Seems like it is a common feature in the south this year. A cold spell which encouraged all the birds into our gardens followed by milder weather over the counting weekend, resulting in fewer birds present than expected. Still, the birds have to be somewhere, so perhaps someone else counted them!
Thats exactly right. There is always a strong chance that your regulars may have been elsewhere nearby when you were doing your count, so may have been counted in another garden! The purpose of the survey is to give us a snapshot of the birds within each region. I do hope you enjoyed taking part!