Iceland - 4th - 8th March 2022

Friday, 24 January 2020

Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend

Another busy few days has meant little time for birding. 
A quick look at Pitsford only produced a Great White Egret.  On my walks around the fields I have seen plenty of Fieldfares, Redwings and Starlings busy feeding on the soggy fields and quite a decent sized flock of Tree Sparrows in the hedgerows.  There have been 2 or 3 Woodcock in one of the old field hedges near Blueberry and a Barn Owl hunting below Hanging Houghton.
At Harrington Airfield yesterday afternoon there was a Short Eared Owl. I presume that it is the same bird which has been present for a while but sometimes it can be very elusive and I do not see it on every visit despite the best intentions of my helpers !!.  Also present was a large brown Peregrine, Woodcock and a flock of 50 Golden Plovers flying over.

We still have plenty of birds visiting the garden, infact I think that it is the busiest that it has been for a while.  It is a full time job keeping the feeders topped up.  The male Blackcap continues to visit regularly and feeds on the suet balls and the very excitable Long Tailed Tits are daily visitors.
I think that most of us like to spend time watching the birds which visit our gardens and have no doubt got our own "garden list" and favourite visitors.  Over the years the species of birds visiting has changed. I can remember large numbers of House Sparrows, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes visiting and over the years these have been replaced by Blue Tits, Goldfinches and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
This coming weekend is the Big Garden Birdwatch which must be one of the easiest surveys to take part in. All you need is a comfy chair by the window, a cup of coffee and a notebook, sheer luxury. And all it takes is an hour of your time.
You might be surprised to discover which birds visit your garden and any sightings will help to build up a clearer picture of our birds.

Taking part in Big Garden Birdwatch couldn't be easier, whether you're using ...

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