The last weekend in January was the annual Big Garden Birdwatch, when hundreds of thousands of people from across the UK record the numbers of birds they see in one hour. This year I was down in Cornwall that weekend, staying with my parents, so there were four pairs of eyes to keep watch.
The list of what we saw is a little different from what I’d expect if we were at home (see my report on last year’s birdwatch). Here’s what we saw down in Cornwall:
- 4 Blackbirds (we usually get a couple)
- 2 Bluetits
- 4 Chaffinches (we rarely get chaffinches)
- 2 Dunnock
- 2 Great tits
- 3 House sparrows (we’d beat them on sparrows)
- 2 Magpies
- 3 Robins (we usually only get 1)
- 30 Starlings (We rarely see more than 10 at home)
- 1 Woodpigeon (we’d beath them on woodies as well – we usually get 2 or 3)
- 1 Wren
- 1 Greater spotted woodpecker (We’ve never seen a woodpecker in our garden)
- 25 Rooks (there’s a rookery in the trees by their house)
No collared doves though – we usually get 2 or 3.
Later this year they’ll release the full results, which will give a useful snapshot of how the nation’s birds are doing.
Wild South 
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