Big Garden Birdwatch - 2013

I took part in the Big Garden Bird watch this year again at the weekend and tried to get some photos of the birds that I was trying to count.  It's very difficult trying to count them in any case as they refuse to stay still, but trying to count and take photos at the same time is pretty much impossible!!  Here are a few of my efforts

Goldfinch

Rocky Robin

Sparrow - and I think the 'ghost' is a female chaffinch

Spot the sparrow!

Wood Pigeon

Starling feeding

Starling

Male and female chaffinches

A Flock of Goldfinches

I just couldn't believe my eyes tonight when I looked out of the livingroom window after having topped up the bird food.  There were no less than 14 goldfinches!!  This is the first year that we've seen these birds in the garden - it all started last year when I thought I saw a baby goldfinch a few times, but then early this year we began to see two, then three, then five and then eight, but today when I counted 14 it was just marvelous.  We are also now beginning to see siskins appearing alongside the greenfinches, chaffinches, blue tits, coal tits and great tits, plus of course the starlings, blackbirds and pigeons.  The garden is just alive with birds of all shapes and sizes, but they are eating me out of house and home!!  It's costing a fortune to keep them going in food!!

Here are some recent photos of my winged garden visitors

Acrobat

Cutie-pie

Who da ya think you're lookin' at??

Pole dancer!!

Springtime

Although it has been a bit colder of late, it's springtime for sure with the garden coming to life with colour and the birds coming in flocks to feed in the garden!!  I just thought I'd share some recent photos taken around the garden.  This first one was taken in the waterfall part of the rockery playing with the star filter

Yellow tulips

These next ones were all taken looking through the livingroom window at the tree with the bird feeders where lots of birds are now coming to eat

Goldfinch waiting his turn

Goldfinch doing an impression of a woodpecker!!

'Punk Rocker' chaffinch!!

More Bird Pictures

Just a wee note to post more bird pictures from a few days ago.  Now that spring is here, they are darting all over the place and costing me a fortune in supplying them with food!!

Male Chaffinch

Little Bluetit

Sparrows and Goldfinches, including a Goldfinch in flight

Goldfinch

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend it was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch which I took part in for the first time.  I thought it would be quite easy just sitting for an hour counting the birds that came to feed in the garden.  Not so!!  There were so many darting about that I couldn't be sure if I counted the same once twice, or possibly more!!  I also tried to take some photos, some of which were more successful than others - it's not easy taking photos through glass and trying to make sure that the birds don't get a fright and fly off!!  Here are one or two of the better photos that I managed to take.

Coal Tit

Robin

Chaffinch

Goldfinch