Green birding in its purest form...

Since Boxing Day, my 'patch' has shrunk from around 2 miles to about 20 metres...and not through choice!

I've been floored, like many of the population, with a nasty bacterial infection and virus that has kept me housebound for the last two weeks.  The Warwick 100 team have totally stepped up, bagging over half of our annual target in the first week of 2023 - with greylag goose being our 50th bird.  A brilliant team effort, it's been great to watch our WhatsApp feed buzzing with everyone's sightings while they are out and about.

I, on the other hand, have been staring absently through my lounge window from under a blanket (think old lady in nursing home).  

I am lucky to have a good garden.  built on three levels on a steep bank, our top level is given over to a little wild woodland area with ferns, trees, shrubs, a tiny wildlife pond and a huge old sycamore right at the back (it sounds way posher than it is).  This brings in a fair bit of wildlife considering we live in the middle of a housing estate in Warwick.  Hanging seed dispensers, ivy left to roam and and ignored apples entice the winter birds to feed.  My absent staring for the last couple of weeks has produced a list of 20 species so far, without stepping foot outside!  None of these species are rare, or even of note really, compared to some of the garden lists I see on social media.  One of my Twitter friends has recently moved to a new house, with views of a mill pond and the potential for some amazing sightings.  Another, relocated to a remote island in Scotland, will have garden list entries I can only dream of!  But, I'm happy with my little urban collection of wildlife to keep me company while I rest up.

So, what about the rules of garden listing?  I keep mine like Patchwork Challenge.  Any sighting of a wild bird counts - whether it lands in my garden, on my neighbours' land, in the sycamore or simply flying over.

The RSPB's infamous Big Garden Birdwatch has more stringent rules, only wanting birds that land to be counted, I guess so the word 'garden' birdwatch is kept true, along with creating an easy process for families and occasional birdwatchers to follow.   The BTO has also been running garden birdwatches since 1995 and have a similar rule.  They state they are 'interested in birds that are using the resources that your garden provides', which seems fair enough, so high flyovers are not of interest.   They do give an example of a low-flying swift or swallow taking advantage of insects within gardens, however, so these should be counted, providing valuable information for research.  

However we decide to run our own lists, it is amazing what taking the time to watch one tiny area can produce (even if it isn't through choice).  I've learned that maybe, when I do finally end up in that nursing home, I can still keep a little birdwatching list!

Jenny wren

GSW in the sycamore

  

grumpy greenfinch

A wreath I made being put to good use!

End of Year Roundup for 2022

Well, just like that, there goes another year and everything is reset once more.  But, just before we get under way with our 2023 listing, the Warwick 100 would like to reflect on the past year.

An interesting 12 months, with several challenges thrown at us... our most prolific birder still unable to give as much time to the team,  Lizzy out for 6 weeks with an injured knee, Steve out for a few weeks with a new knee and a drought that evaporated every tiny bit of water that Warwick scrapes together.

But, in spite of all this, it has been another awesome year for the Warwick 100 team, showing that patch birding in an unlikely urban spot is fun and fulfilling in equal measure.

So, on to the stats for 2022... 

Our final tally was 113 species, down three on 2021 with a glaring omission in golden plover.  Pintail, jack snipe, white fronted goose and brambling have all been seen before but were not to be this year.  Still a pretty impressive haul, though, we are all pretty proud of ourselves!

Birds of note this year were tufted duck, whimbrel, whinchat, juvenile cuckoo and of course our ring ouzel.  The almost ticked white stork and Saker falcon would have been amazing, but our consciences wouldn't allow it!  Our hundredth bird was a garden warbler, seen on the 7th May.  We hit the 100 in April in the previous two years, but this was still a good result.

                                        

 

Other highlights include Rick's huge flock of sand martins at Kingfisher Pool in mid April.  He remembers dozens of them hawking close by, almost touching his head as they zoomed around.  Cheering, sprightly and beautiful little birds.  David loved seeing a water rail in St Nick's Park, while the teenagers from the local school chattered by in their convoy, totally unaware.  Steve V. always gets a thrill from seeing the first swift of the year over the town, happily reporting that there were a few more about this year, too.  We really enjoyed our social, getting to know each other a little better outside of the WhatsApp group.  More recently, it's great to see the Warwick starling murmuration starting to build.  While they roost on private land, a group of around 2000 can often be seen dancing over the trees near Warwick School - a joy to watch.

So the new year takes us back to zero and an exciting first few days, when seeing a nuthatch is a boooom moment.  Let's see what 2023 brings - hopefully more socials, less knee problems and lots and lots of birds!

If anyone would like to join the Warwick 100 team, do get in touch with Lizzy who can add you to the WhatsApp.