BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH

This is the week end of the BGBW organised by the RSPB. This is usually part of the wife's portfolio as she is Fauna Gaulieter and Keeper of the Bird Seed. Today she is in Lunnon so I have assumed her mantle with some trepidation not being a twitcher and bad on brown job identification. THe idea is to watch the patio for an hour and record the highest numbers of species you see at one time. Now Robins I can manage (as long as they are male) ditto Wood Pigeons, Starlings,blackbirds, visiting Pheasants and collared Doves. I get a bit lost with Dunnocks and Sparrows, very similar and once I have identified one (from the RRPB's little chart) , it moves and some thing else very similar takes it place. But not to worry. The wife says we get more sparrows than Dunnocks so I counted them all and divided by three to get the Dunnocks-so we have two them-official.

I am also following the wife's Modus Operandi. To ensure a good show and important census return (a) Wait for the Greater Spotted Woodpecker- a regular.Put him down (b) Put out the Bird Seed, nuts, fat ball-double quantity (c) Start the clock (d) Count. (e) if no sparrow hawk turns up within the 60 minute twitch stop clock until it does as Sparrow Hawks look good on the return although its arrival reduces the available to count bird population by about 100%.

So far no Sparrow Hawk but a good show otherwise including a female pheasant, two very large wood pigeons fighting over the nuts, two nice little non brown jobs which I have tentatively identified as Goldfinches and the usual other rather boring suspects.

I'll give the Sparrow Hawk another half an hour. After a bit this bird watching business gets a bit

boring.

(If you click on the image you will be able to see at least 4 feathery things including the No 1 Robin who never seems to leave the lower branches of the wood pile)

Labels: Big Garden Bird Watch, Old Manse

  ¶ 10:48 AM