Hi BGBWers
I have done the watch for the last couple of years now although been a birder in the field for many, just wondering on the number of species you normally get for the hour.
Two years ago i got 13 and last year 4
How many do you get?
Maybe i should have put "heres a very basic common garden bird please help me identify" or "i saw a chaffinch in my garden" i may have got some repsonse.
O well
Well that's just put a proportion of people off replying to you.
You have stated that you are already an avid birdwatcher and you'll now doubt know the names of every species you've ever seen/photographed. What about those people who haven't had that opportunity to learn? Who want to join in the BGBW but need to know what they're looking at so the results they give in are correct???
I personally was living in an innercity area this time last year and counting pigeons really isn't very exciting. This year I want to join in, I now live in the country and have a large garden. I'm slowly trying to identify the birds I now see on a daily basis. They may be a very basic common garden bird to you, but to me they are "not pigeons" and that's really not a good enough description
To answer you initial question
1 species last year, and the year before that, and the year before that ... life is suddenly more exciting this year with more than pigeons to look at. Judging by the current state of the garden population I think my count will be more like 7 or 8 species this year.
Hi Celery
Thanks for the reply and yes you are correct probably most people will not entertain this posting now.
I am just trying to fnd out what the average would be, i considered 13 to be a good number two years ago and was disapointed with last years results. In my opinion birding in the field vs garden birdwatching is very different. Trying to make you garden as bird friendly as possible is a lot of fun, tweaking bits here and there, changing food, feeder positions etc.
I have been birding a while so i havnt had to worry about bird names in my garden for some time and i pleased to hear you are hopefully looking for 7-8 in your new garden, so if there are any you are un ware of then post them and i will do my very best to assist you.
Is 7-8 the average maybe others would like to post there thoughts, if i havnt put you all off :)
Have done a separate thread with the ones I've managed to photograph over the past couple of weeks along with what I think they are... not sure if I've identified them all right but have labelled the photos with what I think they are.
So far I think I've seen and photographed blue tits, great tits, starlings, pied wagtail, blackbirds, chaffinch, jackdaw and house sparrow. Have had a pinky pigeon thing (collared dove??) and a Magpie visit briefly but didn't manage to get the camera out fast enough so although the magpie was obvious the pigeony thing will have to wait another day for proper identification.
Might have to enlist the help of my children for counting purposes on Saturday though because when I re-filled the feeding station at lunchtime today there were at least 10 blue tits hanging off the feeders and more waiting in the trees to come and feed.
Nice photos celery in your ID post, i would say that that was Dunnock rather than Mrs Chaffinch as pointed out to you already.
I haven't done it for a whole hour - but I am a lot more likely to get 4 rather than 13! There are 2 i can pretty much rely on (house sparrow & starling), plus another half dozen-odd species we see occasionally. Unless something new and exciting comes along I think my absolute max is 9 species.
Haven't done it before but recently my best has been about 15 in two hours. In an hour I'd hope to get about 10 if I pick the right hour.
Hmm, judging by the past few days I might get something like: blackbird, bluetit, coaltit, great tit, greenfinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, wood pigeon, starling and a wren. Good chance of a jay, robin, blackcap, goldcrest, dunnock, collared dove, magpies (probably not landing in the garden though). I saw all of these today but in just one hour I it will no doubt be fewer. If it was only 4 I'd be very disappointed.