RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

 

Last weekend D and I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

We saw the following birds:

Wood Pigeon 3

Dunnock 1

Blackbird 1

Robin 1

Coal Tit 1

Blue Tit 4

Great Tit 2

Carrion Crow 1

Magpie 1

As always many species failed to turn up. The most surprising omission were Goldfinches who are always on the feeders.  There was a cat in the garden at the start of the survey which may initially have kept birds from visiting.

It was certainly our lowest total for many years. In 2025 we saw 15 species and in 2024 14 species.  

There again every count is important to the RSPB however many species you see and it is always good fun to take part. We certainly enjoyed it :)

RSPB Garden Birdwatch and Snowdrops

 

We took part on Sunday in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - we did initially try to do it on Saturday but it was very sunny and as the garden faces south it was too bright to see much of the garden so the first attempt was abandoned after a few minutes.

We saw 15 species which is more than we have seen in recent years. Usually the birds disappear during the hour you do the survey but this year there were loads around.

We saw the following :

Great Tit x 3

Blackbird x 4

Goldfinch x 7

House Sparrow x 2

Dunnock x 2

Blue Tit x 3

Coal Tit x 1

Robin x 1

Wood Pigeon x 4

Redpoll x 4

Collared Dove x 1

Carrion Crow x 1

Magpie x 1

Long Tailed Tit x 4

Goldcrest x 1

No signed of the Ring Necked Parakeets though!

Redpoll were the real highlight - we usually see them in the silver birch trees in the garden but on Sunday they actually came to the feeders. Goldcrest was the second sighting this year - it forages in climbers on the patio arch and in the Christmas Tree we have in a pot.

I look forward to reading what other bloggers have seen this year.

Thankfully, after a week on penicillin and, touch wood, cellulitis has disappeared for now so yesterday we popped to Coleshill to visit "Books Revisited" - a second hand charity bookshop that D and I both love.

I always park by the church so we walked back via the churchyard.

I love this Silk Tassel Bush.

St Peter and St Paul - Coleshill Parish Church

There were lots of crocus buds in the churchyard but I couldn't see any snowdrops so we stopped off at Castle Bromwich churchyard where I know they will flower in January.

It is always a treat to see the first snowdrops of the year and I hope I can visit more local churchyards next month and find more.

I bought myself a lovely bunch of rainbow tulips to brighten the hall.

In other news D passed his driving test first time last Saturday.  I really am proud of him because these days with all the traffic on the roads it is not the easiest thing to pass.

All photos were taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera (D took the last snowdrop photo).  (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or one of my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

 

D and I spent an hour watching the birds in the garden last Sunday for the yearly RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

Unusually most of the regular species put in an appearance - in the last 5 minutes we were willing the Collared Doves perched a few gardens down to visit our garden. Unbelievably they finally did just within the hour!  None of the species that visit less often decided to appear though.

Dunnock and Wood Pigeon - sorry photos are record shots only  and  I only took a few. I nearly didn't bother including them until I realised I don't think I've ever done a post before without photos!

The last few years I don't seem to have seen as many species as I used to but this year we managed to get the total up to 14.  I think it helped that D took part as well as these days I normally I end up doing the count on my own. 

The full list of birds seen is as follows:

Blackbird x 3

Blue Tit x 2 (one bird was investigating the nest box)

Goldfinch x 6

Wood Pigeon x 5

Coal Tit x 1

Dunnock x 1

Great Tit x 1

House Sparrow x 2

Robin x 2 (nice to see a pair in the garden)

Long Tailed Tit x 2

Carrion Crow x 1

Magpie x 1

Wren x 1

Collared Dove x 2

One very scruffy list!

I am really enjoying reading about what other people have seen.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and Elmdon Manor LNR

 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

I took part, as I know many of you also did, last weekend on the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. I have so enjoyed reading about your counts.

So what did I see?

Magpie 2

Wood Pigeon 6

Blackbird 2

Blue Tit 2

Collared Dove 2

Great Tit 1

House Sparrow 4

Dunnock 2

Goldfinch 3

Robin 1

Not a brilliant total but in recent years I have found I see a lot less species than I used to.  Most of the regulars visited apart from Coal Tit but none of the less regular species such as Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove and Ring-necked Parakeet.

Sorry for lack of photos the sun was shining straight on the back garden and it was difficult enough trying to check the garden let alone take photos in the sun.

Elmdon Manor LNR

On Saturday D and I took a walk round the small Local Nature Reserve of Elmdon Manor.  The timing of the visit was not good as I had forgotten that Solihull Moors Football Ground is nearby and there was  a match on that afternoon which made parking difficult! Luckily, I got the last space in a pull in right by the reserve.

