RSPB Birdwatch this weekend.

[firbeck 860]

It's that time of the year again, download your info tomorrow from the RSPB and take part, it's the biggest wildlife research project in the world, my only problem with it is how Ian is going to count all those starlings, good luck matey.

[firbeck 860]

I did my survey at 7:45 this morning, it pays to do it early, nothing too exciting but lots of variety, I have to meet up with our local wildlife expert now to do a survey down the reserve out the back, I'll let you know if we see anything cool.

See you later.

[mick2me 3,033]

I'd do a survey, but unfortunatly not being a Twitcher, I dont know a Jackdaw from a Jpeg!

[Beefsteak 305]

There's a big difference between a 'twitcher' and a 'birder', a twitcher is one that sts there waiting for his/ her phone to ring saying that a Red breasted Chickadee has been spotted in Devon and then jumps in his car with his/ her (Ready made up) flask and butties, and tanks off at 90mph, to try to catch a glimpse.

A birder is one that likes to see different birds and knows how to look in a book to identify it !!!

I did mine at 10.00am 1 Great 2 Blue Tits (Boy it was cold ) and a Robin, and that was it not one Sparrow, although there were a lot of Gulls (Including a juvenile Black Back) out the front .

I put it down to the prolification of Felix Domesticus in the local!!

[firbeck 860]

I reckon you and I are probably Twirders Beefy!!

Clearly our Jack Russells keep the cats away:

7:45 to 8:45 this morning:

Collared Doves 3

Wood Pigeons 3

Thrush 1

Blackbird 4

Robin 3 (big fights!)

Blue Tit 2

Dunnock 2

Chaffinch 4

Long tailed tit 6

House sparrow 1

Greenfinch 2

Great tit 2

Goldfinch 3

Coal tit 1

Wren 1

I think these figures are a bit artificial, the birds come to expect us to top up all the feeders and provide fresh lukewarm water early every morning, all we have at the moment are two fat pigeons and a couple of fighting Robins.

Today has been cold but lovely and sunny, I met Alex our local authority professional twitcher down the riverside at the back and this is what we saw in their natural habitat between 10 and 11:00:

Kestrel 1

Wood pigeon 20

Robin 3

Rook 6

Cormorant 2

blue tit 6

Magpie 4

Jay 2

Blackbird 6

Thrush 1

Chaffinch 5

Great tit 2

Redwing 4

Long tailed tit 8

Moorhen 6

Sparrow Hawk 2

Greenfinch 2

Fieldfare 12

Mallard 4

Wren 1

Pied Wagtail 2

My missus was a few hundred yards away from us and saw a green woodpecker, we heard it but never saw it.

Interesting, no pheasants and not a single starling anywhere, only one sparrow and that was in my garden, I was hoping to see a Kingfisher, I saw one the other day, but they must have been having a lie in.

C'mon Rog Plantfit, blow us out the water!!

[plantfit 7,661]

This afternoon between 14.00 and 15.00hrs out the back looking across the garden and the field produced

80 Chaffinch

9 Brambling

15 Greenfinch

50 Goldfinch

25 Wood pigeon

15 Starling

19 Pheasant (2 cock birds and 17 hens)

1 Barn owl

2 Kestrel

1 Sparrow hawk

2 Robin

6 Long tailed tit

2 Blue tit

4 Great tit

7 Blackbird

30 Great black back gull flyin over on way to Thurlby lake about 1 mile away

1 Buzzard soaring high heading east

10 Teal heading to Thurlby lake

If weather permits I might head out to Frampton marsh tomorrow for a couple of hours to see the Brent geese and Whooper swans

Great bird list there by the way Pete, same as you with the House sparrows though Ian, perhaps the winter hit them harder than first thought

Rog

ps most of these birds were either in the bushes that run up from my garden or out in the field at the back of my garden, all seen with the naked eye though, no bins or scope required does that still count?

[firbeck 860]

Sounds pretty impressive to me Rog, submit it to the RSPB. I note no Redwings or Fieldfares, though our local keen type was surprised to see so many around here yesterday, but hearing about the bad weather in Germany yesterday, perhaps they've read the papers and are delaying their migration back to Russia.

Liz got up early this morning and sorted out the feeders and water, hell of a frost last night, the results were pretty much the same apart from the appearance of a solitary Starling which was hanging off the fat feeder when I blundered downstairs, oh, he's back, trying out the excellent new feeders we got from Wyevales, really cheap, 3 in a pack provided with different types of feed. If you do buy any, ignore the little plastic pegs for the birds to stand on, use chopsticks instead, it gives the bigger birds a more stable perch.

[plantfit 7,661]

Hi Pete, plenty of fieldfares and Redwing in the next field as I saw earlier this morning while on me trike ride, but could'nt see them from my garden because of hedge alongside the field so I dont think they count, did notice this morning that the local mole has been busy during the night and there are plenty of new mole hills in the field alongside my fence, the blackbirds are dancing on them looking for grubs and worms, is this a case of nature working together?

Rog

[firbeck 860]

Funny that, we commented yesterday on the huge number of mole hills that had sprung up by the river, they must like the cold weather.

I see reports from Cheshire, Lincs and Essex, is there nowt about in Notts.