Big Garden Birdwatch

[Mabaker]

For anyone interested in the conservation of birds, here's a reminder that It's the RSPB  bird survey this weekend. Anyone can take part and it's completely free. Just register on the RSPB website and download your bird identifier. It takes just one hour of your time to count the number and type of bird you see in your garden or local park. The more people taking part, the better we can track how well our birds are doing. It's a great activity to do with the kids and grandkids.

[DulwichSociety]

Thanks for the reminder! And if people have time, please pass on any sightings to our Wildlife Group as they compare the local numbers with the national count. Email [email protected]. thank you!

[Sue]

I got mine through the post with their mag  (I'm a member) but if you haven't signed up yet, you can download a printable guide from the RSPB website (you need to scroll down quite a way).

https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch

[Mabaker]

Thanks for the information about the wildlife group. I didn't know about that. And thanks to Sue for the links. 

[malumbu]

I'm down about 50% in numbers and more in species since three years ago.  Not sure if it is the weather, continual building works, the quality of my feed or the pigeons and parakeets putting off others.  Good conversation on Winterwatch on feeding tonight, including issues with spreading disease.

Three years ago, likely to see long tailed tits, dunnocks, song thrushes, corvids, wood pigeons. black birds, black caps. Possibles - redwings.

Unlikely to see any this weekend, only blue and great tits, robin, goldfinches, bloody feral pigeons. 

[Sue]

23 hours ago, malumbu said:

I'm down about 50% in numbers and more in species since three years ago.  Not sure if it is the weather, continual building works, the quality of my feed or the pigeons and parakeets putting off others.  Good conversation on Winterwatch on feeding tonight, including issues with spreading disease.

Three years ago, likely to see long tailed tits, dunnocks, song thrushes, corvids, wood pigeons. black birds, black caps. Possibles - redwings.

Unlikely to see any this weekend, only blue and great tits, robin, goldfinches, bloody feral pigeons. 

My garden has been completely empty of birds since I took down my bird feeders (I have to sort out the garden before I put them up again in a different spot.Cats were sitting in wait).

[Bumpkin]

We’re pretty much down to just sparrows, wood pigeons and the occasional great tit.  Plus parakeets, but I chase them away. 
 

A couple of years ago we had bluetits, robins, blackbirds & goldfinches most days, but almost never now despite washing out the bird bath most days & decent regular bird seed & fat balls. 

we have had a couple of sparrow hawks which was exciting, but I’d rather have the goldfinches..  v sad.  

Edited Friday at 22:06 by Bumpkin

[geh]

very reduced numbers here, but I wonder if its the 2 (domestic) building sites on both sides, although not immediately adjacent, to the garden.  A few tits and sparrows thats generally it at the minute, even the robins seem to have fled.

[Nigello]

16 hours ago, Bumpkin said:

We’re pretty much down to just sparrows, wood pigeons and the occasional great tit.  Plus parakeets, but I chase them away. 
 

A couple of years ago we had bluetits, robins, blackbirds & goldfinches most days, but almost never now despite washing out the bird bath most days & decent regular bird seed & fat balls. 

we have had a couple of sparrow hawks which was exciting, but I’d rather have the goldfinches..  v sad.  

Where did you see the hawk? I have had two visits (same bird)? near Dunstan’s x Goodrich. 
Robin, sparrows, magpie, wood pigeon, blue tits, great tits, crow, rare goldfinch/blackbird/black capped ? 

[Bumpkin]

5 hours ago, Nigello said:

Where did you see the hawk? I have had two visits (same bird)? near Dunstan’s x Goodrich. 
Robin, sparrows, magpie, wood pigeon, blue tits, great tits, crow, rare goldfinch/blackbird/black capped ? 

The sparrow hawks were in our back garden in East Dulwich road near the EDT - I’ve seen 4 in our garden (or the same one 4 times..) in the past few years & am at work or out a lot of the time.  We do have a lot of sparrows!  

[malumbu]

Actually far better than I anticipated.  My usual viewings from the kitchen are of the feeders that for whatever reason appear less visited.  But upstairs, and doing it for the whole hour we spotted many more species, and with the help of the bird song app saw wrens, and probably a black cap.  We caught a brief view of a small flock of long tailed tits, and were pleased to see far more gold finches than we expected, so numbers not as decimated, following sub freezing nights a few weeks ago, as thought.

No sparrow hawks, probably only see one a decade, and expect that they are more interested in wood pigeons than sparrars.

[Mabaker]

I saw about similar to last year. Blue and Great tits, lots of pigeons and collared dove, robin and magpie. In all my years here I have never seen a goldfinch or sparrows. Even my teasels dont attract them. Even though we live in the same area it seems that different species of birds have their favourite sites. I thought it was very misty today which for me made visability a lot harder

[Insuflo]

From Modern Toss via Bluesky: