Well the first round of our big garden birdwatch challenge goes to the café, who spotted 9 species of bird in their 10 minute count (scoring 13 points) with the courtyard feeders producing 8 species (scoring 11 points).
Café’s mini birdwatch list: blue tit, great tit, robin, coal tit, dunnock, chaffinch, house sparrow, nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker.
Courtyard mini birdwatch list: robin, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, moorhen, greenfinch, house sparrow, great spotted woodpecker.
So, now for some top big garden birdwatch tips from the Pulborough Brooks team.
Trevor’s top tip – during the winter months try putting out high energy suet products to attract some great birds. Fat balls and suet sprinkles are particularly popular with starlings and there are 83% fewer starlings than when the Birdwatch started 35 years ago so they need our help. In Sophie’s garden the robin has learnt to hover like a hummingbird to pick tasty suet sprinkles, and the long-tailed tits love coconut halves. You can put the suet sprinkles and nibbles in a mesh nut feeder.
If you’re keen to give this a go, to celebrate big garden birdwatch you can currently save £5 on our suet ‘gift box’ which includes, nibbles, coconut half, suet cakes and a feeder. Priced at £11.48 until 28 January 2014.
Mel’s top tip – our café feeders are often busy in the morning, with great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and marsh tit coming to visit for breakfast. Come and watch our birds having their breakfast whilst enjoying a mug of tea or coffee and a breakfast bap.
Sounds good to me Mel!
Both teams spotted chaffinches using the feeders, and here is a photo of a rather splendid male chaffinch taken here at Pulborough Brooks by Roger Garland.