Garden Birdwatch Update

Week Starting 21/11/10

1 Wren
4 Blue Tit
1 Coal Tit
1 Great Tit
14 House Sparrow
1 Dunnock
1 Robin
1 Blackbird
13 Goldfinch
6 Greenfinch
2 Chaffinch
4 Starling
2 Collared Dove
3 Jackdaw

Mammals: 1 Cat

Food: Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts, Fat Ball and Seeds
Water

Winter Wonderland

A snowy back garden this morning with temperatures dropping to -2C overnight on Teesside. The House Sparrows woke at 6.40 am when the sunrise temperature was a chilly -0.3C. The noisy Jackdaws were next up chattering about the cold as they flew around the houses. This photograph was taken at 8.30 am and already the small birds such as Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch and House Sparrows were using the feeders.

Garden Birdwatch Update

Week Starting 14/11/10

1 Wren
3 Blue Tit
1 Coal Tit
1 Great Tit
7 House Sparrow
2 Dunnock
1 Robin
1 Blackbird
14 Goldfinch
3 Greenfinch
1 Chaffinch
7 Starling
2 Collared Dove
4 Jackdaw
1 Magpie
1 Sparrowhawk

Mammals - 1 Cat

Food: Fat Balls, Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts & Seeds.
Water

Garden Birdwatch 24/11 - 14/11/10

On Sunday 24th October 2010 I subscribe to the garden birdwatch managed by BTO. Recording and/or watching birds in your garden is good fun with plenty of feathered entertainment around the feeders. It is important to feed the birds and also provide water for drinking.
Each week, starting on Sunday you recorded the maximum number of each species seen over the course of the week. So, each week I will post my records, including anything of interest.

Week Starting 7/11/10
1 Wren
4 Blue Tit
1 Coal Tit
2 Great Tit
6 House Sparrow
1 Dunnock
6 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch
1 Robin
1 Blackbird
5 Starling
4 Collared Dove
1 Woodpigeon
4 Jackdaw

Mammals recorded - 1 Fox, 1 Cat and 1 House Mouse.

Week Starting 31/10/10
1 Wren
2 Blue Tit
2 Coal Tit
1 Great Tit
10 House Sparrow
2 Dunnock
9 Goldfinch
1 Chaffinch
2 Greenfinch
1 Robin
1 Blackbird
13 Starling
2 Jackdaw
3 Collared Dove
1 Woodpigeon
1 Magpie

Week Starting 24/10/10
1 Wren
3 Blue Tit
2 Coal Tit
2 Great Tit
6 Long-tailed Tit
6 House Sparrow
1 Dunnock
14 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch
1 Robin
1 Blackbird
30 Starling
3 Jackdaw
4 Collared Dove
1 Woodpigeon

The only mammal recorded was nextdoor's cat!

Roosting Starlings

Here is a short video of the Starlings arriving at Dorman's Pool to roost for the night. As the light started to fade the flocks of Starlings arriving was constant with approximately 2000 counted as I videoed. Over the next few nights it was estimated that about 12,000 Starlings were coming to roost in the reedbed. What a magical sight!

Waxwings

On Saturday 6th November 2010, a flock of approximately 40 Waxwings were seen in Middlesbrough. They were feeding on the berries in Skippers Lane Industrial Estate not far from the town centre.

Waxwings are such a beautiful bird and a welcomed winter visitor to the UK. I didn't manage to see any Waxwings during January - March this year, so these birds were a year tick for my list.

Teesmouth Field Centre Bird Feeder

On Sunday 7th November 2010, I opened the Field Centre for a Bird & Seal Watching Session in the Hartlepool Power Station Hide overlooking Seal Sands. We had a great session in the hide watching Common Scoter, Little Egret, Red-breasted Merganser, Peregrine and 20 Common Seals.

Back at the Field Centre the bird feeder was very busy. The short video shows Great Tit, Blue Tit and Tree Sparrows feeding on the seed mix. After spending 7.5 hours on site looking for birds, I wasn't disappointed with good views of a pair of Blackcap eating Elderberries together with two Mistle Trush and three Blackbird. A beautiful Grey Wagtail showed briefly which was a first site record for me, so I was very pleased.