Calling all Birdwatchers......

[Moira]

The RSPB are looking for help with their BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH this coming weekend, 26-27 January. The full details, including the option to dowload & print a colour Counting Sheet, are here:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/

The beauty is that we can all do something to help without leaving the house. Have fun folks

[golach]

The RSPB are looking for help with their BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH this coming weekend, 26-27 January. The full details, including the option to dowload & print a colour Counting Sheet, are here:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/

The beauty is that we can all do something to help without leaving the house. Have fun folks

Got mine sent already from the RSPB, Moira, but thanks for the heads up

[Liz]

Thanks for the reminder Moira.
I will try tomorrow as the weather was so horrible today that didn't get the usual variety of birds coming to feed.
Mind you think there were about 70 Starlings!

[Kenn]

Mine's printed off too and the weather looks good, happy twitching folk.

[Moira]

Thanks for your replies here folks. I was beginning to wonder if I had offended the "real & true" birdwatchers with my "heads-up" post.

I've always appreciated the fact that I can watch the birds and other wildlife here in Caithness at close quarters - perhaps too much so.

Liz - the weather was pretty grotty today. I, too, am hoping for a different day tomorrow, weatherwise. If our resident buzzard decides to dissect a crow or two at the bottom of the garden, that would be a bonus

[karia]

We've been doing this for a good few years now and it is most enjoyable!

[Liz]

Excuse my ignorance but I find it difficult to identify between tree sparrows and house sparrows? Is it more likely to be house sparrows?
Also, I know we don't count birds flying overhead but what about those sitting on electricity wires around the garden?
Thanks!

[Pterodroma]

Moira - You are a "true and real" birdwatcher! The important thing is to enjoy and appreciate the birds for what they are, everything else follows from that. The great thing about birdwatching is that it allows anyone to get involved to whatever extent they wish. The beginner or the person who just likes to enjoy the birds that come to their garden are no less "true and real" birdwatchers than the person with great expertise who spends most of their time studying birds.

I think that you will find that all the experienced birdwatchers in Caithness are open and willing to share their knowledge with the less experienced and to admit also that they have much to learn.

Unfortunately, further south there is a small elitist element who tend to look down on those who do not reach their own self defined standards. They are best ignored.

Liz - If you are writing from Caithness then you are much more likely to be seeing House Sparrows rather than Tree Sparrows. Tree Sparrows have become very rare in the County. There are only one or two small pockets where they may breed, but otherwise they are rare passage migrants.

They are not too difficult to tell apart given a reasonable view. In Tree the sexes are alike, unlike the House Sparrow. Tree is a much more daper bird, with a clear white collar that goes right round the head and seperates the cap from the back. Also, the Tree has a completely red-brown cap lacking the grey crown of House. It also has white cheeks with a prominent dark mark on the side. In a flock of sparrows a Tree tends to stand out.

If your are seeing Tree Sparrows in Caithness regularly then I would be keen to know the location, as the species has undergone a dramatic decline nationally over the last few decades, and any potential breeding population is important. Tree Sparrow will use nest boxes quite readily, so if you have a population it might be worth considering using them.

[Liz]

Many thanks for the advice.

I put up a Sparrow Terrace a couple of years ago but no one has taken up residence. Is this because it is House Sparrows who are visiting my garden?

I have it high up at the side of the house facing South but it is sheltered from winds and away from predators.

[Pterodroma]

Liz

I am not a great expert on the positioning and use of nest boxes but there could be a number of reasons why your boxes are not being used.

The obvious one is that there are plenty of natural sites about so the birds do not have to resort to artificial ones.

Also the position, facing south, could be wrong. In general it is best to protect boxes from direct strong sunlight to avoid over heating. It is probably better to site the box somewhere in the arc from north to south-east.

Why do you not speak to someone with knowledge of siting boxes? I am sure that Mary Legge, the Ranger, at Dunnet would be willing to give advice if you phoned her.

[Liz]

Thanks again!

The box is situated away from strong sunlight but I think you may be in right in that the sparrows may have enough natural sites in my area.