2020 Birdwatch

by Chilli-head 26th January 2020, 7:27 pm

We had a pretty good one here:

7 long tailed tits
3 blue tits
3 pidgeons
2 blackbirds
2 robins
1 chaffinch
1 house sparrow

The long tailed tits nested with us for the past couple of years, they are so cute !

I put a few handfuls of wood shavings in the camera nestbox, thinking they might make it cosy. The blue tits obviously don't think so, as a pair spent quite some time trying to pull them all back out again !

There was a red kite circling overhead, but doesn't count as it didn't land in the garden. Thank goodness they don't, or barbecues could get exciting.

Usually they all hide !

by freebird 26th January 2020, 8:38 pm

Oh my goodness! We had a stupendous Birdwatch. The two stars of the show were firstly, a great spotted woodpecker. I heard one a couple of times since we've been here, but yesterday it decided to show itself by hanging on our peanut feeder. Secondly, a pair of red kites made a beeline for the tree and hung around for a good 20 minutes or so.

So, this is what we saw:
Crow 3
Starling 18
Goldfinch 5
Greenfinch 6
Chaffinch 4
Bluetit 8
Magpie 1
Wood pigeon 3
Blackbird 3
Rook 6
Collared dove 2
Robin 1
House sparrow 12
Dunnock 2
Coal tit 2
Great tit 2
Red Kite 2
Jackdaw 3
Great spotted woodpecker 1
Bullfinch 1
Siskin 1

On the two occasions we viewed the house in spring, I didn't see a single bird (apart from kites in the sky) and was afraid it was going to be an ornithological desert. How wrong was I !

by Chilli-head 26th January 2020, 8:42 pm

Ok, I know when I'm outclassed Neutral

by freebird 27th January 2020, 10:17 am

Being the first in this house, I've no idea if that was exceptional or the norm.

by FloBear 27th January 2020, 4:48 pm

Wow, freebird, I have Birdwatch envy now!
Not a bad variety here, just not many of anything and a distinct lack of bluetits.
Cast in order of appearance:

Blackbird 2
Coal tit 1
House sparrow 4 (more really, but hard to tell)
Dunnock 1
Robin 1
Crow 3
Nuthatch 1
Chaffinch 1
Great tit 2
Wood pigeon 4
Collared dove 2

by freebird 28th January 2020, 10:23 am

We have a lot of the corvids hanging around because of the kite feeding station at Gigrin Farm about 3/4 mile away. I've even seen a raven once or twice. There is also a mix of open land and mixed woodland as well as the nearby River Wye, so I suppose a very varied habitat.

by Chilli-head 28th January 2020, 10:31 am

Kite feeding station Shocked

Are they needed ? They seem to be all over the place these days. I wonder if this re-introduction might not be a bit too successful - wherever there are winners there are losers too.

by freebird 28th January 2020, 3:16 pm

I have my doubts too, CH. You can Google Gigrin Farm and read about why they do it. I can understand that it could be necessary to get a population established, but I have seen over 100 red kites in the sky on occasion. That must surely be completely unsustainable if left to their own devices. They do say (on the website) that the birds feed early morning, so the farm's afternoon feeding is a back-up. That suggests that birds aren't intelligent enough to work out there is a free food cafe. Why would they all hang around otherwise?

by Ploshkin 8th February 2020, 3:04 pm

I think the kites come in from a very large area to the feeding stations. As non feeding times you don't see an excessive number. There's a feeding station about 8 miles from us as the crow (or kite) flies. I've no doubt our local residents pop over there for an afternoon snack.
I haven't got my birdwatching list now but it was the usual suspects, dominated by blue tits. Marsh tits are absent this year though I think I saw one yesterday. While I was doing my count 4 siskins and 2 female bullfinches showed up - both birds that I rarely see.

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