RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

 

This was my 9th year of taking part in RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch! 
Back at the beginning of this blog, I'd share my photos from this day every year, however, it seems I haven't the last year or two... I know it's already bird central with my monthly 'The Birds of 2021' posts but I love birds and wanted to share all the friends that visited our garden on January 30th 2022.

Oh, a quick explanation for those who might not know what the Big Garden Birdwatch is. Simply, it is an annual giant public survey/census to keep track of the UK’s bird populations, monitor trends and help understand how different species of birds are doing. It shows which species may sadly be in decline or those who are doing well, all across the UK. On a certain weekend in January, the RSPB ask us to spend just an hour watching the wonderful feathered friends stopping by our gardens or public spaces and entering our finds on their website.

This is something I look forward to every year and as I regularly spend many hours a week at my window admiring the birds who come to feed it is an hour that flies by!
 Here are some photos from my Big Garden Birdwatch followed by my 2022 totals....

Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 Final Results:

Blackbird          2

Blue Tit             3

Collared Dove   2

Carrion Crow    2

Dunnock           1

Great Tit            1

Herring Gull      7

Robin                 1

Rock Dove         11

Sparrow             4

Starling              5

Wood Pigeon     2

Did you take part this year? Have you in the past? I can't believe next year will be my 10th year taking part! That's exciting. 

Marsden Bay as the Tide Turns

It's been a while since we've been to a beach, especially Marsden Bay, and if you've been here before you'll have heard my shpiel about growing up by the sea and how the coast does well for my physical and mental well-being. On January 9th we took the opportunity to pop down to the sea in the morning, as the tide was on the way out, for a little walk.

There were fewer birds around than usual and that I'd hoped, and more dog walkers, but we were able to walk to the opposite end of the beach than where everyone else was heading and we explored the freshly appeared rockpools before it got too busy.

Here are the photos from that walk.

Until next time...

The Birds of 2021 // February

 

As of this year, 2022, I am now into my 10th year of taking part in Project 365 which is taking a photo every day of the year. 10 years!! Over those years nature, wildlife and in particular, birds have featured heavily throughout my project and so last year I shared quarterly blog posts showing the birds I had captured the previous year (check them out below). 
I really enjoyed looking back at those photos and totting up my total of birds photographed therefore I am doing the same again, except this time I am posting them monthly. Here we have all the birds I photographed for my daily photos in February 2021.

The Birds of 2020:
January - March
April - June
July - September
October - December

Species Photographed This Month:

Redshank

Carrion Crow

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Blackbird (male)

Mallard

Bullfinch (female)

Blackbird (female)

Magpie

Jackdaw

Black-Backed Gull

Fulmar

Oyster Catcher

Black-Headed Gull

Total:14

Yearly total: 16

Taking into account the 6 species photographed in January and the 14 in February, I'm now at a total of 16 different species overall. That's only 2 shy of half my 2020 total. I wonder if I managed to photograph another 18 species or more in 2021...

Until next time!