Sadly, I think the snow has been washed away by the rain that’s replaced it now the temperature has gone up.
Always love the stuff they catch on camera, so I’ll be watching tonight for sure.
And while it’s still January, I noticed some blue tits checking out the nest boxes I’ve got fixed to my bug silver birch the other day.
I need to take them down and check the insides are ok, and maybe put some dry hay in the bottom to make them more appealing.
Not the tv show but yesterday me and doggo watched the resident otters heading upstream through peebles. And we regularly stop to watch the kingfisher.
Yes the snow has gone, but it looks like the location in Northern Ireland's Mount Stewart is bursting with wildlife. It certainly has plenty of red squirrels, which happen to be my favourite mammal.
Are we having a garden birdwatch thread this year?
Are we having a garden birdwatch thread this year?
Yes. I was going to pop one up on Thursday.
Big Garden Birdwatch starts Friday 23rd of January to Sunday 25th.
Enjoying it so far.
We get little birdlife in our garden , solitary bees and wasps though. I watched a Jay the other day at Bush estate.
As for Josh's red squirrel comment. I see them frequently at glentress, invariably they appear in front of us.
Damn, didn't realise it started tonight, wish I'd watched this rather than the slightly worrying stuff going on at the moment on the news.
Catch-up will do for tonight though!
Thanks for posting the reminder op, I won't miss it tomorrow. 👍
Strange coincidence - I saw a bird in the garden yesterday that I didn't recognise, didn't have time to get a pic of it but was smallish, brownish, finchish and seemed to have a red spot on it. What did they show on Winterwatch? A Redpoll. Pretty sure that was it.
That would bring my garden species count to 35! I managed to photograph 32 different ones in 2025, a couple spotted but no photo.
As for Josh's red squirrel comment. I see them frequently at glentress, invariably they appear in front of us
Yep, they're generally trying to run through your wheels or hurling abuse at you from the tree.
I love the watches for the wierd and wonderful things they cover. That study on mice using wheels for the sake of it was fascinating. But the sound effects added to the films drive me mad! Who decided that the wings of a gold crest should sound like a helicopter taking off, or that swans gracefully paddling through a lake should sound like someone emptying a bucket out of a second floor window? Argh.
One of the other dads I know from my daughter's school is a cameraman* on this, plus Springwatch etc.
*Probably not the right job title but he's in NI now doing the live filming
He even gets the odd cameo next to Michaela or Chris P
There is a huge amount of work that goes into the show in the weeks/months leading up to it. He was there before Christmas installing hides and cameras in clever places to capture a particular behaviour on film
I think one year it was trying to see newts mating which involved many hours/days patiently lying in mud
Sadly he thinks they are going to pull the plug on the whole show because the budget keeps being cut.
@poopscoop I absolutely agree with you. We need these kinds of easy viewing. caring yet educational programmes. Too many children are wandering around (adults too) with their noses glued to a screen. If we don't teach our younger generations about nature, they will not care about it in the future. I dislike programmes such as 'The Apprentice', but the Springwatch series are funny, sometimes sad, entertaining and informative. In this day and age if we don't look after the little things eg bees we are doomed.
It was a bit exciting this morning as a goldcrest was bobbing around our lilac bush, we rarely see them, so a nice tick for me.
Who decided that the wings of a gold crest should sound like a helicopter taking off, or that swans gracefully paddling through a lake should sound like someone emptying a bucket out of a second floor window? Argh.
Well, having had a goldcrest perched on a branch a foot or so from my head, then suddenly take off, the sound is not unlike a helicopter flying overhead, only not as deep.
Lovely little bird when you get to see them that close, I have a pair coming in to my feeders pretty much every day, and they breed in the row of conifers between the houses next to me, and the housing estate behind; I’ve been watching them for years, and they only live for about five years, so quite a few generations, which is lovely, considering how built up my part of town is.
And swans make an amazing amount of noise when they start a takeoff run, they’re big birds and have to paddle like blazes, along with flapping hard to break free from the water, they make a noise not unlike water splashing on a hard surface, combined with a loud ‘Whooshing’ noise from their wings, which is slightly unsettling when a pair come in low overhead to land on the river.
There are nearly always swans on the Avon running through town, watching them taking off under the town bridge, right underneath your feet is a great thing to see.
By contrast the owl in my garden is impossibly silent.
Great big flaps to take off and its like you imagined its very existence.
Did you watch the film clip of the Jay mimicking the noise of mtbike brakes, at Sherwood Pines? Fabulous.
Did you watch the film clip of the Jay mimicking the noise of mtbike brakes, at Sherwood Pines? Fabulous.
And Michaela saying it needed oiling - glad shes not a bike mechanic!
Swans aren't struggling to lift off from the water. By keeping low, to the point where their wingtips just tickle the water, is the most efficient way of accelerating. Formula 1 took a few years to work that out.
