Big Garden Birdwatch 2011

[dogsbody]

OK, here's a thread where you can post what you are doing in preparation for the BGBW on 29/30 January this year, what you are hoping to see and the results of your 1 hour watch.

This year we have put up a new feeder pole in the front garden with a nijer feeder, coconut shell and ordinary seed feeder on it. The shell got attacked first and wow this week all of a sudden the ordinary seed feeder, a small 1 level port flip top feeder is being emptied daily! (no idea what is eating it all yet)

Hoping to see the following usual suspects and who knows what else?

Sparrows
Starlings
Blackbirds
Great Tits
Blue tits
Chaffinchs
Collared doves

and the usual 3 chickens and 3 cats.....

[binley100]

It's probably a squirrel........they even come up and peer at me through the kitchen window now. I have a wired string of monkey nuts hanging on the washing line and the squirrels desperate to work out a way of getting to them .....so far he walked out along a branch of the apple tree right to the tip, but it's just not near enough....

[Two_Sheds]

29th and 30th Jan

We don't get many birds at home, there aren't many trees on our estate. We have a couple of blackbirds, a robin and a female sparrow. We did have a sparrowhawk literally drop onto our lawn last summer, and a woodcock who was lost

[Headfry]

All set and ready - I am sure 'they' use to send me a reminder email.....nothing yet! and to think I almost missed it...thanks for the reminder dogsbody

[Headfry]

ok so thats spooky....just received the email from RSPB regarding the bird count!

[dogsbody]

First results of the weekend, from GF's garden (doing mine tomorrow)

Blackbirds 3
Woodpecker 1
Sparrow 1
Robin 1
Woodpigeon 1
Collared Dove 15
Starlings 6
Chaffinches 6
Blue Tit 1
Coal Tit 1
Sparrowhawk 1

So over to you folks.......

[T8Ter]

This morning
Coal tit - 2
Blue tit - 1
Starling - 20/25
Sparrow - 15
Blackbird -2
Robin - 2
Crow common - 4
Jackdaw -2
Feral pigeon - 3
Wood pigeon - 1
Collared dove - 5
Chaffinch -3

[Capsid]

Glad I saw this, I thought the birdwatch was for Sunday only. This morning my tally was

Blackbird 4
Blue tit 5
Crow 1
Chaffinch 1
Dunnock 2
Goldfinch 1
Great tit 5
Long tailed tit 4
Magpie 1
Robin 1
Wood pigeon 1
Great spotted woodpecker 2

[Jeanied]

Well I've filled up the two nyjer feeders and the two sunflower hearts feeders, chucked some mixed wild bird seed onto the shed roof and some dried mealworms on the paving. Also topped up the two fatball feeders and changed the water in the birdbath.

Now too cold to sit and watch but I glimpsed 10 goldfinches scoffing away (they like the sunflower hearts and chuck them all over the ground) and a collared dove has found a sneaky way of perching on the static bird feeder and pecking at the hanging feeder.
Oh and a very fat fluffy blackcap has been pecking at the fat balls.

[Buleste]

Bloody typical. I did my birdwatch yesterday and entered in all the results and today the garden has been full of birds that weren't there yesterday. 2 Nuthatches 1 Jackdaw and a pair of Wood pigeons. I think the birds run a book on who's going to place where and some of them are trying to fix the results.

[seasprout]

Its been the best ever turn out for me this year.

[scarletrunner]

Today,just 4 sparrows 4 blackbirds one blue tit and one wood pigeon.

[arpoet]

Bloody typical. I did my birdwatch yesterday and entered in all the results and today the garden has been full of birds that weren't there yesterday. 2 Nuthatches 1 Jackdaw and a pair of Wood pigeons. I think the birds run a book on who's going to place where and some of them are trying to fix the results.

We have given up doing the bird watch for that very reason.. our garden is usually teaming with birds, but the weekend of the Birdwatch is often a very still and calm weekend and the birds dont come. Today was such a day.

[Two_Sheds]

Their site's taking ages to load, I've given up twice. Might try again tomorrow

[dogsbody]

Give it some time TS it gets easier further along the week.

results from my garden and my mothers:

Mine:

sparrow 6, collared dove 4, blackbird 3, starling 12, great tit 1, blue tit 1, chaffinch 3, dunnock 1

Mother's:

blackbird 5, collared dove 2, staling 6, wood pigeon 1, blue tit 3, chaffinch 1, magpies 2, rooks 2, blackcap 1, greenfinch 2, goldfinch 5, robin 2.

Will be uploading later this week onto site once it has calmed down a bit.