RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021

 

With snow lying since late December and temperatures rarely rising above freezing for over a month our feeders have been emptying fast every day so I expected to see far more birds than last year when the weather was mild for this year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. In fact though there were only three more birds than 2020 and one less species. 

Looking through previous years results I think this is because last year's numbers were high given the mild weather rather than this year's being low. 

The species missing this year that we saw last year and in previous years is the greenfinch. Until a few weeks ago we were seeing several every day but since then there hasn't been a single one. We also haven't seen any siskins for many weeks but these do come in waves - many for a few weeks then none for a while.

Coal tits were the commonest bird this year with sixteen individuals. As they dart in and out so fast counting them is difficult and I suspect the figure is an underestimate. Chaffinches are usually the commonest by far - twenty last year and only four of any other species - but this year there were only nine. 

Here's the full list of this year's birds.

Coal tit                                   16

Chaffinch                                  9

Blue tit                                     5

Great tit                                   4

Blackbird                                 4 

Great Spotted Woodpecker       3

Robin                                      3

Dunnock                                  2

Big Garden Birdwatch 2020

The mild weather of the last few weeks has seen a reduction in the number of birds coming to the feeders in our garden, so I wasn't expecting to see many for this year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. In fact though, there were forty-three birds and nine species, not as many as last year when it was colder, but far more than the sixteen birds and seven species of 2017. Maybe the change in the weather - it's a touch colder today with a dusting of snow on the hills and it's forecast to turn really wintry - has brought the birds out.

As usual there were far more chaffinches than anything else and counting them was difficult as they arrived in large flocks. I reckoned there were at least twenty at any one time. All the species were ones we see every day. Those we see often but not every week - long-tailed tits, goldfinches, siskins - didn't appear. Even so, doing the birdwatch was enjoyable, as it is every year. An hour spent watching birds is never wasted.



Here's what I saw this year:

Chaffinch               20
Blue Tit                   4
Coal Tit                   4
Greenfinch              4
Great Tit                 3
Dunnock                2
Robin                     2
Blackbird                2
Great Spotted Woodpecker    2

Big Garden Birdwatch: A Plethora of Coal Tits

This year's Big Garden Birdwatch saw far more birds than last year, probably because the weather has been cold and wintry where last year it had been unseasonally mild for many weeks. Today though it was mild, +7C, overcast and drizzly.

Coal tits were the dominant birds with so many flying in and out that it was hard to count them. I definitely saw eleven at one time though I reckon there were far more than this. These hyperactive tiny birds rarely stay on the feeders for long. Chaffinches, the commonest bird the last two years, were down to just four.

In total nine species appeared, two more than last year. Eight are ones I've seen every day for many weeks now so not a surprise. There was a siskin though - I haven't seen one of these for many months.

It's always a pleasure taking part in the Birdwatch and actually recording what I see. I always look forward to the results too. Bird watching was one of my first outdoor activities and I've never tired of it. Birds are such an essential part of nature. We need to look after them and recording numbers is part of doing that.

Big Garden Birdwatch

Chaffinches in the rain

The last three months of mostly mild weather has seen a big reduction in the numbers of birds visiting the feeders in the garden so I wasn't surprised when today's count for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch produced the lowest total we've ever had. Just 16 individual birds and 7 species. Last year we counted 47 birds from 9 species. The two species not seen this year were great spotted woodpecker, though we do see one most days, and greenfinch - we haven't seen any for many weeks.

Rain has been falling all day with very low cloud and no wind. Many of the birds we did see were just sitting in the trees staring into space. More interesting to watch was a red squirrel on a nut feeder and three rabbits browsing on shrubs.

The figures for this year are:

Chaffinch  7
Great tit     2
Coal tit      2
Blue tit      2
Robin        1
Dunnock   1
Blackbird  1

Big Garden Birdwatch

Taking part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch always makes for an interesting and somewhat hectic hour. Trying to count masses of small birds flying in and out to the feeders is surprisingly difficult. This year there were no surprises with all the birds we see every day except for pheasants turning up. The soft snow on the ground may have discouraged the latter. None of the species that only visit occasionally - goldfinches and siskins in particular - appeared and neither did the red squirrels, though these were around earlier. Here's what we saw during one hour this morning:

Chaffinch                                 12
Coal tit                                    10
Great tit                                    5
Blue tit                                     4
Great Spotted Woodpecker        3
Robin                                       3
Greenfinch                                3
Dunnock                                   2
Blackbird                                  2

Big Garden Bird Watch

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is an important snapshot of how garden birds are doing. We always take part, though the remote and wild nature of our garden means there is less distinction between it and the surrounding woods and fields than with town gardens. Today it was cold with a strong NW wind and flurries of snow mixed with bursts of sunshine. The mix of birds - great tit, blue tit, coal tit, chaffinch, blackbird, robin, dunnock, great spotted woodpecker, pheasant - was typical for the time of year. Some birds that are regulars at other times of the year - greenfinch, siskin - are rare in January while some - long-tailed tits, goldfinches, crested tits - we only see occasionally.

Blue tits and coal tits in a burst of sunshine

This year there was just me doing the counting and it proved difficult, especially with the coal tits and blue tits, which flew in and out constantly, and six feeders plus the ground and bushes to watch. I'm sure my counts of six coal tits and eight blue tits at any one time are probably too low.

Coal tit

When the bird numbers calmed down I took photographs through the window - handheld with a 55-210 zoom lens, the bright snow meaning I could use fast shutter speeds.

Great spotted woodpecker & great tit

Blue tit