Mrs BigJohn and I enjoy Spring watch just like we enjoy Elis and John and the classic Top Gears because there's nothing nicer than seeing/hearing a group of real friends just riffing and taking the piss whilst joining in to produce something to entertain.
Bunnyhop
I absolutely agree with you. We need these kinds of easy viewing. caring yet educational programmes. Too many children are wandering around (adults too) with their noses glued to a screen. If we don't teach our younger generations about nature, they will not care about it in the future.
Never a truer word...
My eldest grandson is 5 and he loves 'bugs'. I tell him they are insects, at 57 I can't help myself but tell him they are insects. I just can't! Lol He indulges me, then reverts to 'bugs' within 2 minutes... Good for him I say😁
I have to be careful which nature show I watch with him now. He treats them as a shopping list.
I wonder if it might be more than a fad, since he could walk, it's an absolute obsession for him. Had many wonderful hours this year on "bug hunts" and gradually he let me convince him (mostly) that it's best to watch what they get up to in situ rather than feel the need to pick up an ant or pea bug (sigh).
However, I know that my embargo on bringing back 'study subjects' to his parents house doesn't always go to plan, for me or his mum and dad.
How do I know? A teacher asking me if I could have a word with him, gently, not to bring snails into school in his pockets. Also, walking into the bathroom at his house when mum and dad were away at a festival and I was looking after him and his little brother... to be faced with 5 or 6 snails making a break for it across the wall tiles.
A teachable moment for us both. Him? Show him the best place to put them out into the garden. Me? Remind myself never, ever to accept a sweet that he gives me out of his pockets.😉
Just to add to the above, I’ve watched the first episode through again, and I didn’t see anything about a goldcrest flying away, or swans, for that matter, so I’m really not sure what you’re referring to.
The bloke in the kayak filming the tuna was amazing, kudos for sitting out there with 8 foot fish travelling that fast breaching right next to him, he’s a braver man than me!
I was trying to work out where he was off the Devon coast, the bits with the very choppy water looks like the area near Start Point and the Skerries out in Start Bay, and one of the still photos of a tuna shows high ground in the background, with a tower on it, which looks very much like the Day Mark Tower, on Scabbacombe Head, between Dartmouth and Brixham, so in Start Bay. If the Cricket Inn in Beesands can get their hands on one of those fish, their already excellent menu will become outstanding!
I didn’t see anything about a goldcrest flying away, or swans, for that matter, so I’m really not sure what you’re referring to.
About 45 & 55 mins into episode 1. If you're not bothered by it that's fine, but it's a common thing I find in a lot of wildlife docs. They're obviously filming on long lenses so the sound has to be added afterwards but IMO it can sometimes be done in a clumsy and obvious way.
Just to add to the above, I’ve watched the first episode through again, and I didn’t see anything about a goldcrest flying away, or swans, for that matter, so I’m really not sure what you’re referring to.
The bloke in the kayak filming the tuna was amazing, kudos for sitting out there with 8 foot fish travelling that fast breaching right next to him, he’s a braver man than me!
I was trying to work out where he was off the Devon coast, the bits with the very choppy water looks like the area near Start Point and the Skerries out in Start Bay, and one of the still photos of a tuna shows high ground in the background, with a tower on it, which looks very much like the Day Mark Tower, on Scabbacombe Head, between Dartmouth and Brixham, so in Start Bay. If the Cricket Inn in Beesands can get their hands on one of those fish, their already excellent menu will become outstanding!
Are you sure that was the current series? I have a feeling the tuna film was a previous one.
EDIT - Yes, that was Jan 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0klf079
A pigeon flew just over our heads on a downwards slope of a hill in Scotland. Very cold day (we were sledging), mild wind. The noise was incredible, I thought it was a jet and was looking around for an engine-powered flying object. Nope, it was the pigeon. Shocked!
No flapping, just a tuck. Must have just been the noise of the air movement
Yeah it's not that animals aren't capable of being noisy but it depends on what they're doing. For example when you see a swan paddling on a lake and barely making a ripple it shouldn't sound like a kayak going by, or when you see a fish underwater gently move its tail there shouldn't be much sound at all. Maybe I should go to the disproportionately cross thread.
Well that was an interesting piece on feeding the birds in one's garden. I've done it for 20 odd years, but always we keep the feeders very clean. We get many of the birds that are in decline eg greenfinch and bullfinch. However we have also made our garden into a wildlife restaurant, planting many of the wild species of flora that the birds need throughout the year. I might consider going down to one feeder and letting the birds feed a bit more naturally, now that the wildlife garden is maturing. It is great to see a goldfinch balancing on a teasel or a dandelion head. The bullfinches love the bramble shoots too. We've also left all the leaves on the ground this year as the thrushes and blackbirds find food under them.
