January round-up

A quiet month, mostly seeing what I could see in East Finchley. A few good sightings — a Coal Tit and a male Blackcap came to the garden feeder in addition to the regular visitors like Starlings, Ring-necked Parakeets, Blue Tits and Feral Pigeons. Further afield in East Finchley, there were a few Magpies and Robins, and the House Sparrows of Kitchener Road are in good voice. Most populous were the Starlings, their numbers do swell in the winter.

The one birding trip beyond London N2 was to Brent Reservoir for the local RSPB group’s monthly walk, where 29 different species were seen — Coots, Black-headed Gulls and Tufted Ducks galore, more Common Gulls than we had any right to expect and a few Teal, some elusive Pochard and a solo Little Grebe.

In total, 37 species seen this month. A slow but steady start to 2025. 

Big Garden Birdwatch

 I always make sure that I take part in this annual RSPB event, and I never usually have much to report as a result. Back when we lived in a flat above the shops on the High Road, I would go and do the requisite hour in Cherry Tree Wood, which I always felt was a bit of a cheat but the RSPB has always said that people who don’t have gardens can do that. Now that we have a garden (make that gardens, plural, as we have a front one and a back one) I can watch the feeder from either the table or the armchair, and as far as the Big Garden Birdwatch is concerned, the morning of the Sunday is my preferred time to do it.

Before settling down to start recording who visited, I had to attract the birds, of course. I’m out of peanuts but there are the remnants of a suet block out there, and I also had more seed mix (supermarket bird seed mixed with nijer seeds) and some kitchen scraps (cheese rind) to put out. What suburban bird could resist?

Clearly not a Woodpigeon, who swooped in early and gobbled up all the cheese. 

Next up, a Feral Pigeon (one of three) who looked around for anything the Woodpigeon might have missed, and unlike said Woodpigeon he was OK with sharing the feeding-station with a Starling. Add to that a Magpie on the ground, and that was that.

Not much, all told. Although as the RSPB’s website told me after I uploaded my results, it’s all part of a much bigger picture.

I’d like to add the Blue Tit, Great Tit and make Blackcap who visited this morning, but that really would be cheating!