The reserve, which covers 5 hectares, was once part of the garden and grounds of Elmdon Manor.  The mixed habitat includes woodland, grassland, a large pool and what was once the walled garden where there is an orchard.  The walled garden was built in the 18th century.  The reserve is now owned by Solihull Council and managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

It was nice to see some clumps of snowdrops around the walled garden in particular.  Birds were notable by their absence. We saw a jay and a blackbird!!!  

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

 

It was the weekend of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch when people can watch garden birds and record the species that visit the garden (or local park, etc) during one hour.

On Saturday we had sleet all day and there weren't many birds about  so yesterday D and I took part between 12.15 and 1.15 pm

What did we see?

Wood Pigeon x 4

Robin x 1

Blue Tit x 2

House Sparrow x 8

Magpie x 3

Goldfinch x 4

Coal Tit x 1

Blackbird x 1

Starling x 2

Collared Dove x 2

Just over the garden fence we could see a Great Tit and Carrion Crow but as they were not in the garden they weren't counted!

Mammal wise two Grey Squirrels were seen and unfortunately a cat appeared in the garden after 40 minutes which meant the birds all disappeared!

A few photos - sorry about the quality - they were through a kitchen window that needs a clean!

Wood Pigeon

Starling

Collared Dove

Grey Squirrel

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2020

I know many of you have done the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and it is always interesting reading what other people have seen.


As everyone seems to find a few of the "regulars" were missing during the hour but this is what I saw

Magpie x 2
House Sparrow x 4
Robin x 1
Great Tit x 1
Blackbird x 2
Wren x 1
Blue Tit x 2
Wood Pigeon x 3
Long Tailed Tit x 3
Collared Dove x 1
Carrion Crow x 1

Wren and Long Tailed Tit were a pleasant surprise as they are not usually seen on a daily basis.

The RSPB also ask what other wildlife you have seen and in the last year we have had a couple of Fox sightings, Grey Squirrels are seen on a daily basis and Frogs (and Smooth Newts) occur in the pond.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

End of January means it is time for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - like many of you I've been doing this for years and it is always interesting to read on other blogs what people have seen in their gardens.

It was raining heavily on Saturday and there were few birds about so I did my birdwatch yesterday when it was dry and sunny. Our garden faces South making photography (and even watching birds at times!) a bit of a challenge but it did cloud over a bit for the last half hour.

So what did I see?

House Sparrow x 5



Wood Pigeon x 5

Robin x 2 (sometimes we get 3 in the garden and it is amusing to watch the "resident" robin chasing away the other two intruders!


Blackbird x 2

Great Tit x 1

Blue Tit x 3


Dunnock x 3

Goldfinch x 3

Starling x 1

Long-tailed Tit x 2



Essential equipment!

As many of you have commented several species fail to put in an appearance during the hour - here it was Magpie, Carrion Crow, Stock Dove, Wren and Coal Tit. The Blackcap we had on the feeders for about two weeks has disappeared but the Ring-necked Parakeets are still visiting - they turned up an hour after the Birdwatch finished.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, More Waxwing Photos and a Wildflower book

I know many of you will have taken part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch at the weekend and I do enjoy reading about people's results on their blogs. I did mine on Saturday afternoon - sunny with showers at times. Results were low again this year and as everyone knows so many species failed to put in an appearance during the hour!

So what did I see?

Wood Pigeon 4

Robin 1

Magpie 1

House Sparrow 2

Goldfinch 7

Blackbird 2

Dunnock 2

Blue Tit 3

Stock Dove 1

Long-tailed Tit 2

All the species, with the exception of Magpie, were either visiting the feeders/bird table or using the pond. I also enjoyed watching a pair of Grey Squirrels chasing each other round and round the garden :)





D and I went back to Castle Vale over the weekend to see the Waxwings. D was not happy that I had inadvertently changed a setting on the Canon Bridge Camera (no wonder my photos looked bleached out!! ) - we ended up having to return it to the factory default settings! I wish I had taken my Olympus camera with the 70-300 mm telephoto zoom as we got much closer views of the birds than when I went in the week.

Photos were taken by D and are a distinct improvement on the ones I managed!

I treated myself recently to the most delightful Wild Flower book by Margaret Erskine Wilson. The illustrations are just charming. Margaret Wilson an amateur botanist and water-colourist was the late President of Kendal Natural History Society. The book contains her paintings of British wild flowers (arranged month by month). She started them in 1943/44 to help her friend learn the names of flowers. In 1999 she donated to the Kendal NH Society 150 sheets of these paintings representing 1000 British and Irish plants and this has finally resulted in the publication of this beautiful book.

I'm making slow progress over my mother's house problems although still waiting for surveys to be completed and quotes prepared - I suspect it will be some months before life gets back to normal!