I did the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch at 116 on Monday 28th. The count was: blue tit 2, great tit 2, blackbird 2, dunnock 2, robin 2, starling 1, jackdaw 2, jay 2 and magpie 2 – 17 birds of 9 species.
I’ve done the count annually since 2006. The numbers vary from year to year – the best year was 2006 with 18 birds from 10 species, the worst 2014 with 9 birds from 6 species. The average is 14.3 birds and 8.6 species. There has been no consistent trend in total numbers up or down over the 14 counts.
I’ve recorded 21 species during the count since 2006. The blackbird in the only one to be present every year, followed by dunnock and robin with 13 records each, wood pigeon 12, blue tit 11 and collared dove 10. Six species have occurred only once: blackcap, fieldfare, great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, coal tit and jay. Others recorded include house sparrow 2, wren 2, long-tailed tit 2, song thrush 3, jackdaw 5, magpie 5, chaffinch 6, starling 7 and great tit 8. I’ve seen a wider a wider range of species in the garden outside the RSPB survey, from heron to carrion crow and goldcrest to red-legged partridge.
