dancing cloud Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Yes, next weekend is that time of year again - when I sit in a freezing cold kitchen watching a completely empty garden for an hour, which was teeming with birds and squirrels and occasional foxes right up to that hour and will be again as soon as that hour is over Anyone else joining in the fun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 And every year when we have done the same the birds have also fled the garden for some unknown reason - hubby thinks that people put out food for them on that weekend only. We feed all year round and it is soul destroying the small numbers of birds that turn up on counting day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Will be doing it on Saturday. I've actually had quite a few birds lately but no doubt they won't show up when I go to count them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 That will be me too! We have boards of sparrows both house and hedge, blue tits, black birds, and I have had red wings and long tail tits this winter along with the odd chaffinch and pigeons. Early morning and just before dusk there tend to be more around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Yep I’m in. Just had to change the feeders back to cheap home bargain gone because I bought a smart big round one from Pets at Home and the birds all hated it so much they stopped coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Yes, next weekend is that time of year again - when I sit in a freezing cold kitchen watching a completely empty garden for an hour, which was teeming with birds and squirrels and occasional foxes right up to that hour and will be again as soon as that hour is over Anyone else joining in the fun? If nothing else its a good 'excuse' to sit down with a flask of tea for an hour!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrannyTrish Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Thank goodness it's not only us that has a case of the disappearing birds! We normally get goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, blue tits, coal tits, I could go on and on. But on that one hour, we're lucky if we hear a cheap! We'll have to think of a way to out-smart these bird brains. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Typical Whilst on the phone to my sister earlier, loads of birds came to the garden. I had great tits, blue tit, coal tit, nuthatch, 3 goldfinches, some blackbirds and a wood pigeon I bet none of them come in my hour tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Just submitted our results and 2 minutes afterwards 2 parakeets arrived - we usually have at least 3 lurking in the garden, but typically not today during the count! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I started on Sat but 20mins in the sparrow hawk put in an appearance and that was that. So I cheated and started again this morning. The sparrow hawk did turn up again but not until 40 mins in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 My usual suspects did their famous disappearing act too One big flock of sparrows, two wood pigeons, 1 robin, 1 blue tit, one great tit in the whole hour. No sign of the collared doves, magpies, rooks, crows, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes, coal tits, long-tailed tits, wrens, chaffinches, greenfinches ... Three squirrels enjoyed the peanuts all to themselves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 I had quite a few birds in the end - not as many as when I was on the phone - but enough to count Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 We used to but they all disappeared when it was time to record - can't remember if you set your own time or whether it was a given time, but funny how they all reappeared when recording session was finished. My husband got so cheesed off as he got his tea and his paper and pens and nothing happened! Had a sparrowhawk today - but it left empty taloned when it saw me and made off in the opposite direction - probably the same one that almost flew into me while I was feeding the blackbirds the other week and if I hadn't been equally startled I could have reached out and touched it - it was that close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
