BWI Garden Bird Survey 2014/15 - Get Involved!!

OpenYourEyes

It's that time of year again folks - the Birdwatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey starts tomorrow (1st Dec). For anyone who hasn't done it before, it's as simple as keeping track of the highest numbers of each species you see in your garden every week and submitting your records either online or by post.

For full details see: http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Ourwork/Researchmonitoring/GardenBirdSurvey/tabid/121/Default.aspx


It's a very important survey to keep an eye on some of our more common and recognisable birds to see how they're doing from year to year and a lot of interesting data has come out of it in years gone by. Here's the summary of last years survey: http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=bnQfxadN8xw=&tabid=121

And from writing down the birds you see every day/week you might find some surprising trends in your own garden too!

So I encourage everyone to get involved, and obviously it's a great survey to get kids involved in too! And worth spreading the word with family and friends too! The more people who take part the better!

OpenYourEyes

And to the best of my knowledge you don't have to be a Birdwatch Ireland member to take part, so you have no excuse!

splish

6 species so far from our small garden. House sparrow, chaffinch, starling, blue tit, dunnock & robin.

Delphinium

Been enjoying feeding birds in my large organic garden for more than twenty years but have gone fom dozens of birds to none due to the attention of a sparrow hawk. Birds picked off at bird table and in flight and even from the hedges. Feeders placed at random among trees and in the open but no birds for weeks. Only the wrens in the rockery seem to survive.

spooky donkey

lots in my garden since I started feeding them. Still get the odd sparrow Hawlk incursion...... but the local birds seem to be wide to him, well most of them anyways...

bird of prey by BarryKelly, on Flickr

whyulittle

I've put together a PDF for recording daily records for myself, but it's there for anyone else to download and print off. You'll just need to select your highest figure of the week and put it on the official form.

PDF is here.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Averaging 22 species per week at the moment. The garden's all time list is 54 species now.

Capercaille

Blaze Freezing Streptomycin wrote: »

Averaging 22 species per week at the moment. The garden's all time list is 54 species now.

That's an impressive list:)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Capercaille wrote: »

That's an impressive list:)

Decades of weekly reporting. Includes a Dipper and the largest flock of long tailed tits reported on the east coast in 1990.

Half-cocked

As usual, most species disappear out of my garden as soon as the survey starts!;) I'm convinced that some one else nearby starts feeding around this time and a lot of birds head over there.

Bsal

So far I've seen collared dove, sparrow, robin, chaffinch, jackdaw, rook, goldfinch, dunnock, sparrowhawk, starlings, pied wagtail, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, hooded crow and a herring gull :cool: still waiting for the other winter guys to arrive.

whyulittle

I got my first Redpoll of the season on the nyjer feeder yesterday.

Also a flock of LTTs and a single Goldcrest passing through the trees.

OpenYourEyes

Some interesting research into the knock-on effects of feeding garden birds, if you're a gardener!

http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about-us/press/press-releases/2014-2/2014_12_10-garden-bird-feeders-keep-insect-populations-in-check/

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Some interesting research into the knock-on effects of feeding garden birds, if you're a gardener!

http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about-us/press/press-releases/2014-2/2014_12_10-garden-bird-feeders-keep-insect-populations-in-check/

Very true! Many years ago my roses were destroyed by aphids every year. My veg garden was a feast for slugs and snails. Fruit bushes always decimated by caterpillars. I sprayed and scattered slug pellets in vain.
Then I went organic. I sprayed nothing. I fed the birds. I left wild areas for nature. Now my roses are pest free. The fruit and veg are perfect. Flower beds are a triumph. I have no problems with pests. The birds and hedgehogs, hoverflies etc all do the job. The richness of birds, insects and animals is amazing and the garden thrives. Yes, it took a few years for the balance to set but boy was it worth it.

whyulittle

21 species for my first week. LTTs, House Sparrows and Greenfinch leading the way with 10 each, with a single Blackcap showing up.

Zoo4m8

So what counts as 'in your garden' ? I'm assuming a flyover doesn't count but a hovering Kestrel? Or would the bird have to have landed?
My mother has extensive records from her large overgrown garden which I must have a trawl through, I know there are some less common ones in there including a Redstart from last year. Unfortunately an arthritic body means she can no longer get about as used to so will be unable to submit any records this time, a major disappointment for her..

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

So what counts as 'in your garden' ? I'm assuming a flyover doesn't count but a hovering Kestrel? Or would the bird have to have landed?
My mother has extensive records from her large overgrown garden which I must have a trawl through, I know there are some less common ones in there including a Redstart from last year. Unfortunately an arthritic body means she can no longer get about as used to so will be unable to submit any records this time, a major disappointment for her..

