I spent an hour doing the Big Garden Birdwatch on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't too hopeful as the birds have been a bit on the quiet side recently and visits to the garden have been sporadic.
In the end I got 9 species down from 12 last year. The numbers were down too. I was bolstered by the appearance of a female Blackcap in the last five minutes of the hour. It's only the second time i've seen one in the garden, the last time it was a male.
3 Blackbirds
1 Blackcap
2 Blue Tits
2 Collared Doves
1 Dunnock
4 Goldfinch
6 House Sparrows
1 Robin
2 Starlings
A couple of bad pictures of the Blackcap taken through the window, by the time i'd grabbed the camera it had flown off into next doors garden.
We took a trip over to Fairburn Ings just after Christmas and despite the freezing winds we spent a few hours there.
Even managed a new bird for me, a Redpoll on the feeders by the visitor centre.
The feeders were very busy all around the reserve.
At the Lin Dyke hide we spotted plenty of Canada Geese, Black Headed Gulls and Mallards. A lone Lapwing stood in the water and there were Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, Moorhens and Mute Swans in the distance. By the edge of the water there was a group of Teal.
There were plenty of other birds around too, Fieldfare, Cormorants, Chaffinch, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks, Moorhens, Coots and Pheasants.
The lake was heaving with Swans, Mallards and Black Headed Gulls all trying to get a look in at the feed you can purchase from the shop. The strong winds made it hard going for the Gulls but they are persistant!
