Did Big Garden Birdwatch in my new home this year and got a headache trying to count all the sparrows and starlings! Only problem was, it was difficult to decide if some of those counted were return visitors in the same hour! Biggest surprise was the two magpies and one female blackbird who I've never seen in the garden before. Great way to waste an hour!
In earlier posts, I read that you are supposed to give the maximum number at any one time. This is very helpful but the sparrows and starlings move so quickly that it's still hard to count them.