It's noticeable that I haven't posted much recently, for the very good reason that not much has been happening. Continuing wet weather spells have made going out looking for birds on spec unattractive. Usually there are one or two winter rarities turning up in the North East and staying around, but this year not very much at all is getting reported - a couple of fleeting appearances of little auk flocks at least capturing my interest briefly.
I had hoped to see a few waxwings sometime but it's clear there hasn't been a major irruption this year and for the most only single birds have been reported. Apparently there haven't been any hawfinches either, except a good deal further South.
Anyway I participated in the Big Garden Birdwatch again this year. The scores were: Blue tit 5, long-tailed tit 5, 3 each for jackdaw, wood pigeon and collar dove, 2 for coal tit, great tit, nuthatch and bullfinch and just 1 for robin, blackbird and dunnock. There were no sparrows or starlings, which is mostly the case.
I was pleased with the five long-tailed tits, as they've only appeared sporadically this year and a bit surprised that coal tit didn't outnumber great tit, which it might have done on any other day. An odd number of collar doves was interesting, since I invariably see them in pairs.
This was probably the most successful Big Garden Birdwatch I've had here, as in the past they've produced few simultaneous sightings.
Today I got out for only the second lengthy bike ride this year, as the rainy day forecast did not materialise. As a first sign of better times, I saw my first few clumps of snowdrops this year and later a whole bank of them - as well catching a rare hour of sunshine.
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| Snowdrops |
