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This weekend was Birdwatch (for those not in the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a day where you select an hour and count up the maximum number of Birds of each species which appear in your garden and log them up ona website for them to carry out a census).
Every day I get up early and put out seed, peanuts, oats and fat for the birds and we are rewarded with a wide range of attractive visitors to our garden, - ideal for providing the census statistics. But every year, on Birdwatch weekend, hardly a bird to be seen. Why? We suspect that the RSPB publicity has attracted thousands who never feed the birds to put out bait in their gardens, with the result that our feathered friends are sitting in bushes and on branches around the UK, chirruping to each other, "I couldn't eat another thing!" Fat little robins can barely fly, blue tits unable to face another fat ball, Crows who can barely get off the ground with crops stuffed full of all that food. Even our woodpecker turned up on the fat cage, took one desultory peck and flew off when he usually stays for ten minutes or more. So much for us being able to add valuable data to the stats! You would think they would have the common decency to turn up for those who feed them day in and day out. Ungrateful little Bs!  A. |
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We had birdwatch day 4 weeks ago (NABU = nature protection society) when it was not yet cold and - according to the instructions of NABU we did not yet feed. It has been a day with unpleasant weather and apart from some blackbirds, a few tits and of course a lot of shrieking gulls nothing to watch and count.
I wonder if also "our" birds found well laid tables at other birdwatchers  .
Heidi |
