RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch!

This morning I spent an hour in Montpelier Park doing the annual Big Garden Birdwatch. The weather was dull and breezy so birds were thin on the ground, but totals were as follows:

Wren 1
Woodpigeon 4
Collared Dove 1
Blackbird 3
Jay 1
Carrion Crow 3
Chaffinch 4
Great Tit 1
Robin 1
Pied Wagtail 1
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 1
Magpie 1

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

An hour in Montpelier Park for the annual Big Garden Birdwatch produced the following:

Robin 2
Great Tit 2
Blackbird 3
Woodpigeon 5
Coal Tit 2
Feral Pigeon 3
Dunnock 1
Blue Tit 1
Chaffinch 3
Carrion Crow 1
Goldfinch 4
Collared Dove 2
Goldcrest 1
Jay 1

Garden birds

Jim has sent me a report of the birds in his garden today. Apart from the usual, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Jay, Collared Dove, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Robin, Woodpigeon, Magpie and Blackbird he had a Goldcrest in the garden this afternoon. A fine collection of birds, and Goldcrest is a very good sighting.

Blackcap (photo by Jim)

Jay (photo by Jim)

In St Andrews Park this afternoon a pair of Mistle Thrushes were flying to and from a tree near where they nested a couple of years ago. I wonder......Also a couple of Blackbirds and a flock of 15 or so Goldfinches of note.

St Andrews Park

A lunchtime stroll after the morning rain produced a Goldcrest, Goldfinches, a Greenfinch doing its song-flight, half a dozen Starlings, a Jay, a fly-over Pied Wagtail,  and several Blackbirds and Robins. For me the most exciting find was what looks to be a Globular Springtail which I had resolved to see in 2016 as I've never seen one before! Result!

Globular Springtail - honest!

St Andrews Park

Well I thought today would be a wash-out, with overcast conditions and drizzle putting everyone, including me, off the idea of birding in the park. How wrong could I be? It turned out to be a classic walk! The list is as follows:

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 seen well near the children's play area. A rare visitor to the park.
Redwing - a flock of up to 20 seen in the trees and feeding on the ground - a good count
Starling - a mini-murmuration of up to 50 birds - a spectacular sight!
Goldcrest - one showed well in the bare branches
Blue Tit - 1 or 2
Great Tit - more heard than seen
Coal Tit - 1 singing as I entered the park
Long-tailed Tit - 5 or 6
Robin - 3 or 4 seen and heard
Carrion Crow - a few
Magpie - 2 or 3
House Sparrow - a little gaggle near the Starling tree
Blackbird - a few seen
Mistle Thrush - 2, presumable a pair, seen
Pied Wagtail - at least 1 seen on the paths
Herring Gull - at least 1 loafing around 'on the deck'
Woodpigeon - 2 or 3
Feral Pigeon - a few around
Goldfinch - quite good numbers mainly twittering away in the trees
Greenfinch - 2 finches evading identification turned out to be this species thanks to Jon photographing them

Narroways

Narroways in the rain this afternoon produced a Sparrowhawk over the hill, a female Bullfinch (Simons Grove) a Chiffchaff (cutting) a very confiding Goldcrest near the climbing centre/community garden and a party of Long-tailed Tits and a sub-singing Blackcap near the brook. Also a few Greenfinches and Great and Blue Tits around.

St Andrews Park (also in the rain) was quiet apart from a couple of Long-tailed Tits, a Dunnock, several Goldfinches and one or two Blackbirds.