Home Patch (18): RSPB 'Make Your Nature Count' Survey

I mentioned the RSPB 'Make Your Nature Count' survey some days ago. I took an hour out yesterday morning in order to do the survey in my garden. The weather was quite blustery. The sky was largely grey, but the sun peeped out from the shadows every so often.

Given how many birds I have seen since we moved here some eight weeks ago, the results are perhaps disappointing, but the entertainment provided by the resident Grey Squirrels more than made up for a (temporary) lack of birds. Typically, one of the regular Robins took up his usual position on a high perch minutes after my hour was up!

The results for my edge-of-town garden were (in alphabetical order) ...

• Blackbird - 2
• Dunnock - 1
• Swift - 6 (overhead. N.B. For this survey, these birds - and House Martins - can be counted when seen in flight since they rarely land in gardens)

We have a regular Chaffinch, who deigned to put in an appearance later on, along with the Woodpigeons. Four (?Wood)larks flew overhead, but, like the late Robin below, could not be counted. There was no sign of the Great tits, Blue tits or Greenfinches.

The two Squirrels got a mention, since this survey includes a section on mammals. They will feature in my next post.

An odd photo of the two Blackbirds (in a shady patch of the garden)

The Dunnock

A Swift flying high (picture taken on a previous occasion)

Show-stealer Robin ... who arrived too late to be included!

I hope you have more garden visitors during the course of your 60 minutes of the Survey!