Rspb Big Garden Birdwatch 27/28 January 2007

[Kymba]

Thought WABS would be interested in the results of the survey, so heres the Link

Wildlife Extra - Big Garden Bird Watch 2007

[Barbara]

Thanks for that Kymba, was it really that long ago, doesn't time fly

[Kymba]

I know, scarey isn't it just how fast time flys!
But is does make interesting reading

[Barbara]

Yes, I agree I will have to go back and look at my list, I can't remember what I recorded. Glad they didn't do the survey sometime in the last fortnight, the birds in my garden have reduced drastically, they are all too busy nest building and obviously preferring live food.

[Kymba]

I have noticed the same here to, the only thing they seem to be taking in abundance is the Dogs hair I have hung in old lard balls netting from the trees for nesting material, I have re filled them twice in the last ten days or so.. Now thats recycling at its best

[Barbara]

It certainly is, we tend to have a lot of moss in certain parts of the garden, and the blue tits are collecting it like there is no tomorrow. I watched one with a big clump trying to get it into one of the nest boxes, when he eventually did get it in, he popped his head out of the hole and started pecking at the wood trying to make the hole a bit bigger. It is the correct size hole and has been used by blue tits before. Another blue tit landed on a branch with what looked like some old rope, don't know where he got that from, but he was having a right tussle with it trying his best to get bits of fibre from it, he was holding it in his claws and pulling it up and down with his beak and getting into all sort of positions with it. In the end he gave it up as a bad job and flew off

[Wild-Woman]

The positive efffects of a warmer climate does help out the birds that suffer losses in cold. The blue tits and great tits seemed to benefit and it would be nice to think that rarities like the Dartford Warbler may increase,(providing their habitat is left alone) given time.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

The positive efffects of a warmer climate does help out the birds that suffer losses in cold. The blue tits and great tits seemed to benefit and it would be nice to think that rarities like the Dartford Warbler may increase,(providing their habitat is left alone) given time.

Jules, good news is that Dartford Warblers have increased considerably in last 10 years due to warmer winters. They have colonised the Suffolk sandlings, parts of South Wales, Exmoor + provided heathland management continues they should continue to prosper until we get a really severe winter. Similarly Cetti's Warblers have been beneficiaries of these benign winters.