1)watch the birds in your garden or local park for 1 hour.

2)Record the highest number of bird species you see at any one time (not the total seen over the hour,as birds may visit more than once.)

3)only count the birds that land in your garden or park, not those flying over.

4)Enter your results at rspb.orguk/birdwatch.

A great fun thing to do with children.

Let’s see how we stwers do.

As it stands, I’ll be recording a couple of fat pigeons, a sparrow, a blackbird, and a couple of squabbling goldfinches.
Not what you’d call bustling out there… 😕

I know what I’ll (potentially) have.
Great Tits
Blue Tits
Long Tailed Tits
Spuggies of varying sorts
A Robin
Chaffinches
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
A Wren
The odd Coal Tit

I’ve got 7 feeders in the garden which backs onto trees in a rural area & thats all I get. No cats either. If I see anything other than above I get giddy!

As mentioned I’ll count bugger all ATM.. 😕

But I’ll still count a couple of fat pigeons, a pair of blackbirds, a pair of Robins and if I’m really lucky some GoldCrests and Blue Tits… if they ever come back in..

But ta for the PSA.

My garden is getting there in the ‘development’ stakes, but still a barren wasteland for birdies & wildlife.

That said I’ll be planting a load of pyracantha & clematis this weekend, so hopefully there will be a few signs of ‘life’ this summer.

For this w/e though, best I don’t spend an hour staring at a cement mixer and a bird table that’s blown over.

Bearnecessities – if you only do one thing in your new garden, dig a pond. Birds will come as will wildlife in general.

I can guarantee at least:
2woodpigeons
2 magpies
Several goldfinches
4 bullfunches
And a robin tomorrow

How did everyone get on. Maybe better than me? There are a few daylight hours left to get counting.
Yesterday I started the watch in mid afternoon. The snow came and there was nothing to see, all the birds had taken to their roosts.

Had another go this morning and did quite well. I think the cold brought them all into the garden.
3 Chaffinch
4 bullfinch
3 Greenfinch
1 Robin
1 Wood pigeon
2 Dunnocks
4 Blackbirds
4 Goldfinch (although there were about 40 in next door’s tree
1 collared dove
1 Jackdaw
1 Wren
1 Bluetit
1 Goldcrest – I was so excited to see this.

I got exactly what I predicted minus the Wren & Chaffinches!

it’s been so mild this year that the garden has been very quiet.

all the usual culprits lucky to get a visit from 3 long tail tits during the hour but just the one reed bunting (usually get about 8-10).

I opened my door the other day to see a tawney owl sitting on my railing not 2 meters away.

I peaked early.

I just wish I had a Big Garden so I could get involved too. Seems a bit size-ist to me.

I just wish I had a Big Garden so I could get involved too. Seems a bit size-ist to me.

headfirst – you really don’t need a big garden.
There’s a guy called the ‘Urban Birder’, who lives in a shared flat in London. His back yard was completely concreted over and very small. With a few pot plants and flowers he’s attracted at least 52 species of bird into this tiny space over the last few years.
I know people with large gardens where wildlife hardly visits because the area is bare, without the trees, ponds, plants or hedges that wildlife thrive on.

Bunnyhop, thank you for your kind advice and support. However I am slightly disappointed that you did not appreciate my stunning wit which I thought oozed from my post, my clever wordplay on the RSPB’s name for this project. 😐

One corpulent and rather snooty looking woodpigeon.

Rubbish.

my clever wordplay on the RSPB’s name for this project.

😳

This bird is not the brightest 🙂