Big Garden Bird Watch 2010 Results

It's Official small birds struggled to beat the snowy winter

Nearly 530,000 people took part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2010 and counted over 8 and a half million birds. The RSPB celebrated last year with the arrival of long-tailed tits in the top 10 for the first time, suggesting they were getting used to feeding on seeds and peanuts in hanging feeders and on bird tables. However, smaller bodied birds are particularly susceptible to the cold, having to eat almost continuously to stay alive, so they were very keen to get your counts and see just how the bad weather at the start of the year affected bird populations. As predicted, birds like the long-tailed tit, coal tit and goldcrest were the worst affected, with average numbers of all three species dropping significantly since the 2009 survey.
Country birds get in on the count
The weather was also responsible for many more sightings of countryside birds like fieldfares, redwings, bullfinches and yellowhammers in gardens. More usually found in fields and farmland trees and hedgerows, these birds visit our gardens for food when they can't find enough in their usual haunts. Other members of the thrush family, including song thrushes, mistle thrushes and blackbirds, were seen in much higher numbers this year, also looking for food. An unusually high number of blackcaps were also seen. In this harsher winter we might have expected their numbers to decline, but more blackcaps than usual were discovered on bird tables. Just like the long-tailed tit, this suggests that blackcaps are adapting their feeding behaviour to take advantage of bird tables and feeders, and therefore becoming more visible in gardens.

Still in decline
Although the RSPB were particularly concerned for small birds this cold and snowy winter, some of our most familiar garden birds have also continued to suffer huge declines. House sparrows might have retained top spot for the seventh year running, but in the last five years alone these chirpy birds have declined by 17%. Blackbirds rose from third to second place, while starlings dropped to third - the first time they have been out of the top two in more than 10 years.

The 2010 Big Garden Birdwatch top 10; Position Species Average per garden
1 house sparrow 3.77

2 blackbird 3.28
3 starling 3.13
4 blue tit 2.58
5 chaffinch 2.19
6 woodpigeon 1.91
7 robin 1.49
8 great tit 1.39
9 collared dove 1.33
10 goldfinch 1.29

Related Article North Devon Snow Party is Over & Big Garden Bird Watch results 2009

Ilfracombe, in the sunshine & out of season

Ilfracombe and Around 7th March
The sun has come out at last so an early start meant that time and tide were on our side as there was still plenty of water in Ilfracombe Harbour. The sunny photos here belie the fact that overnight temperatures dropped to minus 9. This beautiful Victorian resort with its grand villas and terraces was indeed bathed in sunshine so it is hard to believe that we are still in the grip of one of the longest cold spells. In the sunshine and out of season, Ilfracombe Harbour still poses a picturesque vista despite a couple of the buildings undergoing a pre-season paint job. In a month's time the boats, now in dry dock on the quayside, will be bobbing side by side in the harbour and the Ilfracombe Princess will resume its popular wildlife coastal tours. The “working” side of the harbour is strewn with fishing nets and lobster pots,
boatmen are busy giving their crafts the once-over and there is a pervading smell of fish and ships varnish. High

above the pier sitting atop Lantern Hill is St, Nicholas’ Chapel, said to be the oldest building in Ilfracombe. This natural harbour sits amongst spectacular cliffs and coves nestling between the Exmoor National Park to the East and North Devon’s Gold Coast to the West. In June the town celebrates its Victorian heritage with “Victorian Week” an eight day extravaganza of shows, parades, stalls and dressing up culminating in the town criers competition and the “Last Night of The Proms” with

fireworks to music over Capstone Hill. Ilfracombe is also renowned for its award winning floral displays which adorn the streets and promenade, by the summer the newly planted flowers beside the Bandstand will be in full bloom. The conicle shape in the background is the Landmark Theatre and Cafe, the Ilfracombe Tourist Information Centre is located here on the seafront,
Places to Visit: Ilfracombe Aquarium, Ilfracombe Museum, Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station, Chocolate Emporium, The Tunnels, The Landmark Theatre & Cafe, Chambercombe Manor, Torrs Walk, boat trips to Lundy Island, Ilfracombe Wildlife Cruises. Photos copyright Pat Adams all rights reserved

Peppercombe - Hanging around waiting for Spring

Peppercombe 10th February. Fair-weather, at last, so a chance to catch up on life in the Peppercombe Valley. Birds chirping and twittering, spot a tiny coal tit in the trees. As I reach the bridge a pheasant crosses the trail then takes off squawking and flapping noisily taking cover in the trees. Cut off from his mate now, who is on the other side of the track, they continue to call back and forth to each other. I also spotted cute little wren, two robins and two great tits. It would be so nice to recognise the birds from the sound of their tweets. Spring seems to be coming much later than 2009 and the catkins are sparse mainly because the trees/hedges have been cut back. Early risers include snowdrops, the flowers not fully open, in their usual spot, one lesser celandine flowering in a sheltered sunny hideout by the fork. There are, however, plenty of interesting lichens/moss and fungi including the colourful red Pixie cup. In 2009 there were several of them peeking out of the undergrowth on the high banks. I spot the first flowering primroses on the high bank by the Bungalow, just three clumps so far. It's a good clear day, at last, sunny with blue skies. From the top of the coastpath steps Clovelly is lit up and Lundy so clear I could see the fields on the top of the island. There was a yacht in the Bay, a tiny speck offshore. The ancient trees seem to be depleted year by year after winter storms but the broken branches lie where they fall and become home to the many woodland plants, mosses/liverworts and rusty lichens.