Big Garden Birdwatch 2023

I did this year's Big Garden Birdwatch from 8:20 to 9:20 am. The weather was cold (about 1-2 C) and dull.  The big difference this year is that I've been using feeders much more.  Previously we had one feeder for fatballs, a bird table and scattered some food on the paving or grass.  However due to increasing numbers of Pigeons monopolizing the supplies, I've more-or-less stopped using the bird table and ground and now have a total of four feeders:

• The original, with fat balls, in the Magnolia
• Mealworms in the Lilac at the front
• Sunflower hearts in the Crab Apple at the back
• Suet pellets in the Cornus Mass.

I imagined that this would encourage more birds into the garden and make them easier to spot.  However, during the count, I observed that most species come and go to the feeders quite quickly whereas before they would spend more time looking for morsels in our unruly garden.  

During the count, I recorded a total of 31 individuals from 11 species.

My Big Garden Bird Count scores.

Some results stood out. For example, the were two Goldfinches and one Coal tit.  Although these species have occasionally graced my count, their visits have be very irregular and fleeting, with the Goldfinches usually flying high above the garden and not landing (which means I can't include them in the count). Over the last few weeks these have become reliable visitors, coming to our feeders every day. 

Big Garden Bird Watch - How counts have changed since 2011

I did get more individuals than the last couple of years. It doesn't necessarily mean much because numbers have gone up and down so much over since I started doing the count.  However, the main boost was a group 12 of House Sparrows that spent a little time squabbling over the sunflower hearts and suet. 

Hopefully as we enter the hungry period when the birds have eaten most of the naturally occurring berries and seeds, the feeders will help keep our feathered friends going until Spring. 

Big Garden Birdwatch - 2019

This year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch was unusual because the birds didn't disappear from the garden the moment I started the clock. This time, my birdwatch started with me stalking my first ever birdwatch Wren at the front of the house, Mum was calling out "Robin, Starlings ... " and so on from the back.

My Big Garden Birdwatch results for 26 Jan 2019.

After the initial flurry of action, things settled down a bit and it was obvious that we were seeing some species in greater numbers than previously.

House Sparrows on our bird table

It was a particular pleasure to see a group of eight or more House Sparrows - the best score that I have had for this species.

Woodpigeon

We also had a group of seven Woodpigeons - again the largest score since I started. They were busy cleaning up under the bird tables after the smaller birds had scattered the food.

One of two Carrion Crows

I think many small birds were intimidated by the presence of two Carrion Crows in the oak at the side of the garden - even the Magpie flew away - so I went and had another look at the front.

Coal Tit in the front garden

I heard the Dunnock before I saw this modest-looking greyish bird. While I was looking at the it, two Goldfinches and a Coal Tit popped into view. At about the three quarter-hour mark I was getting a little concerned about the absence of Blue Tits as it would be the first year that I missed them. Mum said that they had been around during the week but, of course, that doesn't count. I enjoyed watching the secretive little Wren as it worked its way along a rather untidy hedge bottom and was rewarded by the appearance of a second.

Robin on the bird table.

I checked the bird tables and wires near the bird box but didn't see any sign of the Blue Tits. However, the Robin that regularly follows me round the garden came and posed for photos.

One of three male Blackbirds

I often see Blue tits working their way round the Oak tree. There were none around but a male Blackbird was in the tree, which, with the two already in the conifer, took me up to three.

Finally, as the last few minutes were ticking away, a lone Blue Tit appeared in the Robinia tree. This took my score up to 35 individuals from 12 species. This is the first time I have seen so many birds during the birdwatch - the previous high being 22 individuals. This was in 2011, which was also the only other year in which I saw 12 species.  I think that my totals were boosted by new glasses and bird watching techniques learnt from David of the Uckfield Local Nature Reserves Supporters Group but there were some genuinely bigger groups around.

This graph shows the ups and downs of my bird watches since 2011.  Last year's numbers were much lower.

The ups and downs of my garden bird watches

Big Garden Birdwatch - 2018

This year, I had to do my Big Garden Birdwatch a bit earlier (8:05 to 9:05 am) than usual because I needed to get to the hairdresser. I thought this might be why my scores were a bit low but I am assured that there were very few birds in the garden while I was away.

2018's Big Garden Birdwatch

I got a total of 18 individuals from 7 species:

• Blackbird - 4
• Blue tit - 3
• Carrion Crow - 1
• House Sparrow - 3
• Magpie - 1
• Robin - 1
• Starling - 4
• Woodpigeon - 1 

This compare's to last year's scores of 17 individuals from 11 species.  Mum suggested that the birds might still be finding plenty of food in nearby wild places and so are staying away from the garden.

The first birds to appear were the cheeky ones - a Magpie and a Robin, which both haunted the garden for much of the hour. I first saw the Robin amongst the purple cascade of Birch twigs. About 10 minutes in, they were joined by a group of Blackbirds, a Wood pigeon and a Crow, which lurked - rather shyly - in a branch just above the hedge.

