I did the annual RSPB garden birdwatch yesterday. This was my third time and by far my worst list yet. Not because of any catastrophic decline in birds, but just because I had a rather dud hour. It didn’t help that I did it at midday, which is never the best time for birds.
Despite the fact that it’s just a statistical exercise, and not a competition, there was a terrible temptation to cheat and try to make the list a better reflection of the species I see regularly. But I manfully resisted. Here’s the list (for comparison: 2005, 2006). Numbers refer to the maximum number seen at once.
Woodpigeon – 1
Feral Pigeon – 2
Dunnock – 2
(Eurasian) Robin – 2
Blackbird – 1
Blue Tit – 3
Great Tit – 3
Coal Tit – 1
Long-tailed Tit – 2
Chaffinch – 2