RSPB Garden Bird Watch

[Amari]

Anyone taking part this w/e? Sorry I can't post a link - I think their website has crashed through sheer numbers responding.
I'm half way through my hour. My tally so far in my small-medium village garden (max number of each species seen at one time. Birds flying overhead don't count.)
6 Goldfinches
2 blue tits
3 blackbirds
2 wood pigeons
1 collared dove
2 dunnock
2 fieldfares (rare visitors but enjoying our ornamental crab apples)
1 Robin - my personal friend who sings, just for me, all day long and comes within 18" when I sprinkle crumbs
Awaited; the gang of long tailed tits, great tit, and the wren

 

[StephenT]

We did it earlier but need to upload the results. Got Robins, Blackcap, Great Tits, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Goldfinches, Redwings (eating their way through the cotoneaster berries), Magpie, Wood Pigeons and Ring Necked Parakeets. No show from the Long Tailed Tits, Dunnock and Wrens who we often see in the garden. Can't recall ever seeing a Sparrow since I've lived in Ealing but go to my parents about 20 miles away in Windsor and there's thousands of them.

 

[Amari]

We did it earlier but need to upload the results. Got Robins, Blackcap, Great Tits, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Goldfinches, Redwings (eating their way through the cotoneaster berries), Magpie, Wood Pigeons and Ring Necked Parakeets. No show from the Long Tailed Tits, Dunnock and Wrens who we often see in the garden. Can't recall ever seeing a Sparrow since I've lived in Ealing but go to my parents about 20 miles away in Windsor and there's thousands of them.

House sparrows: no none for several years but they tweet away in a hedge just 400m down the road. No coal Tits this year nor the occasional goldcrest.

 

[Newbeeneil]

We had plenty of sparrows this year ( not last year funnily) plus grey wagtail and starlings to the above lists

 

[The Poot]

I’m not taking part in it this year.
We feed our birds pretty consistently and see all the usual suspects in our rural garden.
I really miss greenfinches though, they used to be quite common, but are now completely missing....

 

[Apiarisnt]

The full title is 'Big Garden Birdwatch' - which might seem a little unfair on those with small gardens: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

Some, including JBM and Sir Ian Botham, might wish to comment on the RSPB's overt political campaigning. RSPB’s political wing hijacked by left-wing extremist, Adam Barnett, and helped by Kerry McCarthy MP

By contrast the RSPCA has rolled back some of it political stuff and has just announced that it will not longer spend its members' subscriptions on legal prosecutions (many of which failed). Was it pressure from the Charities Commission or from its members that precpitated this?

 

[Swarm]

 

[Erichalfbee]

Makes you wonder why doesn’t it ?
Today we saw in varying numbers chaffinch, goldfinch, starling, blackbird, magpie, long tailed tit mob, blue and great tit, coal tit, wood pigeon, collard dove, greenfinch, robin, house sparrow, red kite, pheasant, siskin, carrion crow, jackdaw, jay, wren, tree creeper, nuthatch, greater spotted woodpecker.
Not a political opinion in sight strangely

 

[Amari]

The full title is 'Big Garden Birdwatch' - which might seem a little unfair on those with small gardens: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

Some, including JBM and Sir Ian Botham, might wish to comment on the RSPB's overt political campaigning. RSPB’s political wing hijacked by left-wing extremist, Adam Barnett, and helped by Kerry McCarthy MP

By contrast the RSPCA has rolled back some of it political stuff and has just announced that it will not longer spend its members' subscriptions on legal prosecutions (many of which failed). Was it pressure from the Charities Commission or from its members that precpitated this?

That second link is extremist in itself with rather immoderate language

 

[Amari]

Makes you wonder why doesn’t it ?
Today we saw in varying numbers chaffinch, goldfinch, starling, blackbird, magpie, long tailed tit mob, blue and great tit, coal tit, wood pigeon, collard dove, greenfinch, robin, house sparrow, red kite, pheasant, siskin, carrion crow, jackdaw, jay, wren, tree creeper, nuthatch, greater spotted woodpecker.
Not a political opinion in sight strangely

Envy! We are surrounded by fields of rotating OSR, sugar beet and cereals. Bit of a wildlife desert in comparison. I look forward to returning to the delightful Lakeside Hotel in Llangammarch Wells where SWMBO and I spent a lovely few days in September.

 

[Amari]

I’m not taking part in it this year.
We feed our birds pretty consistently and see all the usual suspects in our rural garden.
I really miss greenfinches though, they used to be quite common, but are now completely missing....

Greenfinches, yes this side of the country too, over about three years. Similarly over 10-15 years we have lost all our frogs.

 

[Norton Caff]

I left it too late this weekend and it was snowing so there were only 5 woodpigeons, a blue tit, a robin, a magpie and two jackdaws. The feeders were not visited. Bad timing!

 

[Antipodes]

It was strange, remember when all the house sparrows disappeared? Happened here too but they are well and truly back now where I am.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07... cause has been,shelter from predators is key.

Looking at the map showing the most common three birds counted in each Australian state, the three in Tas are all introduced. The house sparrow, the common starling and the blackbird. The sparrow and blackbird were introduced from Britain in the 1800's.

We tried to eradicate the blackbird but it didn't work.

https://eprints.utas.edu.au/13796/

 

[happyculteur]

I really miss greenfinches though, they used to be quite common, but are now completely missing....

This year we have gangs of them; never seen so many. Perhaps they've come skiing. I daren't mention Brexit.....................................

 

[Heather]

I never get more than 1 sparrow a day.. but Gold finches more than make up.
Did the hour watch to count the birds.. 2 coal tits. 4 blue, 2 great..6 long tails.. 1 male greater spotted woodpecker, 1 male 1 female blackbird, 4 magpie, 2 robins, 10 gold finch, ... nearly spilled my coffee when a sparrow hawk swooped down and scattered the lot. Haven't seen him for a couple of weeks.. Didn't want to be left out of my list apparently. No birds were lost in this exercise .

 

[Antipodes]

I have lots of sparrows here and find that the Mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius) is tremendous for providing a safe roost overnight. It's the incredibly tough and tangled stems that seem impenetrable to cats, and the birds know well to congregate in it...(plus the sparrows feed on all my fruit., they like it here)

 

[Amari]

Looking at the map showing the most common three birds counted in each Australian state, the three in Tas are all introduced. The house sparrow, the common starling and the blackbird. The sparrow and blackbird were introduced from Britain in the 1800's.

We tried to eradicate the blackbird but it didn't work.

https://eprints.utas.edu.au/13796/

That's what happens when species are moved from one part of the globe to another. The blackbird is one of our commonest birds and as far as I know doesn't cause any major problems, certainly not locally here compared with pigeons, (but I can't speak for fruit growers). Went for a walk this morning and saw a flock of c. 100 pigeons rise from a field of OSR. Hey, leave something for my bees!
Possums are indigenous to Australia and protected. However they were exported to NZ where they are a major pest. Folk say it's no good trapping them because another one moves in. The best possum is a road-kill possum. We were driving one day not long after the white-line machine had passed. Dead possum on the road?: no problem, the white line was painted over it...

 

[Antipodes]

That's what happens when species are moved from one part of the globe to another. The blackbird is one of our commonest birds and as far as I know doesn't cause any major problems, certainly not locally here compared with pigeons, (but I can't speak for fruit growers). Went for a walk this morning and saw a flock of c. 100 pigeons rise from a field of OSR. Hey, leave something for my bees!
Possums are indigenous to Australia and protected. However they were exported to NZ where they are a major pest. Folk say it's no good trapping them because another one moves in. The best possum is a road-kill possum. We were driving one day not long after the white-line machine had passed. Dead possum on the road?: no problem, the white line was painted over it...

Yeah, the quantity of road kill here really alarms tourists, before covid that is. Except for birds, our animals are generally nocturnal and they are often on the roads. People are always trying to move a possum on (live ones that is), but they come home again unless separated by a river.
Blackbirds are a pest here, but their song is beautiful in spring and their desperation and determination to feed their young impresses me.
They are keeping them out of WA.
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/birds/blackbird

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Makes you wonder why doesn’t it ?
Today we saw in varying numbers chaffinch, goldfinch, starling, blackbird, magpie, long tailed tit mob, blue and great tit, coal tit, wood pigeon, collard dove, greenfinch, robin, house sparrow, red kite, pheasant, siskin, carrion crow, jackdaw, jay, wren, tree creeper, nuthatch, greater spotted woodpecker.
Not a political opinion in sight strangely

we have a daily dozen or two sparrows in the garden, although they are a bit peeved that they can no longer get into the chicken run to pinch the corn (although one managed to squeeze through the netting last week, then got stuck - luckily I saw it before it got hurt) as well as about 20 plus blackbirds, collared doves, woodpigeons (they've started their courtship rituals already) and of course our gang of long tailed tits. Plus wodpeckers, treecreepers, nuthatches, robins and an assortment of finches

 

[Michael Palmer]

We have a big flock of Common Redpolls that come to the feeders every day.