Garden Bird count - Nederland

[goosey]

It is that time of year again for all our Dutch members. The weekend of 23rd,24th January is our Nationale Tuinvogeltelling 2010. Just half an hour this year is needed to watch your garden, make a note of the types, and how many of the same sort of birds you see at the same time in the garden during that half hour period. Then log your results online.
See here for details, tips and down loads to help.

Tuinvogeltelling | Home

Happy counting!

[goosey]

I did the bird count this morning, I just gave what food I normally put out and it was snowing.

2 x Jackdaws
4 x Starlings
6 x Sparrows
1 x Fieldfare (a real bonus, the first for the garden)
1 x Redwing (arrived with the filedfare, I only ever see these when we have snow on the ground)
2 x Great Tits
2 x Collared Doves
3 x Blackbirds (2 male and 1 female)
2 x Dunnocks
2 x Magpies
2 x Common Doves
1 x Robin

Apart from the fieldfare there was no surprises, the blue tits were a no show during the time I was recording and I was a pair of starlings missing, numbers of sparrows, jackdaws and pigeons always fluctuate day to day.

[goosey]

I have just had the results from the Nederlands garden bird count.
It was a new record for participents with 35,000 people taking part and submitting 1.1 million bird sightings.
There is a slight decline in blue tits and great tits from last year.

Nedelands garden birds top 10, 2009 in brackets.
1. House Sparrow (1)
2. Blackbird (3)
3. Great tit (2)
4. Chaffinch(5)
5. Blue tit (4)
6. Starling (7)
7. Jackdaw (6)
8. Collared Dove (8)
9. Wood pigeon(9)
10. Robin (12)

[paul m]

For those in UK, it's this weekend:
BBC - Earth News - Bird charity RSPB launches 'Big Birdwatch' survey

[paul m]

Interesting that there were no finches in your count (and not many in the national one) - have you never had any?
I mention this because this morning I saw my first finch of the year in this garden (female chaffinch). I'm seldom inundated by finches (except on a year of siskin invasion) but most winters there are a couple of chaffinches resident and intermittent pairs of bullfinches and greenfinches visiting regularly.
I suppose that this is caused by the fatal viral infection? Is the virus having major effects elsewhere?

[goosey]

I see plenty of chaffinches in th NP and in the areas where people have proper gardens but not here in my area so often these days. I can't remember seeing greenfinches or siskins for ages though.

Five years ago and before, chaffinches, greenfinches, siskins and black caps were all regulars to my garden to feed during winters - but then I had neighbours who although they had tiny yard type gardens like myself, had large established apple trees and fir trees in their gardens. As these neighbours have died their properties have been bought by young people who have felled the trees to make way for extensions.

I think the birds I saw then must have been more attracted to the safety and insects of the trees than the extra food I gave them.

[reninfrance]

My winter bird station is our summer barbeque and outdoor human feeding area, a walled space outside the kitchen with a battered pergola held up by wisteria, passionflower and grapevine (leafless in winter).
I am regularly seeing house sparrows ,hedge sparrows, many bluetits-up to 8 at a time, great tits-up to 6 at a time, 2 robins, a thrush, a blackbird, many starlings, a pair of collared doves and a pair of chaffinch. I think I have once seen a greenfinch.
There are wrens in the ivy in the walled back garden but they do not come to feed.
There are goldfinches nesting every year in a group of firs over the road. I see them in the open garden over the summer, but they never come for winter food. Do they need special encouragement?
ps. my crocuses are in fullflower and my ginger tom keeps going AWOL so despite the snow Spring IS on it's way.

[paul m]

It appears that there is are North American bird counts:
Bird Studies Canada
It would be interesting to know what sort of results they get?