Author Topic: RSPB garden birdwatch...  (Read 7775 times)

RSPB garden birdwatch...
« on: 28 January, 2011, 09:09:45 am »
Anyone taking part Sat/Sun?   The RSPB: Big Garden Birdwatch: How to take part

We're going to give it a go... and I've stocked up the feeders.

This years more 'unusual' birds...

grey wagtail
black cap
treecreeper
plus regulars...
red kite overhead

Earlier, two thrushes and a black bird  'taking turns' on ground suet pellets/meal worms...

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

border-rider

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch... what's in your garden?
« Reply #1 on: 28 January, 2011, 09:11:56 am »
we shall

No baseline though, because we've moved house since last year.

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch... what's in your garden?
« Reply #2 on: 28 January, 2011, 09:34:07 am »
Probably not worth bothering for us. .

We have Fat Pigeon who eats all my vegetables despite my planting an impenetrable wall of marigolds around the vegetable patch, plus the odd Magpie, Robin and Parakeet.

Your typical london garden.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #3 on: 28 January, 2011, 05:00:13 pm »
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #4 on: 28 January, 2011, 06:19:45 pm »
We're intending to, but I can safely predict that most of our sightings will be of squirrels, squirrels, and yet more squirrels  >:(


(What are the natural predators of squirrels ?  We're in need of some)
Aero but not dynamic

Mrs Pingu

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Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #5 on: 28 January, 2011, 10:19:53 pm »
Hungry hoomins
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #6 on: 29 January, 2011, 07:00:03 am »
Aero but not dynamic

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch... what's in your garden?
« Reply #7 on: 29 January, 2011, 08:53:58 am »
Probably not worth bothering for us. .

We have Fat Pigeon who eats all my vegetables despite my planting an impenetrable wall of marigolds around the vegetable patch, plus the odd Magpie, Robin and Parakeet.

Your typical london garden.
Might not be the most interesting collection but very useful to know what birds are actually surviving in our urban landscapes.

S
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch... what's in your garden?
« Reply #8 on: 29 January, 2011, 10:01:22 am »
Probably not worth bothering for us. .

We have Fat Pigeon who eats all my vegetables despite my planting an impenetrable wall of marigolds around the vegetable patch, plus the odd Magpie, Robin and Parakeet.

Your typical london garden.

I'd forgotten that there was a sizeable pop'n of parakeet in the SE.
The RSPB: Ring-necked parakeet
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #9 on: 29 January, 2011, 10:08:47 am »
Just done my hour in EH13...blackbird, blue/great/coal tit, dunnock, robin, woodpigeon and gs woodpecker.  A modest tally but an enjoyable hour nevertheless  :)
Aero but not dynamic

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #10 on: 29 January, 2011, 10:16:59 am »
I saw,

Blackbird, blackcap, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, blue/great/LT-tit, sparrow, magpie, robin, thrush, woodpigeon and wren.

with a nice cup of espresso or two while doing so...   :)

I'd not bothered with a bird bath before, but recently bought a large terracota style pot base, and put rock in middle.  Have seen a number of birds drinking from it today.  The (wildlife) pond is frozen, but is quite often covered with duck weed anyway.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #11 on: 29 January, 2011, 11:34:23 am »
What are the natural predators of squirrels ?  We're in need of some.

I don't know about natural, but Felis silvestris catus is likely to have an impact.

Talisker isn't all that big, but has caught squirrels, and the local squirrels make a hell of a racket when they spot a moggy nonchalantly ambling down the road.

Of course, this potentially may also have an effect on your wild birds. :-\
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #12 on: 29 January, 2011, 11:46:41 am »
Not done the RSPB birdwatch before, so just a question about the hour watching time... what happenes if sometime after the hour has finished, one sees say... three starlings that had not put in an appearance before, or, three goldfinches at once - instead of an earlier two.  Does one exclude them from the count?
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #13 on: 29 January, 2011, 12:35:33 pm »
I just logged in to remind everyone, & found it's been done. Keep up the good work!

Just done my count. Nothing unusual. I had to guess the number of chaffinches, because there were several fluttering around at once. They returned before the hour was up, accompanied by two greenfinches both times. A couple of robins (newcomers, from their caution in approaching the feeders), the resident blue it, a blackbird, feral pigeons & a great tit which arrived just before the hour was up.

andyoxon: officially, it's supposed to be within the hour. If you think you picked the wrong hour & choose to shift the start of it to include some latecomers, that's between you & your conscience.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
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Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #14 on: 29 January, 2011, 12:54:26 pm »
I didn't see anything v exciting, no sea eagles or lammergiers - how boring! ;)
My conclusions are that goldfinches are a PITA to count because they start flitting about before you've finished counting the group, feral pigeons are a bigger PITA cos when they spook, they make everything else take flight too. My juvenile/female bird identification skills are a bit crap - I saw lots of buff birds that i couldn't quite decide if they were female chaffinches or a junior something else. I'll not record what I've seen until Pingu's been home and validated it.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #15 on: 29 January, 2011, 01:00:59 pm »
Saw a bird in my garden today, I couldn't see it very clearly but it was about the size of a pigeon, predominantly brown, with black, white, and I think blue markings at the wing tips, black beak. Any ideas what it was?

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #16 on: 29 January, 2011, 01:05:18 pm »
Saw a bird in my garden today, I couldn't see it very clearly but it was about the size of a pigeon, predominantly brown, with black, white, and I think blue markings at the wing tips, black beak. Any ideas what it was?
"It's a jay" !
Aero but not dynamic

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #17 on: 29 January, 2011, 01:10:35 pm »
*Googles images of "jay". Hmmm. Googles images of "jay bird". That's better.*

I thought jays were more predominantly blue. But yes, I believe you are right. I've never seen one before.

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #18 on: 29 January, 2011, 01:28:51 pm »
I just tried google to find my favorite section from Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, the bit where he helps someone identify a jay.  Alas, google has failed me.  If you ever come across it, it will explain my quote  :)
Aero but not dynamic

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #19 on: 29 January, 2011, 02:35:36 pm »
This identifier works quite well... The RSPB: Bird identifier: Identifier

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Hello, I am Bruce

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Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #20 on: 30 January, 2011, 10:21:06 am »
I got 7 sparrows, and one each of blackbird, starling, wood pigeon, robin and bluetit.

Last year was 2 each sparrow, pigeon, blackbird and one each robin and starling.  The big flock of sparrows definitely appreciate the seed feeders and aren't scared of the chickens.  There's generally fewer ground feeding birds (no dunnock at all) since we got chickens, and the tits tend not to use the feeders in our garden but stop on the hedge when using next doors quieter feeder.

Basil

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Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #21 on: 30 January, 2011, 10:39:37 am »
Just done my hour.  (In Brum)

Results:
Nothing. 
At all.  :(

Submitted it anyway.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #22 on: 30 January, 2011, 10:59:22 am »
You had the same problem with goldfinches that I had with chaffinches. I spent a while checking small brown birds with binoculars (carefully - they can spook the birds), & every one I checked was a female chaffinch, I think, from the wings.

Speaking of which, there's one out there now. Plus a male, a robin, & a blue tit & blackbird have just dropped by.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: RSPB garden birdwatch...
« Reply #23 on: 30 January, 2011, 04:52:56 pm »
We got the same as last year (down to the same numbers of birds, not just the species) with the following exceptions:
This year there was a thrush
Last year there were magpies, a great tit and a green finch.

I've seen at least one magpie today, just not in the specific hour.  Not seen a greenfinch or great tit in the garden this year.

S
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson