.. and with it the birds.
Having seen impressive bird numbers at home last weekend and with the RSPB big garden birdwatch this weekend, I was hopeful of a big target list, so I diligently ensured the food was topped up during the week as the snow and freezing temperatures remained, right up until yesterday. This meant torchlight top-ups in the dark in my PJ's before work or late at night and all I could do was visualise that the bird numbers must be increasing steadily throughout the week. Saturday was bright and breezy but not much time was spent at home so I had to wait until Sunday for the results.
Sunday morning, and despite being my birthday, it was up early to get ready for the event, but overnight rain and wind meant the snow disappeared and with it the large numbers of birds. I decided to do the official 'hour 'between 9.45 and 10.45 in the morning, with Adie, and it was relatively hard going - Results as follows.
2013 (2012)
Blue Tit 3 (6)
Great Tit 5 (5)
Coal Tit 2 (2)
Long-tailed Tit 1 -
Robin 2 (1)
Blackbird 5 (3)
Dunnock 1 (2)
Chaffinch 5 (13)
Goldfinch 10 (3)
Siskin 4 (3)
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 (2)
Nuthatch 1 (2)
Woodpigeon 2 (2)
Stock Dove 2 (2)
Jackdaw 2 (2)
Magpie 1 (1)
Jay 1 -
Starling 6 (5)
Redwing (1)
Pheasant (1)
Bullfinch (1)
Lesser Redpoll (1)
Goldcrest (1)
Firecrest (1)
Crossbill (2)
So despite Adie's best attempts to put Chicken on the list we only recorded 18 species, compared to 26 last year. The same time last Sunday I would have added at least 4 or 5 more. One of the notable misses was Greenfinch, and there's been none around - 2 years ago at Greyhound I recorded 15 on the garden birdwatch but they've really suffered from viral diseases and are becoming locally uncommon. I have seen Pheasant, Bullfinch and Song Thrush regularly just not in that hour, but no sign of a Firecrest this year and this isn't a Crossbill winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment