Oh my days!, normally we have sooo many birds, .... today we struggled to count 5!!!!! Was it the weather, wind and hail stones on one occasion??? Our first time at doing the BGB, looked forward to it, waited, watched, searched the skies in hope of all our birds coming, like they usually do, but no, not today..Enjoyed it though and will do it again next year.
The Waters Team
Thanks Alan, we were a little disappointed, thinking it was just us!
Team Waters
Hi, I have to say I barely struggled to spot 6 birds when I did my BirdWatch today. Most of the regulars stayed away. Usually we have loads more birds in the garden at other times. We had a lot of redwings last year!
Was it the weather do you think? Too windy to venture out maybe, or they knew it was the day to be counted!!!!!
I did my count this morning and was also surprised at the low numbers, compared to other mornings. The weather was fairly good - the sun had actually come out but there was a brisk wind blowing. Yesterday a Sparrowhawk took a housesparrow on my lawn but that did not keep other birds away from the feeders for very long.
The weather change and thaw affected my potential count compared with what we had earlier in the week, but as ever too many (other peoples) domestic cats drastically affect the birdlife in the garden; managed a solitary count for Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Pied Wagtail, and Dunnock.
I thought it was just my garden but absolutely no birds today! Did my count yesterday and saw a fantastic array of birds as I do most days.Where are they all today?
I had the same experience both this year and last. On an average day we get plentiful and varied visitors, but despite a cloudless sky and bright sunshine today here in Ascot, I only once saw more than one bird at once (2 magpies), and I saw only seven birds in the whole period from 9.00 am to 3.45 pm. On the other hand there were 2 large flocks of overflying rooks (maybe three dozen each time), plenty of overflying pigeons, and one magnificent red kite... Maybe there's an avian intelligence corps coordinating resistance to the efforts of all us amateurs.
They will all be back in the morning chuckling away to themselves!
Our garden had more than usual -perhaps we had everyone else's! It was windy here, but sunny, and all the snow had gone (so no fieldfares today, sadly).
But loads of finches - 6 goldfinches, 4 greenfinches (the most I've ever seen in this garden in 17 years - I'm usually lucky to see one or two!) and 2 chaffinches, and lots of tits and other common birds, plus one of our two blackcaps that have been visiting over the past couple of weeks. 14 different species - but yesterday, which I did for my weekly BTO garden birdwatch, I only had 9 species.
Lots of seagulls flying past catching the wind and birds looking like they were being blown across our garden - only saw 4 actually landing. Of course the next time I looked out the window after I had finished there were 3 wood pigeons and a magpie laughing at me...