get Siskins and Dunnocks here too but still need to make positive identifications of these two. We get lots of migrating Swans, Geese and ducks on the lochs here but havn't gone out with the book to identify them yet and the weathers way, far too bad now.
Ooh, and Skylarks too, lovely little birds singing their wee hearts out miles high in the sky, you know spring has come when you here the skylarks

[Birdie Wife]

Funnily enough, my mum has tree sparrows in her garden, I was a bit shocked when I realised they weren't house sparrows. They visit the peanut feeders like the other birds and love the ivy growing up the side of the house for nesting. Mind you, house sparrows are getting that rare now they might get equal status to tree sparrows in the not-so-distant future.

Benacre, you live in a great spot for birding! I worked at Minsmere for a winter, what a lovely area!

[rustylady]

Why oh why wasn't it today? I saw a green woodpecker in the garden of the house where I work today - first one ever, though we have all the usual ones, blackbirds, tits, sparrows, pigeons, collared doves, a robin, greenfinches etc. The little b***s never seem to show on the day

[Benacre]

True! we had a Sparrowhawk today chasing pre-roosting Starlings, we often have Greater spotted Wood pecker and Green Woodpecker on site.
Benacre

[Piper]

We don't have many sparrows, sad really. We do have a pair of magpies, I think there are a pair of ring necked doves, robins, blue tits, great tits, greenfinch, starlings, blackbirds, pigeons (or as I call them rats with wings) and what I think was a nuthatcher. Will definatly have a look at the website, sounds really interesting. My 3 year old son will love it.

[nick the grief]

Hi Piper, welcome to the vine.

It can get quite obsesive . I started with a simple table I now have about 4 feeder on that one ans some more at the bottom of the garden which I intend to convert to a "wildlife" patch this year. One of our retired plotter makes nest boxes & is going to put these up all round the site and quite a few have bird tables on their plots.

[Piper]

Hello Nick the Grief. I know what you mean. We have hung bird feeders in the apple tree, which the blue tits love (and the squirrels). It is suppose to be squirrel proof, but they manage to get the nuts out. Any ideas on how I can deter them. I really don't mind them in the garden though. I actually have some squirrel feed but they eat it so quickly.
When we first moved here, nearly two years ago, robins used to come down and sit about a foot away while I was weeding, it was great. They are still around but I think they noticed we had a cat. Shame really as it was company for me and I used to chat away to them.
This website is very addictive, isn't it?

[Birdie Wife]

HAve you seen these feeders Piper?
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/mall/dep...rspb/76564/1/1

Though I notice they only market them as 'squirrel resistant'. You must have some very persistant squirrels!

Also, you may be interested to know that the Independent are giving away CDs of British Birdsong in the Saturday and Sunday editions (part one/part two) on 20th and 21st January, just in time for the Garden Birdwatch!

[Piper]

Thanks Birdie Wife, I just had a look at the link your recommended, will see if I can get one like the ones with the outer cage, that'll keep the squirrels guessing. I just have a standard metal feeder. Also, I'll look out for the Independent at the weekend. Thanks again.

[madderbat]

Also, you may be interested to know that the Independent are giving away CDs of British Birdsong in the Saturday and Sunday editions (part one/part two) on 20th and 21st January, just in time for the Garden Birdwatch!

Thanks for the tip Birdie Wife. It's one part of birding I'm not very good at. I will join the birdwatch, but am sad that we dont have many here. I used to live on the edge of a village and recorded a wide variety of birds - all the woodpeckers, tree creepers, flycatchers, swifts, swallows and house martins, as well as magpies, pigeons, collar doves, besides the usual small garden birds.
Had pheasant, foxes and badgers in the shrubery during winter and one summer saw hummingbird moths. I miss that so much.

[Piper]

I'm getting really excited about the bird watch during the weekend, I can't wait. I am going to be watching with my nearly 4 year old son. My husband may help too. Should be great fun!

[SueA]

I've done the RSPB birdwatch for a few years now but the trouble is whenever I decide to do it all I ever see is a blackbird, 2 starlings & a blue tit! We have visits from various other little birds throughout the year including coal tits, great tits, long tail tits, goldcrests, goldfinches etc. but none of them show their faces on the day! We used to have quite a lot of sparrows as well years ago but they disappeared & are only just starting to reappear in the area.