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!