Sunday 26 January 2014

Big garden bird watch 2014



Hello..... So this weekend here in the UK it's the RSPB big garden bird watch. Here at the Summerhouse we love all things birdie and usually take part. So early this morning still in my PJ's I sat down to count the birds.


I arranged all the essentials notepad and pen, bird book, comfy cushion, Binoculars and a cuppa so I was all set for a hour of bird watching.


While I was getting ready 'P' kindly went out and stocked up the feeders, we have very lucky birds here at the Summerhouse as 'P' always keeps them well fed.  Here's just a selection of some of what was put out this morning.

  • Seeds
  • nuts
  • fat balls
  • suet nibbles 
  • yucky mealworms eek
  • some old cherries, grapes, apple and pear
  • bread
  • and finally a suet block 
See I told you they were feed well, which is great as that means we get so many birds visiting the garden. I was very lucky this morning in the birds that I spotted 79 birds in total in a hour, so who popped by...

  • 2 Magpies
  • 2 Wood pigeon
  • 1 Small brown unidentified dove that was with the wood pigeons (not idea what it was so didn't count it)
  • 3 Blackbirds
  • 2 collared Doves
  • 5 Common Gulls
  • 36 Tree Sparrows (we have a large colony in the summerhouse garden living in the hedges and fir trees, so much so the RSPB double checked when I input the findings)
  • 4 Blue Tits
  • 1 Crow
  • 14 Starling's
  • 1 Green Woodpecker (so lucky that he popped by today)
  • 1 Feral Pigeon
  • 1 Great Tit
  • 1 Song Thrush
  • 1 Wren
  • 1 Coal Tit
  • 3 long tailed Tits
So yay for the health of the visiting bird population, sadly I saw no finches at all this year, which is very sad but I know we have Chaffinch and Green finch who visit the garden, plus I hoped to see our Robin but he must have been elsewhere.


So in honor of the Big Garden Bird watch here is this week drawing I started it Monday and finished it Friday doing a bit at a time I included some of the birds who visit the garden plus all the flowers in the garland are blooming in the garden at the moment Roses and Marigolds in January!! I'm not entirely happy with it but I said I would share my pictures this year.


There is still time to take part in the survey if you want to I've popped a link 'here' there is even a handy app this year. Hope you're having a fab weekend

Clare x

15 comments:

  1. Fabulous bird drawing Clare, I love it :0)
    Jacquie x

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  2. Love your drawing of all the little birds ~ it's really great :O)xx

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  3. Wow, the birds get a gourmet feast at your house!!! You had a lot of visitors, that must be a good sign for the avian population!! I love your drawing, it is lovely, and I hope that you will share more of them through the year as they are very pretty. xx

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    1. Thanks Amy, I'm hoping to do one drawing each week, hopefully I'll improve as the year goes on. x

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  4. I think your birds are very spoiled, I can not imagine why they would ever venture from your property. I have never heard of a survey to count the birds, I think it is a lovely thing to do.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. Hi Meredith the Royal Society for the Protection of birds (RSPB) do one each year here in the UK that people can take part in, which is great national indicator of what going on. xx

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  5. Oh for some reason we thought the watch was next weekend! Oh well, maybe next year. It sounds like you had a lot of visitors to your garden and they enjoyed lots of tasty treats! Beautiful drawings.
    Marianne x

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    1. Thanks Marianne, January just fly by didn't it, I hope you and the family get to take part next year xx

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  6. your drawings are lovely! I got a bird feeder station for christmas i put it up a week ago, no sign of birds on the feeder yet but i hear them in the trees so hopefully soon they will be brave :) x

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    1. I hope you get some birdie visitors soon, Emmma xx

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  7. We love watching and feeding the birds too. You get a great variety of them there, many more than we typically see. Your drawings are beautiful. I hope that you are feeling well and that you have a good week, Clare.

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    1. Thanks Jennifer, we're lucky to have so many varieties of birds, but don't you get hummingbirds in you're corner of the world? I'd love to them xx

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  8. Wow you have a very active garden, I can't believe the number of birds and the varieties that you saw in just one hour! Astonishing. I absolutely love your drawing, you are so talented, that is calling for a pretty frame!! Sending much love xoxo

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