The BTO Garden Birdwatch Results: 17.5.20

This is the count for the British Trust of Ornithology’s garden birdwatch. The BTO runs this garden survey and I really enjoy it. Here is a link if you want to find out more about the BTO. By the way, if you are thinking of registering, there are a few rules. You can only count birds in and using your garden. You must count the highest number that you see of your bird species at one time then the highest number you see over the period is the one that you record.

1. Blackbird

This week’s count of the blackbird was 2 at its highest. I mainly see males in the garden, with the occasional female. They like pecking at the fallen bird food underneath the bird feeder or they just sit on the fence or in the tree.

2. Blue Tit

The blue tits in the garden only seem to come when we’re inside. It’s a joy watching them though. This week’s count has been 2. They mainly like to sit on the bird feeder guzzling down the suet.

3. Carrion Crow

The carrion crow isn’t a regular visitor to the garden, they just like to sit at the top of the oak tree, seeing off any other birds who come near. This week’s count was just 1. We only really see them twice a week.

4. Chaffinch

The count for chaffinches this week was 2. We usually see them underneath the bird feeder or on the fence. When they are on the ground, they are quite camouflaged and unobtrusive.

5. Dunnock

The dunnocks we see in the garden are usually on the fence or occasionally, under the bird feeder. This week’s count was only 1 but then that is as usual. The dunnock’s grey breast actually makes it one of my favourite birds.

6. Great Spotted Woodpecker

The only reason we have woodpeckers in our garden is probably because of the oak tree that overhangs the fence. This week’s count was just one. The woodpecker usually flies onto the ground and then climbs up the pole that our bird table’s on to get the food.

7. Great Tit

The great tits we see in the garden are usually on the fence or on the bird feeder and occasionally in the tree. This week’s count was 2 which is quite unusual as we don’t see as many great tits in the garden now.

8. House Sparrow

We have very few house sparrows in our garden now but I guess we got lucky this week as there was 3 in the count. The male’s black bib is really pretty in a way. The female is usually streaky brown and quite hard to spot on the ground.

9. Jackdaw

The jackdaw is quite an unusual visitor to our garden and not regular but one was sat in the tree this week. That’s where they usually are when they are there. Just sat in the tree, occasionally making a croak.

10. Long Tailed Tit

The long tailed tit fledgelings have been around, calling lately but the count was only 2. Sadly, one of the youngsters died after crashing into our window. They usually attack the bird feeder, scoffing it down.

11. Magpie

Our magpies usually just sit in the tree like the jackdaw but occasionally, they will sit on the fence. The count for this week was 1. They don’t come to the garden that much but they are quite regular.

12. Robin

We get a lot of robins in the garden and I mean a lot. We see at least 1 every day and they are a very welcome visitor. They usually come looking for worms and when we had a leatherjacket problem, they were everywhere. This week’s count was 2.

13. Woodpigeon

The wood pigeons only really appear when the bird feeder is knocked down and they like to wolf it all down before anyone else gets a chance. This week’s count was only 1. They usually sit on the fence.

14. Nuthatch

The nuthatch is quite secretive when its crawling up the tree but when it jumps on the bird feeder, it becomes quite boisterous. This week’s count was 2. They really are a joy to watch.

15. Pied Wagtail

We don’t normally see pied wagtails. We just occasionally see them on the garage roof. This week, we were quite lucky and saw one hopping about. They are very stark with that wonderful black and white plumage.

That was our count for the week.

The BTO does things like this to survey garden bird populations. It’s a wonderful thing to do. You just sit there, watching the birds come and go.