Today I did the RSPB bird watch from 9.30 am to 10.30 am and I saw one male blackbird, one Coal tit, 2 magpies, 1 robin and 1 wood pigeon. I filled in the form they had posted me and informed them
that during the past year I had seen a hedgehog, grey squirrels, a toad which I thought (wandered in from neighbour's pond) but no frogs - a toad looks like a frog but less elegant and decidedly ugly, a sort of frog monster. The form did not allow me to mention the woodpecker I don't often see but hear constantly. It sounds like it is trying to chip away at my conservatory, probably only looking for insects among fallen leaves, but makes a dreadful racket. We also see foxes regularly. They live in a neighbour's garden and run across our garden, sit on the path, or run across the road at night, not to mention make a dreadful noise. The first time I nearly called the police, then went to see and found two foxes, either fighting or making love, hard to tell, and I did not want to interrupt them and ask.
Bird observation has been an interesting exercise. I discovered I can see a nest in a tree two gardens away with two magpies flying to it regularly.
I had previously seen what I though were a pair of blue tits on an apple tree. Today I deduced the distinctive black head meant it was a coal tit, at least today's singleton was. Then I aw the Great tit has the same colour black head and yellow breast. But on looking carefully - remember all those quizzes you did as a child comparing two similar pictures - now you know it would be more useful to compare birds. The Great tit seems to have a black line vertically down its middle. So I ticked the box for Coal tit. Then I tried to load up my answers to the website. I keep getting told server has dropped the connection, try later. I thought it was the router but apparently it's just the site I'm trying to reach, may be overloaded today because it is the great bird watch weekend. So I may have to post off my results. I can colour photocopy the leaflet. I took the precaution of getting the postal version in case I had a problem with the computer. I had not anticipated their server dropping the connection. I thought only that I might have a problem. Either way, it was a good decision.
I'll do it again next year. If you read this before the weekend is up, you can still do your own survey, if you can get through to the site to download the form. Or just note down the birds for an hour, if you can identify them. Maybe take a photo with your mobile phone and identify them from websites later.
The birds they want you to count are
Blackbirds, male (black with yellow beak, Female blackbird (browny with darker beak), Blue tit, Male chaffinch, Female Chaffinch, Coal tit, Collared dove (looks like a wood pigeon but has a ring of contrasting colour around the neck), Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House sparrow, Female House sparrow, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Robin, Starling, Woodpigeon.
I wanted to identify tiny birds I saw at the tops of trees and in neighbouring gardens and flying overhead. I realised it would have been helpful to have a pair of binoculars. The cheapest on the RSPB website shop is £27.50 plus any postage and packing you have to pay.
RSPB
rspb.or.uk/birdwatch
To fill in the form on site they ask you to use the code BE06.
If you download the form you can post it by free post
Freepost RSTS-ZZCC-KJXU, The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, Halifax Road, Melksham SN12 6YY.
You have to get the posted form to them by Feb 14. Results will be broadcast in March, they say.
Hurray for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
that during the past year I had seen a hedgehog, grey squirrels, a toad which I thought (wandered in from neighbour's pond) but no frogs - a toad looks like a frog but less elegant and decidedly ugly, a sort of frog monster. The form did not allow me to mention the woodpecker I don't often see but hear constantly. It sounds like it is trying to chip away at my conservatory, probably only looking for insects among fallen leaves, but makes a dreadful racket. We also see foxes regularly. They live in a neighbour's garden and run across our garden, sit on the path, or run across the road at night, not to mention make a dreadful noise. The first time I nearly called the police, then went to see and found two foxes, either fighting or making love, hard to tell, and I did not want to interrupt them and ask.
Bird observation has been an interesting exercise. I discovered I can see a nest in a tree two gardens away with two magpies flying to it regularly.
I had previously seen what I though were a pair of blue tits on an apple tree. Today I deduced the distinctive black head meant it was a coal tit, at least today's singleton was. Then I aw the Great tit has the same colour black head and yellow breast. But on looking carefully - remember all those quizzes you did as a child comparing two similar pictures - now you know it would be more useful to compare birds. The Great tit seems to have a black line vertically down its middle. So I ticked the box for Coal tit. Then I tried to load up my answers to the website. I keep getting told server has dropped the connection, try later. I thought it was the router but apparently it's just the site I'm trying to reach, may be overloaded today because it is the great bird watch weekend. So I may have to post off my results. I can colour photocopy the leaflet. I took the precaution of getting the postal version in case I had a problem with the computer. I had not anticipated their server dropping the connection. I thought only that I might have a problem. Either way, it was a good decision.
I'll do it again next year. If you read this before the weekend is up, you can still do your own survey, if you can get through to the site to download the form. Or just note down the birds for an hour, if you can identify them. Maybe take a photo with your mobile phone and identify them from websites later.
The birds they want you to count are
Blackbirds, male (black with yellow beak, Female blackbird (browny with darker beak), Blue tit, Male chaffinch, Female Chaffinch, Coal tit, Collared dove (looks like a wood pigeon but has a ring of contrasting colour around the neck), Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House sparrow, Female House sparrow, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Robin, Starling, Woodpigeon.
I wanted to identify tiny birds I saw at the tops of trees and in neighbouring gardens and flying overhead. I realised it would have been helpful to have a pair of binoculars. The cheapest on the RSPB website shop is £27.50 plus any postage and packing you have to pay.
RSPB
rspb.or.uk/birdwatch
To fill in the form on site they ask you to use the code BE06.
If you download the form you can post it by free post
Freepost RSTS-ZZCC-KJXU, The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, Halifax Road, Melksham SN12 6YY.
You have to get the posted form to them by Feb 14. Results will be broadcast in March, they say.
Hurray for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
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