Well the snow has arrived in good time for Big Garden Birdwatch next weekend. It's been driving good numbers of birds into people's gardens - and some unusual visitors too. Reed buntings, redwings and fieldfares, pheasants, bramblings and blackcaps have all been found by people I know in my home county of Cambridgeshire over the weekend.
I went to town keeping my birds well fed over the weekend, with a whole range of food from the RSPB birdfood range (sorry for the shameless plug, but 100% of profits go to our conservation work), including Buggy Nibbles, fat balls, feeder mix, suet pellets with raisins and bugs and more all helping out the birds. Many people have been reporting fieldfares in their gardens with fallen apples doing the job (I spiked mine on a branch and the blackbirds loved them). Redwings and fieldfares (below) have been suffering that's for sure and I've come across several redwings that allowed approach to a few inches - clearly exhausted and very hungry and tired.
I went for a long walk out from home on saturday and found a superb flock of 600 skylarks in the field next to my garden - I was surprised they'd stuck around with snow covering the ground, but a row of stubble left by the farmer had provided them with plenty of food. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a big flock actually.
So this week I'd recommend stocking up your feeders and getting the birds warmed up for Big Garden Birdwatch next weekend. It could be a great birdwatch with some good counts, so please make sure that you take part and tell the RSPB about your garden birds. There are some more tips for the Birdwatch in the current issue of Birds
Thanks for all your positive comments about the latest issue of the magazine by the way. Glad so many of you are enjoying it. We're on course for the most e-mails ever received in a single month for Birds magazine, so keep them coming. It was good to have a few complaints about me not posting a blog as usual on Friday - glad some of you are reading and sorry!
Hi Mark
Just joined on Friday the RSPB that is and yes I am in on the great garden bird watch so looking forward to the magazine too I read your blog and what was funny you are waiting for a black cap in your garden and I had one today and didn't know it lucky I took some photos and asked what it was and another member wrote back and told me what it was here is a direct link to my photo img.photobucket.com/.../Lsnow30.jpg my photos are improving as I am learning to use my camera in av mode and manual look forward to the next mag hears wishing you good luck on bird sightings for Sunday
Best Regards
Rodney
Rodney Lewis
My Photos
Hi Dwayne.
Glad you like the latest issue - thanks very much!
Glad you're up for the count tomorrow. My garden is still lagging behind everyone else's it seems, but I know that being right next to sensitively-anaged farmland means that the birds have plenty of food "over the fence" thanks to the farmer.
Good luck on your count - let me know how you get on. I'll be reporting back on my Birdwatch next week...
My garden has proved a little disappointing although hoping that I might pick up some decent birds on my count tomorrow. Have had a lesser redpoll and a regular song thrush which after hours of searching through the snow managed to find and smash through a snail shell. Great to have so much activity that much closer than usual to enjoy.
The latest birds magazine is excellent and the front cover photo is a real cracker.
Hi Sylvia.
I received a great photograph from a reader who has used a parasol to keep the snow off the ground, so birds can feed on food placed there. I'm planning to publish it in the next magazine. The thaw is setting in here in Bedfordshire, so I think the birds will be finding it slightly easier going for the Birdwatch this weekend. I wish I could get a blackcap on my feeders though...
I had fieldfares eating the red pyracantha berries in my garden this morning. Usually get redwings, but not seen them this year so far. Heavy snow this afternoon - I'll need to sweep a clear patch to feed all the blackbirds tomorrow. There are about 10 of them eating everything in sight every day! One daily visit from a male blackcap - he likes the fat feeders best.