#COTF20 my garden birdwatch (6)

Four years ago I was a team member rushing around the Negev desert and the area around Eilat in Israel spotting birds in an international bird race. What a daft thing to do! But we raised a lot of money for conservation of migrant birds in Greece (and, quite honestly, had a lot of fun)….

#COTF20 my garden birdwatch (5)

Smart bird, eh? The Champions of the Flyway project is raising money for Steppe Eagle conservation – see here. No species added to my day list in a mid-afternoon watch so I’m still on 28 species for today. But I’ll have one more look and listen as it gets dark.

#COTF20 my garden birdwatch (4)

The late morning birdwatch produced a good clutch of species. First was a Chaffinch followed by a couple of Buzzards. Then Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest. A Common Gull flew over and then so did a female Sparrowhawk and, rather late in the day, a Red Kite. Blackbird Gadwall Robin Dunnock Wren Woodpigeon Jackdaw Collared Dove…

#COTF20 my garden birdwatch (3)

That’s another watch done – this time from indoors looking out while drinking tea and eating porridge. I was expecting to see a Chaffinch around the birdfeeders – but none yet. The four species I would expect to see today which are so far eluding me, are Chaffinch, Red Kite, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk. I’ll probably…