Isn't it just always the way - when you get stuck in to the BGW, all your regulars seem to disappear! How do they know? You settle yourself down and they all seem to say 'Right, we're off!' and away they go, only to return when the hour is over! Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me? I know it all levels out in the end but isn't it frustrating when it happens. Oh well, I'll look forward to the results anyway, and hope that other folk had a little more luck than I did. I still love the little perishers!
Dotty
Me too! We get Pheasants, Green Woodpeckers, an occasional Jay as well as others but not today! Grrr!
There were far fewer birds in my garden today as well. The wind was blowing in strong gusts and I think the birds, being sensible, were taking shelter in hedges and any other shelter they could find! I should have done the BGB yesterday, when there were loads of feathered friends munching away on the feeders! And no doubt they'll all come back tomorrow!
My favourite weather is bird-chirping weather. Loire Hartwould
I have to say, I don't ever put food out for the birds but we have a large (acre) sheltered garden, with natural hedges, and we grow lots of 'bird friendly' plants and trees. Being in Torbay, we really don't get the snow and bad weather that stop those growing or producing fruit and berries.
Yes, the high winds blew all the usual birds away. None of the regulars turned up. Perhaps they didn't want to be counted!
Hahaha! I'm glad I'm not the only one. We have several different birds in our garden, and lots of them (at the same time). But during the hour I counted such a paltry amount. It is very windy here and even just in the hour we've gone through sun, hail and rain and back and forth again so I'm guessing the birds are just hiding and trying to keep warm. So frustrating though!
I'm glad I wasn't the only one, but it doesn't make it any less disappointing.
I'd been looking forward to this all week and in the last week I've seen sparrows, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, blackbirds, collared doves, fieldfare, greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, robins, pied wagtails and starlings to name but a few. So I sat down ready for my hour expecting to struggle to count them all at once......and during the hour I saw a grand total of 6 birds...6.....I can't remember the last time I only saw 6 birds in my garden in an hour....6! The only thing that stopped it being completely depressing was that I did get my 3 regular collared doves.
Of course now I've finished several of the regulars are back. Typical!
I'll have to try again next year and see if I can do any better.
Garden was very busy for last 2 weeks with the snow. The feeders needed topping up each night. Very quiet yesterday (Saturday 26th) and fairly quiet today (Sunday). I got the impression that the few birds were staying local. The roving bands of starlings were absent and the birds that seem to follow them.
this year I've submitted a nil return for the first time ever having moved from a rural garden to a coastal one. several gulls soared overhead, so maybe they were responsible, or maybe the regulars like a Sunday nap.
I have seen 1 robin and 1 blackbird this year. Very disappointing. The strong wind must be the reason. The weather conditions must surely be taken into account when they look at the numbers. Are they ?
Same here. My resident Robin failed to show up, and the feeders were unvisited, just a few birds on the table and the birdcake. Breezy, but sunny, till half-hour mark then rain and hail, of course the sun is shining again now!