Big Garden Birdwatch

I have done the Big Garden Birdwatch a few times in my garden. I don't do as much birdwatching as I would like lately and it is a bit sad to spend a whole hour just to see a blackbird and a couple of blue tits (I don't have a very popular garden with birds). So, last year I decided to do the BGB in my local wildlife patch, the Pearson Park Wildlife Garden. The results were encouraging, I even had a magic moment with a very tame robin, who let me take some macro photos of him while singing. Today then,  I wrapped up warm and I headed for the wildlife garden. I took the camera as well, but I wasn't as lucky as last year. It was cold and cloudy, so I had to keep walking around. The pond was frozen solid. My observation time was from 11 to 12 am. It's still so early in the year but many birds were pairing and singing. The great tits were teachering away and a stock dove was booming and a greenfinch singing from the trees. The dunnocks seemed to be courting and chasing each other. I was very surprised to see a warbler, I think probably a chiff-chaff active in the bushes. There was a couple of robins together, the male singing and third one replying from the other side of the garden. It was altogether busy and only a 5 min lull when nothing really happened.

These are my results:

Great tits (2) male and female. Male singing.

Song thrush (1). I've already heard it singing this year, but not today.

Blackbirds (2) Male and female.

Robin (3). Couple and a third male. Two singing.

Blue tit (2) Singing.

Stock dove, booming from high in the trees.

Dunnock (3) Together, 2 chasing each other.

Greenfinch (1) Singing from the poplar.

Chaffinch (1). Male.

Chiff-chaff (1). Most likely, as it's the only occasionally hibernating warbler.

Woodpigeon (5) On a tree.

Magpie (3). As the hour finished.

Total of 12 sp. Not too bad!

Last year's results for East Yorkshire were:

House sparrow 2.64

Starling 2.19

Blackbird 1.48

Goldfinch 1.25

Collared dove 0.93

Blue tit 0.87

Tree sparrow 0.83

Chaffinch 0.69

Woodpigeon 0.67

Long tailed tit 0.65

(source RSPB )