The Big Garden Bird Watch - our results

Bird life around here is fantastic both in numbers and varieties and we variously feed, water and shelter our local populations. So I  happily spent an hour or so this morning keeping a look out at different birds in the garden and this is a bit about what I spotted:

• Robins - 5
• Blackbirds - 4 (and all male)
• Thrush - 1
• Long-tailed tits - 9
• Coal tits - 2
• Great tits - 4
• Blue tits - 3
• Chaffinches - approximately 7
• Dunnocks - 3
• Tree sparrows - approximately 16
• Collar doves - 3
• Wood pigeons - 2
• Greater spotted woodpecker - 1 (male)
• Magpies - 3
• Jays - 3
• Sparrow hawk - 1 (male)

The birds I spotted in the garden were concentrated around two feeding stations in the garden and the hedges next to them.

In addition flying over us I saw crows (at least five), rooks (countless, in a flock), more wood pigeons and numerous smaller unidentified birds.

We've had no thrushes for the last year until earlier this week. The one we have here looks like a young bird.

Conspicuous by their absence were:

• Nut hatches (we have two every day throughout the day at the feeding stations on peanuts and fat balls),
• Yellowhammers (we have one now, who was around all day yesterday. We had two last summer for the first time in 12 years)...

... and, most sadly of all, no Wrens. We have a wren nest in a large juniper tree next to the patio but our cat caught and brought one in last night. I found it dead on the patio this morning.

Also surprisingly absent were the Buzzards. They usually wheel over us throughout the day on sunny days like today. Perhaps the snow which was still widespread for most of the day limited the thermals they go for. I didn't see or hear any all day. Nor were there any ravens which are sometimes around at the same time as the buzzards.

I'll get some pics of these birds up over the next few weeks. And I'll see if I can find last year's results we submitted to see what's changed.

Anyone wanting to do the Big Garden Bird Watch can still do it - it's supposed to be today and tomorrow (January 26th and 27th 2013). Here's a link to the details on the RSPB's site.