Author Topic: Big Garden Birdwatch  (Read 25441 times)

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #25 on: 28 January, 2018, 02:04:05 pm »
We’ve just been out for lunch , so starting our hour at 2:30.

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #26 on: 28 January, 2018, 03:56:58 pm »
5 sparrers and a collared dove.

That was an hour well spent.

 :-\

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #27 on: 28 January, 2018, 05:49:10 pm »
Ours was a pheasant and two wood pigeons , might have had something to do with the 25mph winds but none of the many normal birds were showing themselves  :(

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #28 on: 25 January, 2019, 08:25:25 pm »
2019 edition this weekend.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #29 on: 26 January, 2019, 01:17:19 pm »
2019 scores.

Chaffinch3
Blue tit4
Blackbird1
Robin1
Goldfinch16
House sparrow6
Carrion crow2
Herring gull1
Magpie1
Coal tit1
Great spotted woodpecker:) 2nd year in a row!
Feral pigeon6
Wood pigeon1

No dunnocks  ???


IMG_9610_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #30 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:24:10 pm »
I had a go at this just now.
Something that's not at all clear from the RSPB website is what birds you're supposed to count. Is it just the ones that are on the ground or perched in your garden or do you count ones that are flying around that you can see and identify further afield. In my garden that's a huge difference. Anyone got a clue?
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #31 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:26:12 pm »
Not the ones flying around. Just the ones which are in your garden, as you say on the ground or perched.

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

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #32 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:37:36 pm »
Not the ones flying around. Just the ones which are in your garden, as you say on the ground or perched.
Ta. Shame they couldn't mention that.
Zero then, as opposed to a few hundred.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #33 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:43:43 pm »
I can't help thinking that if it's not clear then others will misunderstand and thus render their results somewhat worthless.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #34 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:46:24 pm »
It used to be clear. Have to confess I've not looked at the instructions for years, but it always was 'in the garden' and explicitly not 'flying over'.

ETA
I've just checked the website as well and you're right that it doesn't mention what counts. Sigh.

I can't help thinking that if it's not clear then others will misunderstand and thus render their results somewhat worthless.

I suspect the results are a bit rough and ready anyway. Our local RSPB group used to do a similar exercise, but you kept a tally over a whole weekend and just ticked species with no record of the numbers. I got some people at work to join in and their responses were, in some cases, interesting. As in, if you did see what you thought you saw there would be a queue of twitchers all up your garden path!
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #35 on: 26 January, 2019, 04:53:09 pm »
It says:
Quote
Count the maximum number of each species you see at any one time. For example, if you see a group of three house sparrows together and later another two, and after that another one, the number to submit is three. That way, it’s less likely you’ll double-count the same birds.
[edit] I see we crossed.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #36 on: 26 January, 2019, 06:44:30 pm »
But what if you see 3 male sparrows, then later see 3 female sparrows? You clearly have at least 6 individual sparrows in the garden.

Though yes, it has to be fairly simple anyway, to allow the general public to take part. If you want to do more detailed surveys, you can send your results to other places. eg BTO or Ebird. They have options to include flybys etc.

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #37 on: 26 January, 2019, 06:52:40 pm »
We count the obviously different genders separately - not sure I can tell with sparrows, but blackbirds are easy for instance.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #38 on: 27 January, 2019, 11:07:42 am »
I emailed them and they replied:
Quote
Thanks for your email. Sorry it wasn't clear from the website - the request is to only count birds that land in your garden or park, not those flying over. This helps with bird identification as well as providing a greater level of accuracy with counting.

Thanks for raising this. I've taken note to make this clearer on our website in future.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #39 on: 27 January, 2019, 12:44:14 pm »
I emailed them and they replied:
Quote
Thanks for your email. Sorry it wasn't clear from the website - the request is to only count birds that land in your garden or park, not those flying over. This helps with bird identification as well as providing a greater level of accuracy with counting.

Thanks for raising this. I've taken note to make this clearer on our website in future.

 :thumbsup:

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #40 on: 27 January, 2019, 01:05:12 pm »
Results entered. The website appears to be creaking a bit!
The 'best' spot, which was by MrsC, not me (we watch from two different rooms to cover as much of the garden as we can as it's an awkward shape), was a fieldfare on the garage roof.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #41 on: 27 January, 2019, 11:01:17 pm »
A bit of crappy charty stuff for teh lolz: http://www.pinniped.plus.com/birdwatch/index.htm

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #42 on: 27 January, 2019, 11:35:01 pm »
8 sparrers, 7 pigeons.

I’m beginning to see a theme here.

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #43 on: 30 January, 2019, 10:38:38 am »
Seeing as how we have a feeder on the back patio, and it was a cold day Monday, we did quite well with the usual suspects, tho some of the rarer visitors were missing - no wrens or greenfinches. And surprisingly no ring-necked doves or magpies. But we had hedge and house sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, great spotted woodpecker, blue, great and long-tailed tits, chaffinches, blackcaps (new this year) goldfinches, robins, wood pigeons, pied wagtails, and a thrush (unusual in our small garden).
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #44 on: 21 April, 2019, 02:45:24 pm »
Following on from the above, tits and long tailed tits noticeable by their absence in our gardens this year.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #45 on: 21 April, 2019, 09:17:51 pm »
We’ve got the first long tailed tits I’ve seen in our garden in 8 years this year. They’re very friendly, and come and tap the window. Blue tits are a bit thin on the ground for a couple of years though.

Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #46 on: 24 April, 2019, 05:16:41 pm »
A yellowhamer and a greenfinch yesterday on our feeders. Thats the first yellowhamer we have had though you quite often see them in the field hedges locally. The first greenfinch for a couple of years since disease decimated their population.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #47 on: 26 January, 2020, 01:36:47 pm »
We doubled our highest species count this year:

7 spadgers
5 winged rats feral pigeons
1 blackbird
1 collared dove


Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #48 on: 26 January, 2020, 06:55:53 pm »
2020 scores.

Blue tit1
Blackbird2
Robin3
Goldfinch11
House sparrow7
Carrion crow1
Herring gull2
Magpie1
Coal tit2
Feral pigeon2
Wood pigeon2
Great tit1
Starling11 (!)
Jackdaw5
Dunnock1

No chaffinches!

There were some redwings in a neighbour's garden today but they didn't land in my patch :(

The light was pretty poor for photos this year, but this robin kept an eye on me for the whole hour and came quite close.



IMG_2318_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Big Garden Birdwatch
« Reply #49 on: 30 January, 2021, 02:09:42 pm »
2021 scores.

Blue tit2
Blackbird1
Robin2
Goldfinch2
House sparrow1
Herring gull2
Magpie1
Coal tit3
Feral pigeon1
Wood pigeon3
Starling2
Dunnock1
Blackcap1
Chaffinch2

Low numbers of individuals this year. Blackcap is a new species for us  :thumbsup:


IMG_0149_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr