It was a much windier day today for the RSPB's big garden birdwatch but I stocked up the feeders and put out some extra scraps and apples to attract the birds to my garden. The sun was bright through the clouds and made viewing slightly difficult as it was just behind the feeders and bushes so I knew I'd have to use my binoculars a lot for identification as it wouldn't always be possible to see their colours with the naked eye.
I sat next down next to the breakfast room window, armed with binoculars and a camera and with the window slightly open so that I could take photos if I wanted with limited disturbance.
Initially, the only bird I saw was a single crow which landed in the middle of the lawn and stayed there doing not much for a short while, briefly joined by a second one before both flying off. However, after ten minutes, a small flock of 4 goldfinches landed in the top of next door's tall walnut tree. They flew over to my willow and were joined by 2 others. A further 4 goldfinches landed in the willow but none of them came down to the feeders although I could hear their constant twittering from the treetops.
I had a brief visit by a male chaffinch which flew down to one of the feeders and back up to the bush behind. Also a robin hovered next to the sunflowers and grabbed one and took it back into the bush which it then repeated. The robin then paid a very brief visit to the bird table.
At this point, the goldfinches decided it was time to visit the feeders; for the next ten minutes there was a flurry of activity as up to 4 goldfinches as a time pecked away at the sunflower hearts. They were joined by up to 4 greenfinches , with constant spats as they fought for the feeding perches. I've not had that many greenfinches on my feeders for a long time so that was great to see. (3 males 1 female).
A brief scan of the rest of the garden revealed e a single house sparrow sheltering in the hedgerow and 2 wood pigeons, one on the ground, a second in a tree.
A magpie dropped down on the grass then flew back up to the cherry tree. A second magpie landed in the willow. A blackbird was pecking around on one of the flower beds together with a dunnock. 2 chaffinches were also on the ground around the feeders.
Half way through the birdwatch, the feeders and surrounding area was once again empty of birds and I then realised that I had note yet seen any of the tit family! As if they heard me, two blue tits flew into one of the bushes , and subsequently followed each other to various shrubs and trees. Right at the end of my count, a single long tailed tit stopped briefly in one of the trees before flying off and great tit paid a quick visit to one of the feeders.
My final count was:
blackbird (1 m)
blue tit 2
long tailed tit 1
great tit 1
wood pigeon 2
magpie 2
carrion crow 2
greenfinch 4 (3m 1f)
goldfinch 10
robin 1
dunnock 1
chaffinch 2m
house sparrow 1f
(30 birds of 13 species)
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