Big Garden Birdwatch 2010

In the last few years, I stopped doing the Big Garden Birdwatch in my garden. The most likely outcome is a few Sparrows and one or two Blackbirds. A couple of Blue Tits if I am lucky. Fat balls and peanuts rot in my garden. Seeds are quickly taken from the feeders by the 10-12 strong local flock of Sparrows. If I put seeds on the bird table, Woodpigeons and Collared Doves stuff themselves in minutes. In summary, it is not a particularly enjoyable hour of birdwatching. Instead, I go to the local Wildlife Garden. Today it was sunny, but freezing, from 10:30 to 11:30. I had to keep walking to keep warm, and I wished I had taken a thermos of hot coffee with me. The total count was 15 species, better than the 12 last year.

Blue Tit singing

First year male blackbird (note the dark beak tip) sub-singing 

Dunnock

Birds

1. Collared dove, pair flying together and singing. 
2. Robin, 2 singing and chasing. One feeds on fat balls. Other feeds jumping on the iced pond. 
3. Mistle thrush singing. 
4. Great tit, 4 feeding in fat balls. 
5. Blackbird, 4. An immature subsinging in the hazel bushes. 
6. Goldfinch, pair, singing. 
7. Chaffinch, male and female (2) 
8. Woodpigeon, 1 
9. Dunnock, pair, subsinging (10:38), wing flicking. 
10. Greenfinch, 2 
11. Coal tit feeder. 
12. Blue tit, 3 
13. Wren, 1st song of year. 
14. Crow 2 
15. Redwing 1.