Skate jazz... 
Well, that's it till June. I wish it was on 365 but, well, that's a little unrealistic.
^^ Why on earth did I think it was June? I've no idea.
We've taken down our feeder after Thursday's programme so I can't see the birdwatch come to much! My wife is withdrawing gently from the feeder by scattering bird food around but to be fair we have plenty of natural food (teazels, sunflower heads etc) for the wildlife so all should be ok
I’m sure most bird feeders are actually rat feeders as the birds are very messy eaters.
The rats don’t get a look in on our feeders the feral pigeon population take care of any split food.
To support invertebrates in our garden we built a large bug hotel fence from security fencing.
We are waiting to decide what to do about feeders until at least the RSPB report is published.
The middle of winter might not be the best time to remove feeders as the bird may find it harder to adapt when natural food is less plentiful.
Yes, a good idea to wait for the RSPB report. Although this will be interesting as their 'Hope farm' grows and sells a lot of bird food, which if the public decide to cut down on, would have a detrimental affect on the profits for the charity.
When out on the bike I see a lot of feeders in woeful condition with horrid bits of old fatballs going mouldy inside.
Love your bughotel fence Bruce.
Thanks Bunnyhop.
The thing that Chris Packham didn't mention when he was citting Chickadees as like tits, and saying they were fine after removing feeders, was that Chickadees cash food. I dont know what UK species cash food other than Jays.,
I looked at internet reports of US bird studies, so if anybody has deeper knowledge I would be very interested.
I know coal tits definitely cash our sunflower hearts. Also I 'think' possibly nuthatches, but I would have to check.
The thing that Chris Packham didn't mention when he was citting Chickadees as like tits, and saying they were fine after removing feeders, was that Chickadees cash food. I dont know what UK species cash food other than Jays.,
It makes no difference - by providing on-tap food for more opportunistic species, you're altering the natural balance. If birds live in the UK through what is normally a fairly mild winter and don't cache food then they'll have a different strategy for survival which gets buggered up when thousands of blue/great tits, fat on garden feeders, hijack all the nesting sites and are continually healthy enough to have large broods.
However, if those fat tits provide food for sparrowhawks then that's good by me! 😀
It used to be the case that birds would be fed by some people through the harshest part of the year - now it's standard to feed them all year round.
What bothers me is that we have far from a natural ballance. A lot of the problems are caused by changes to farming practices etc, but in suburbia we now have a totally artificial environment. Every garden design programs promotes outdoor living and design rather than looking after critters. Our garden is designed for invertebrates and other wild things but our close neighbours have done the opposite.
Imediately next door have astro turf, a large garden building, decking and few plants, they are currently considering paving the front garden to squeeze in another parking space.
Next door but one have cleared most of the large shrubs and trees. The people behind us have taken out three large alder trees which provided lots of benificial habitat.
Their next door neigbours have built a massive hot tub shed things which has lights on 24hrs a day.
I am sort of worried that gardens are greadually going to become critter free zones as people loose touch with nature as it's something you see on Spring Watch, sipping a G&T while lounging in your hot tub.
What bothers me is that we have far from a natural ballance. A lot of the problems are caused by changes to farming practices etc, but in suburbia we now have a totally artificial environment.
Yeah that's fair enough, but selectively feeding 3 or 4 species won't make anything much better. Somebody above mentioned feeding rats - feeding blue and great tits (and wood pigeons) is the avian equivalent, pretty as they may be.
I am sort of worried that gardens are greadually going to become critter free zones as people loose touch with nature
We already have, as a society. Gardens are more likely to be concreted or decked than to have plants of any sort, and town councils tend to either spray everything in an attempt to look tidy, or to plant pretty looking flowers. What we need is scruffiness - that's where nature thrives, and that's what we see in other parts of Europe.
What I'm seeing from councils is the opposite. 'Plantlife' the charity has been fundamental in changing grass cutting practises in and around towns, A roads and advising councils to 'stop weed killing with chemicals and cutting verges.
Our bird feeders to date has fed- blue, great, longtailed and coal tits, blackbirds, thrushes, bull, green, gold and chaffinches (bramblings on occasion), robins, blackcaps, starlings, dunnocks, sparrows, doves, pigeons, siskins, redpoll many types of crow including rooks, the rest of the garden feeds - wrens and possibly a few species I've missed. Luckily the trend to leave gardens untidy and a bit wilder is taking off, although yes there are far too many people with plastic grass and paving, with little or no thought for nature.
Our bird feeders to date has fed...............
I think you know what you're doing, though. A lot of people don't - they'll just buy whatever feed is cheap and get excited about seeing anything colourful, while sanitising the rest of their property. Btw, your list is far better than I see at WWT Llanelli. The feeders there don't tend to attract a massive range of species.