I enjoyed the Big Garden Birdwatch and saw quite a few birds.
But although a Song Thrush was singing early on the morning on Sunday, probably in the garden but it was still dark, I didn’t see one in my hour of recording.
Today, I watched a Song Thrush spend ages in the garden – but it doesn’t count! It was interesting though. It kept flying up to the Ivy and plucking berries. Each time it returned to the same perch near the ground and ate the berry. Each time, it selected a black berry rather than many of the less ripe-looking ones available. It was like a Spotted Flycatcher flying out from the same perch to catch flies, except it was a Song thrush flying out to pluck black Ivy berries. A Song Berryplucker. I enjoyed watching it – and I was glad that it liked ‘my’ Ivy.
Also, almost throughout the day, certainly for several hours, a male Blackcap was on or near the bird feeders. It visited all of them – the sunflowers, the peanuts, the fat balls. It wasn’t around on Sunday, of course, but it spent much time with me yesterday.
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Have you thought about doing the BTO Garden scheme where they would probably count?
Looks like a lovely wild, nature-friendly garden. Hurray for making space for nature.
That is the slightly frustrating thing about BGBW, one sees a really good array of different birds on and off the day before in the garden, but during the BGBW hour the following day they don’t appear so you can’t count them. Still, I did have a male blackcap within the BGBW hour, Mark!!
Where have the goldfinches gone this year? For quite a few winters we have played host to a flock of 6-8 goldfinches, which was a small compensation for the loss of house sparrows. But this winter it’s just been occasional visits from 1 or 2. Is there still plenty of food for them in the wider countryside or are there fewer birds?
Mark,I wonder what everyone thinks about this especially RSPB supporters.
Arne RSPB are having two raptor roosting events and to me it seems incredible that while we all wish for younger birdwatchers meaning probably young parents and of course children these events are priced at £15 members and £20 non members.
Does not affect me but it would be very expensive for a young family especially if say as supporters had already paid subs and maybe other things.
Must say I think they could at least let children go free but although I have searched two adverts for these events cannot find any concession for children.
One thing always makes us feel good are when instances at Arne and children there in hide but with equipment not powerful enough to see Spoonbills in the distance and say you can look through scope how there face lights up.This raptor roost event must be a great opportunity to draw them in with free entry and hopefully RSPB future members.
Mark: maybe you should occasionally review some ‘old’ books to bring them to people’s attention once more?
Apropos of berry-eating, I would heartily recommend for re-review Birds and Berries by Barbara and David Snow (published by Poyser, who else!). It’s a mine of fascinating information gathered by the two authors sitting out in the countryside watching berried hedgerows and shrubs for hours on end and recording which birds ate what berries. Sounds dull but it isn’t at all!
It would certainly be the book I’d take to my desert island.
Nick
Observations from the edge of a forest: fewer GSW than usual; robins; wrens; a dozen blackbirds; more buzzards than usual; LTT unusually numerous and bold, at seed feeders and with an appetite for my fatballs; usual great, blue and coal tits; marsh tit; dunnock; chaffinch; woodies; gooney birds. Grey squirrel picks black sunflower seeds out of fatballs having destroyed plarstic seed feeder. Mrs C issued order to shoot it but into my rather deaf left ear. Spray grease (all good Halfords) on the pole is more amusing