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!