Big Garden Birdwatch

We took part in the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch this morning, which is a citizen science project designed to monitor the numbers of our garden birds and provide valuable data to the RSPB. We stocked up the bird feeders, filled the bird baths, then spent an hour peering through binoculars, counting the birds that landed in the garden. For each type of bird, we recorded the most seen at any one time.

Whistlejacket, our back garden red kite, sat in his favourite tree during the count

It was a bit of a rainy, dreary morning, but we still managed to record 44 birds of 15 species, plus a squirrel. Our totals were:

• 12 goldfinches - they were sat in the top of the silver birch tree in the garden
• 2 blackbirds - a male and female - hopefully they'll nest in the garden again
• 5 starlings

Starlings always remind me of viking raiders - they're such thugs and bully
the other birds, taking all the food

• 1 coal tit
• 1 blue tit
• 4 woodpigeons

• 2 jackdaws
• 9 rooks - they were sat in the silver birch, occasionally coming down to the bird table one or two at a time to take some food
• 1 magpie
• 2 house sparrows - we usually have a large family of sparrows (about 12), but only 2 appeared today
• 1 crow
• 1 robin
• 1 dunnock
• 1 chaffinch
• 1 red kite - whistlejacket was sat in his tree as usual
• 1 squirrel!

The squirrels always make the most of a free meal

Bug Mad Girl is going to enter our results on the RSPB website this evening. You can find out more about the event at the Big Garden Birdwatch website.