For the survey the bird must land in the garden. Flyovers of birds of prey are usually allowed in such surveys.

I knew a man who had a tremendous weekly count and list a few years back, until we discovered he counted every bird he could see from his garden.

Zoo4m8

Great, thanks...must check the mothers lists in the next while, I know she has a Red Kite from good while ago, I saw it as well as it landed on one of her windbreak conifers.. Her species yearly count could be pretty good..

Zoo4m8

Ok, had a look at my mother's lists and this is from 2010, I recall that the winter of 10/11 was very hard so would have an effect on species numbers. This list is for the entire year not any for any particular season, the count comes to thirty eight!
At the risk of inducing boredom I'm going to post it anyway and not in any particular order...Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Wren, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Coal Tit, Song Thrush, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Buzzard, Heron, Stockdove, Yellowhammer , Greenfinch, Blackbird, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Collared Dove, Pheasant , Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Sparrow hawk, Great Tit, Rook, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Hooded Crow, Reed Bunting, Sisken, Woodcock, Linnet, Redpoll, Blackcap, Redwing.
As I said before this is a large garden gone quite wild in places with a stream at one end , also has two ponds ( which is why the swallow is in there, they use them to drink from) and bordered on two sides by farmland.. So quite different from the average sizeable garden.
And while I'm here, my all time favorite visitor was a Turtle Dove that appeared in the yard one summer a couple years ago , and the best bit, I have the photo to prove it!!

whyulittle

Goldfinch the new leaders in the garden this week with a flock of 12 in today squabbling over everything!

Also a flock of 10 Redpoll in today, they've been steadily climbing from the single bird in my first week.

A Goldcrest also made a late appearance today to make it onto the list each week so far.

Capercaille

whyulittle wrote: »

Goldfinch the new leaders in the garden this week with a flock of 12 in today squabbling over everything!

Also a flock of 10 Redpoll in today, they've been steadily climbing from the single bird in my first week.

A Goldcrest also made a late appearance today to make it onto the list each week so far.

Redpoll numbers seem lower than previous years in the ground.

Woodville56

Chaffinches (20+) abound in my garden this morning, followed by smaller numbers of Goldfinches(almost exclusively at nyger seed feeder), House Sparrows and Greenfinches in descending order. Also a few Robins and Dunnocks among the finches ground feeding on seed with an assortment of tits at the nut & suet feeders. I've also been having visits from the local Jackdaws occasionally with 2 Rooks and a Magpie yesterday. No Redpoll or Siskin so far this winter.

thyme

About 20 to 25 Goldfinches a few Chaffinches, I think there's 6 Greenfinches 2 Dunnock, Great tit Blue and Coal tit about 4 of each, 6 Blackbirds they love the apples, 2 Robins 2 Wrens and 2 Magpies. And a Sparrow hawk to keep them all on there toes.

No Redpoll and no Siskin to be seen anywhere this year.

Bsal

Same here no Redpoll or Siskin yet.

baaba maal

No redpoll, greenfinch or goldfinch here, and small numbers of everything else except for LTTs- very disappointing as I normally get good numbers. Given the mild winter (so far) could there still be enough food around that most species don't need to go to artificial feeders? I'm in rural Kildare.

OpenYourEyes

baaba maal wrote: »

No redpoll, greenfinch or goldfinch here, and small numbers of everything else except for LTTs- very disappointing as I normally get good numbers. Given the mild winter (so far) could there still be enough food around that most species don't need to go to artificial feeders? I'm in rural Kildare.

It's certainly possible. The real hard part of winter is around the end of January I think, where food in the wider countryside has been exhausted and there can still be some tough weather - so your finches could appear yet!

vistafinder

I counted 45 Goldfinches today growing every week from 6 the first week of the survey.

splish

Put out some halved red apples yesterday & had a Blackcap in the garden today. Up to 10 species now for Garden Bird Survey. Pied wagtail in the garden today also which is another new species for GBS.

Bsal

Just had a long tail tit in the garden, a first for me. Hopefully the rest of the flock will show up.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Bsal wrote: »

Just had a long tail tit in the garden, a first for me. Hopefully the rest of the flock will show up.

It's unusual to get just one. Keep looking.;)

Rosahane

Bsal wrote: »

Just had a long tail tit in the garden, a first for me. Hopefully the rest of the flock will show up.

I had a pair yesterday, the first I've seen this winter. A single one today happily sharing with a single greenfinch and a robin.
...then the bloody starlings arrived!