Counting Crows

The cold weather has been dragging the birds back into the garden again.

I saw more this morning since the summer hey days ...

I had Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Wren, Pied Wagtail, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Jackdaws all on the feeders.

More excitingly the Blue Tits were checking out the nest box. I have put it up in a proper place, which I hope they will re-find. It was just on top of the shed before, and if I had left it there and they used it, the nest would be have had by the local cat or the Jackdaws, not to mention the passing Sparrowhawk. So it's up on the wall now. It's a few weeks early, as national nest box day is always Valentines Day.

More immediate and just as important it is Big Garden Birdwatch weekend next weekend.

Around half a million people across the UK took part in 2014 – with over 22,500 taking part from Wales. RSPB Cymru is urging more people of Wales to take part this year, making it bigger and better!
 
The wildlife survey, now in its 36th year, provides the RSPB with an important snapshot of garden bird populations in winter and has helped to highlight some dramatic declines in UK garden birds over the last three decades.  For the second year running, the RSPB is also asking participants to log the other wildlife they see in their outside spaces, to help the charity build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for giving nature a home.
 
To take part, people are asked to spend just one hour at any time over the birdwatch weekend noting the highest number of each bird seen in their gardens or local outside space. They then have to submit their results to the RSPB before 13th February, either online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or in the post.



I will be spending an hour a week today doing my count. If you have never taken part in it, why not give it a go. I will largely be counting Jackdaws but that is just as important as a garden that is a wildlife haven (like my old garden in Llantwit Fardre). It is a vital cog in the conservation wheel, and your data is used by a large number of conservation and scientific groups.


It is one of the bird watching highlights of the year for me. I can't wait!