RSPB Garden Birdwatch

We forgot on Saturday morning and had a few things on this weekend, so decided to wait until late sunday afternoon. Someone popped round so we didn’t end up starting until 4pm. I think it was too late for most songbirds. Usually we have loads of blue tits and great tits. We didn’t see any small songbirds, except for one robin.

Although they only collect the data once per year, I’m tempted to do this every 3 months, just for my own records.
 


Quinninho said:
So far had:

Wren
Dunnock
Blackbirds
Chaffinch x lost count
Goldfinch x lost count
Lots of Greenfinch
Couple of Siskin
Redpoll x1
Treecreeper x1
GS Woodpecker x1 (female)
All of the common Tit family ( Long tailed, Blue, Coal, Great)
Willow Tit - or marsh tit ... V hard to tell apart
Magpies, pigeons. Collared Doves
Buzzard overhead


No Sparrowhawk yet though. ;)
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The Willow Tit and Marsh Tit identification crisis :) difficult that one.
We had a Male Sparrowhawk visit yesterday, much smaller and more colourful than the female.
Also get all 3 species of woodpeckers.
They got through so much feed every day. Like McD’s for birds our garden.
26 Goldfinches in one visit yesterday !!
riffraff said:
Three new ones just up now. No birds around as it’s pissing down atm.
Six up in total:
2x Square suet cakes.
1x. Seeds
1x suet balls
1x peanuts
1x nijer seeds sunflower hearts mix.
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It’s crazy and daily it’s all gone.
1 Large Feeder full of Sunflower hearts.
I Small Feeder full of Sunflower hearts.
2 cage feeders of nuts.
I loose feeder of nuts.
Bird table with mixed seeds, inc meal worms, sunflower hearts and suet pellets.
Suet pellets on lawn.
I block suet feeder.
And fresh water daily.

Shot 130 grey squirrels and A fair few Magpies and a couple of crows.
No cats thankfully but night visits by foxes.
I’ve put next boxes up around the garden including in neighbours trees.
It’s like living in a natural bird cage.
 
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Curlyteeth said:
I like a Jay. Almost exotic, twat or not
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I saw a couple in the woods this morning on my way to work. A great bird to see.

I also noticed a broken small white egg shell in my garden this morning. Looks like it might be from a wood pigeon (which we do get a lot of). Seems early in the year for breeding.
 
DaveH said:
I saw a couple in the woods this morning on my way to work. A great bird to see.

I also noticed a broken small white egg shell in my garden this morning. Looks like it might be from a wood pigeon (which we do get a lot of). Seems early in the year for breeding.
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Mild winter? Only one frost so far here
 
riffraff said:
Three squirrel proof feeders (seeds/nuts/suet balls) arrived on Friday but they’ve no solid base to limit bits falling too the ground and attracting the rat from the disused railway line who was popping in regular two winters ago. Nivver saw him last winter when we only used solid based feeders. So today I’m bolting three plastic camping plates from ebay onto the feeder cage bottom to hopefully prevent stuff falling to ground.
Ive prevented the squirrels from getting at the feeder we’ve had up already by attaching it to an isolated branch with a long chain and a long thin plastic plant pot turned upside down above the feeder. This stops the squirrels climbing down the chain and getting to the feeder. The squirrels gather on the fence staring at it as if in conference about how they can get at it. It’s been two years now and they’ve still not figured out a way. The first winter I hung it on a series of electicians cable ties and it took them about two months to figure out chewing through a tie and letting it fall to the ground. I thought they’d have figured it out sooner. They’ll not get through the chain that way.

It’s Man v Squirrell around here and I’m making a late comeback.
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I have squirrel baffles on mine.

But nothing can control these bastards
 

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