# Garden Birdwatch



## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

It's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend.
Anyone doing it or done it before;

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/


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## motormouth (Jul 3, 2010)

My Missus has done for the last 3 years.


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## brens (Aug 11, 2009)

Yes,we do but we wonder if they believe us as we have wild green parrots on our bird feeders, we have a fly past every evening of about 20 noisy parrots when they all head back to the nearby woods.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

I have done it in the past. We live in a rural areaand see an array of wildlife.
Certainly a decline in wagtails, house and hedge sparrows, starlings, and tits .
Jays have all disapeared and Magpies are not as numerous as a few years ago. We have noticed a pair of hawks recently.

*Read this * http://www.sify.com/news/britain-to...songbirds-news-international-lb2iOiacafi.html

Dave p


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## clianthus (Jul 8, 2006)

I haven't done it before, but we've recently got a bird table so going to do it this year.


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## lesbro (May 1, 2005)

Hi Brens, I know what you mean about the parrots we have seen them here in Berkshire. I wonder if they will spread enough to become known as indigenous. I downloaded the bird sheet last night ready to watch tomorrow. I bet the usual thing will be no birds when we decide to start watching. We can see quite a few fighting to get food when we are busy and then none when we can sit and watch for an hour.
For those who have seen hawks we have now had Red Kites but they don't land so won't count.
Good luck to all and hope you see some birds not on the list.


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

I never knew you got wild parrots - probably too cold for them up here in Caledonia!

My problem is that I'm rubbish at identifiying what different birds are.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

I have done this for the past several years now. Last weekend had a flock of 24 Waxwings in the trees, hope they come back this weekend    



Trevor


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## framptoncottrell (Jan 6, 2006)

Just finished mine for this year.

Saw my first long-tailed tits, so very chuffed!

No dunnocks, thrushes or magpies, who are fairly frequent visitors and no unusual visitors during my hour - in the past I've had green woodpeckers eating my ants, treecreepers, sparrow hawk, flocks of starlings.

Even so, a fun activity and good for the RSPB.

Dr (musical, not medical) Roy


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

I know this post is a bit late, but only just picked it up. I did the birdwatch for the first time this year. I hoped my list would reflect our usual varieties. I live near the centre of town and am quite proud of the range of birds visiting our garden. Costs a fortune in seed etc. but well worth it. Our (indoor) cats enjoy bird watching too.

Over the winter we had chaffinches, waxwings, siskins, redpolls, dunnocks, the world's largest collection of house sparrows, blackbirds by the dozen, blue, long-tailed, gold and great tits, wood pigeons, etc. and even a peregine landing to the consternation of the rest of the birds.

Come Sunday for the bird watch most of them headed as far away from our garden as is possible and my tally amounted to a couple of sparrows a chaffinch or two, a woodpigeon and a feral pigeon. Most boring and disappointing. Hope the person who hi-jacked my birds was doing the count :roll: 

Sue


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## motormouth (Jul 3, 2010)

What is a gold tit please??
Did you mean gold crest??

We had the same disappointing turnout on Sunday. It's a shame because it didn't reflect what we normally get. A bit worrying as I would hate to think RSPB thought that long tailed tits for example were nearing extinction when we can get 10 down at the same time. None on Sunday though.


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

Yes, I did the survey last weekend. 

A disappointing turnout, except for the 9(!) woodpigeons. A lot of my regulars stayed away.  

So all in all it was not a very representative tally, at least for my little garden.

Still, they all returned this week.  


SD


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## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

Did the survey last weekend and didn't get the massed hordes of goldfinches and long tails as we normally get, but was pleased to report two tiny Goldcrests who have been visiting recently. Didn't like to mention the rat who's also been visiting 8O


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

Hezbez said:


> I never knew you got wild parrots - probably too cold for them up here in Caledonia!
> 
> My problem is that I'm rubbish at identifiying what different birds are.


Lots of wild parrotts in south london (ring-necked parakeet's). My uncle has loads and loads in his back garden and they are as noisy as hell. They drive you mad after a short while though because of it.

Steve


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

Well spotted motormouth - should have been gold finches  

Chigman and Hezbez - I remember thinking I had a real problem in the 1970s when we were in Yorkshire near Brough. I definitely saw a macaw fly across the road. Not a difficult bird to mistake for a sparrow. Now no one else in the car saw it so I worried I was going really loopy and my bird watching skills brought into sever doubt. It was years later I heard on the radio that I had been right and macaws and parrots fly about the area - probably escapees from a collection, but well known in the area.

Sue


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