I was a little concerned when Max, next door's cat showed up - but he just took a brief tour round the front garden before disappearing.  It was just after this, I started seeing the small garden birds including a lovely group of 3 Blue Tits in the Oak, their yellow chests almost glowing in the low sunshine.

I got slightly annoyed by 3 House Sparrows that seemed to be tormenting me by scuttling up and down the edge of a nearby house. Finally, they flew into our magnolia tree so I could count them.  That done, it was time to drop my note book and binoculars and head off to the town.

Big Garden Birdwatch - where are my sparrows?

At the end of January I took part in the RSPB's Big Garden bird watch. I wrote an account of my experiences in my Big Garden Birdwatch post. Now the RSPB have collated the results from over half a million people. The table below shows the top ten birds in East Sussex.

Rank in East Sussex	Species	Average per East Sussex garden	In my garden
1	House Sparrow	3.4	None
2	Blue tit	3.3	2
3	Starling	2.6	2
4	Blackbird	2.6	3
5	Woodpigeon	2	1
6	Great tit	1.4	None
7	Chaffinch	1.4	None
8	Robin	1.3	1
9	Collared Dove	1.2	1
10	Magpie	1.1	2

We also got 1 goldfinch (19th in East Sussex), 1 pied wagtail (30th), 1 song thrush (22nd). Our scores for the top 10 birds are a little less than average, which is surprising since we have a big garden with plenty of trees. That said, the trees and bushes allow the birds to stay out of sight and I didn't include any that I couldn't positively identify from a tantalising glimpse of a shape or a tail.

We do have one gaping gap right at the top of the table - no house sparrows. On previous years we've had a few but this year - none. For me, this is a particularly sad omission. I grew up in the London area and the cheeky sparrow was very much a bird of my childhood. Every time we threw crumbs out in the garden - no posh RSPB food then - dozens of squabbling sparrows would descend to enjoy our scraps. I didn't really notice them going. I had moved around, gone to university in Sheffield and then moved to Sussex. Now seeing or hearing this lively little bird has become a special treat rather than a part of every day life.

If it was only our garden that is missing sparrows, it wouldn't matter, but - although house sparrows are the most common bird in our counts - the RSPB say "Numbers of house sparrows, also on the red-list, dropped by 17 per cent in gardens compared to 2012 ..."

On their Red, amber and green explained page the RSPB tell us that "Red is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action."

Kate Vincent completed a PhD Investigating the causes of the decline of the house sparrow in Britain and the associated web site has some information on What you can do. Her suggestions include:

• provide seed all the year round - especially sunflower hearts
• provide mealworms in summer, to help the fledglings
• provide a good mixture of shrubs in the garden
• leave some grass long
• provide a well topped-up bird bath all the year round.

Listening to an Uckfield morning - Late March

A month ago I wrote Listening to an Uckfield morning, a post about the sounds I heard as I walked from my Manor Park home to the station. It's a regular walk for me. Now, at 6 a.m,.it is light but still bitterly cold. In fact, I think it is is colder than when I took the same walk towards the end of February.

Last time it was all robins and blackbirds. This time, it is mostly pigeons. As I left home, I could hear the coo-coo coo-coo of woodpigeons. Some still roosting in tall trees, others are already on the wing. As I pass a hedge of conifer by Tesco Express, there is the cheeky chatter of house sparrows.

Woodpigeon - captured by Bushnell 3rd March 2013

One good thing about the lousy weather is it gives early risers common cause. Instead of the usual nod or wave, we speak. “Freezing, isn’t it?” then there's a cheery hello from a walker who has braved the cold to exercise her dog.

While winding round Downsview Crescent, I hear some rather raucous crowing and see a small group of rooks overhead. Are they heading off to their feeding grounds? I see a large black bird perched on a TV aerial – it has a black beak, which makes it a crow.

As I head into Southview Close the sound of traffic starts to dominate. The sulky morning light lets me see as well as hear what is about. Two collared doves perch in the robinia tree near Streatfield House and seagulls are wheeling overhead. I wonder if we are due more snow? The gulls often herald a storm of some sort. A blackbird clinging to the edge of the building sings a rather mournful song. It is the only one I hear on my journey. Did the others sing earlier in the day? Or did they not bother on this dreary apology for a morning?

As I turn into the town the cooing of the woodpigeons is replaced by a more bubbling, purring noise. I am hearing the feral pigeons who find perches all over the facades and roofs of Uckfield’s higgledy piggeldy shops.

As I approach the station, I hear the hiss of a hydraulic brake. My heart sinks as I see two buses pulled up next to the pub. This is never a good sign. They are replacing trains that can't run due to an electrical fault. Over the sound of grumbling commuters is the pip pip pip of a blue tit.

Briefly in the warm to get my ticket then about 20 minutes tooing and froing then onto a bus. Looking out of the window as we trundle along the road to Haywards Heath, I see lambs. The first I’ve seen this spring.