RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Today was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Since I normally get a decent amount of birds first thing, my hour was 9:35 to 10:35. (I wasn’t quite ready for 9:30 but that worked out well
My count
1 dunnock
4 starlings (quiet today)
11 siskins
4 blackbirds (although I saw 3 male and 2 female, there were only 4 at one time)
4 crows
1 blue tit
1 coal tit
1 great tit
5 chaffinches
4 goldfinches
1 magpie
2 wood pigeons
2 collared doves
1 gold crest
1 jay (woohoo, he was down the bottom of the garden for a while and I have a few fuzzy photos)
1 woodpecker (he returned, yippee - although I scared him off lifting my camera)
and with 2 minutes to spare
1 robin (I thought he wasn't going to turn up today.

noticably missing were :- treee creeper, nuthatch, long tailed tits.
I'd just finished my count, but there were lots of birds about when something seriously spooked everything and they all shot off. One poor siskin went the wrong way and splatted into my window. I rushed out in case it was the cat who had spooked them and to protect him, lifted him up using kitchen towels and put him the right way up, safe near the kitchen door (obviously I went back inside for my camera). I think the only damage was a bit of blood in his beak area. He flew off safely.

Later on in the afternoon I saw the tree creeper, 5 long tailed tits and 2 nuthatches. I think these are more late in the day birds rather than morning birds.

Some photos I took today:

Long tailed tit - cute as ever


Crows. I think they were having a romantic foursome!!!

This one was happy sat on next door's aerial

Until he flew off

Mr siskin after he'd gone splat. There was a bit of blood on the one kitchen towel I used to collect him, I think it was from his beak.

I think the siskins are the most common birds in my garden now.


The rear of a fat wood pigeon

And the nice side of a collared dove

Woohoo, I snapped the jay (albeit badly)

In all, a great morning counting. And also for the rest of the day.