We’re all getting busy here at Sandwell RSPB ready for the Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend. It was a hazy start this morning and my job was to count how many garden birds I could see across the reserve – which, being short-sighted, did not turn out to be quite as easy as I had thought. Our bird-feeders are always full of activity with many birds visiting throughout the day, so counting them all would seem almost impossible.
The Squirrels hanging upside down on several feeders were generally minding their own business, springing down when they could hold on no longer and scattering the birds away. The Pigeons however, about ten in total, were less startled and carried on waddling through the grass. Six Blackbirds were dotted about the field, the black males easier to spot than the females. I laughed when I scanned the trees and found about 15 Greenfinches all perched together on the same branch as if huddling from the cold morning wind. They each flew down one by one, joining the Blue Tits (about 12) and Great Tits (11) for breakfast – though at the time of day it was more like elevenses. Moving down to search the ground beneath the feeders I found an array of brown-feathered birds. I managed to spot around five Dunnocks, six Chaffinches and four Sparrows. From a distance these birds can look quite similar, so I asked Pete to help me identify which was which. There were also about 10 reed buntings.
We’ve had several Ring-necked Parakeets visit us in the last few weeks and I saw three today. You can spot them a mile off with their bright green feathers as well as being much bigger than their other garden friends. Looking out the far window I could see two Magpies bouncing happily along the fence towards me, reminding me of the poem: one for sorrow, two for joy etc... My favourite bird has always been the Robin so I was quite pleased to spot two, their red-breasted plumage an instant giveaway.
You might be wondering why I spent an entire hour staring out of a window watching the wildlife this morning, and it’s because of the event I mentioned earlier: the Big Garden Bird Watch. I hadn’t heard of the Big Garden Bird Watch until this year but it’s actually been carried out annually across the UK since 1979! It’s all about observing and counting the birds and wildlife in our green spaces, and collecting data to help the RSPB to see how they’re doing and (if there are any problems) to find ways of helping them. This is why it’s important that we get as many people involved as possible so that together we can count as many birds as possible.
So if you have a spare hour this weekend why not join us? Simply find your green space, whether it be your local park, reserve or RSPB centre, grab your favourite cup of tea or coffee, and then sit back, relax and get counting! To find out more visit the RSPB website and if you feel like giving it a go download your free Big Garden Bird Watch pack here.
We’ll be hosting our Big Garden Bird Watch at Sandwell RSPB this weekend (28th – 29th Jan). For more details please see: https://www.facebook.com/events/1371666302866986/
Happy Bird-watching!
From Emily, Sandwell Volunteer
Photo credits: Great Tit (David Tipling), House Sparrow (Ray Kennedy)