Following press release from the BTO makes interesting reading, although if I were a Bullfinch, I wouldn't be too happy about being referred to as "corpulent".
No mention of Bramblings either, but I haven't read the full report, so maybe details of their arrival in gardens in numbers this winter is documented there.
Anyway, here's the press release...
Annual Results from the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO's) Garden BirdWatch have just been published. Huge cold weather movements of Reed Bunting, Redwing and Fieldfare into gardens were charted in 2010, although Goldcrest numbers tumbled. England was the top country for many species, with exciting regional differences!
Opening with the coldest winter in 30 years, and closing with the chilliest December in a century, 2010 was remarkable for both people and birds. The extreme conditions drew many scarce garden visitors into our towns and cities and, throughout the year, thousands of BTO Garden BirdWatchers across the UK and Ireland made telling observations of the birds that graced their patches.
English householders were more likely to see several species - including Blackbird, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit and Woodpigeon - in 2010, compared with people in Wales and Scotland. However, there were big regional differences. If you wanted to see Blackcaps or Song Thrushes, you were best off living in the south-west, whereas the south-east was best for Blue Tits and Nuthatches. Further north, residents of Yorkshire and the Humber were more likely to enjoy House or Tree Sparrows, whereas garden birdwatchers in the north-west were visited more frequently by the farmland favourites Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. See full regional results www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/results/2010/regional
Compared with the long-term average, as calculated since 1995 when Garden BirdWatch began, many less common garden birds increased their presence during 2010. Throughout the UK and Ireland, Redwing and Fieldfare, both winter migrants that breed in Iceland and Scandinavia, exhibited 68% and 94% increases, respectively, coping with the worst of the winter weather by snaffling up the generous offerings of the public. They were joined by farmland buntings, most notably Reed Buntings, which were twice as abundant in 2010 than in an average year.
Bullfinches were another big garden success story. This handsome, somewhat corpulent finch has been in long-term decline nationally, but during 2010 householders were almost 75% more likely to have hosted this colourful bird compared with the long-term average. Bullfinches often appear in small groups, feeding congenially on opposite sides of a seed feeder, and their increase suggests that gardens may be becoming more important for them. Other species that continued their recent march into gardens include Goldfinch (up by 90%), Woodpigeon (29%) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (23%).
Many smaller species, however, appeared to struggle. One of our smallest, the Goldcrest, fell by more than a third in gardens in 2010 compared with the long-term average, with reduced immigration of continental birds during autumn contributing to this trend. Records of the diminutive garden songster, the Wren, were also well-below normal, consistent with a recent downturn in gardens. The loss of these small birds hints at the impact of the severe winter conditions.
Dr Tim Harrison, BTO Garden BirdWatch, commented: "With prolonged periods of snow and ice at the beginning and end of 2010, large movements of Reed Bunting, Redwing, Fieldfare and Brambling into gardens were expected - and this is exactly what happened. However, without the simple, year-round observations of BTO Garden BirdWatchers, we would not have been able to quantify these movements scientifically or gain precise information on when they occurred."
He added: "It is very exciting that every region has its own selection of garden specials. More Londoners saw a Robin, more residents of the north-east recorded a Sparrowhawk, while almost a third of residents in the West Midlands admired a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Clearly, wherever you live, there are lots of reasons to be enthused about your garden birds."
For a free BTO Garden BirdWatch taster pack, including a copy of our magazine Bird Table, please email gbw@bto.org, telephone 01842-750050, or write to GBW, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John, 7 Hares on Crossens-inner early this morning. Mike.
48 Corn Bunting on Churchtown Moss, Saturday.
I was fortunate in having a large flock of fieldfare visit over Christmas, roosting nearby and completely devouring the berries of my neighbouring hawthorn hedges. When the berries were gone and the snow began to thaw, they scoured the verges for worms, insects, etc. Strange to see such a large flock just outside the house and sweeping up the insects big style. It was a delight and brightened up a very cold Christmas.
We had a male Blackcap coming to our feeders in Churchtown many times each day for two weeks. Not seen him for several days now. Never seen one in our garden before.
There was a Peregrine on the chimney stack of the Jacob's cracker factory in Fazakerley eating a gull of some variety that it had caught on Sunday afternoon. I saw it briefly there again on Monday morning. Fingers crossed it will stick around for a bit.
Red Kite over Churchtown Moss 1.45pm today (Tuesday).
Re. the obs from Chris, I live just a few hundred yards from Jacob's factory and Peregrines appear over my garden quite regularly. There was one overhead this afternoon and there were 2 together on Saturday. I believe that they sometimes nest on Hartley's chimney just next door to Jacob's.
Great site John, with some amazing pics and info - this blog will defo be added to my favourites. Keep up the good work.
Hi all, wonder if any of you are up on the habits of nesting Blue Tits, I built a nest box some time back & to my astonishment within 2 days the nest box was claimed, anyway, over the past week grubs (caterpillars) and the likes have been taken into the nest at least till Monday past and now I have not seen my little friends around so I worry, does father perchance stay away while mum broods, just want to know they have not abandoned me.
Cheers all
Des