HEADS UP! IT'S NATIONAL NESTBOX WEEK

Great tit nestling

Starting on St Valentine's Day,it's the time we remind ourselves to provide homes for dozens of species, from Blue Tits to Barn Owls.

NNBW takes place each year from 14-21 February, and after more than 15 years it is now an established part of the ornithological calendar

Which birds use nest boxes? : http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw/nesting-birds

If you've never built a nest box before, why not give it a go this year? Or if you haven't got the time, it's easy to buy a good one. Go on, take part for Britain's birds!

Blue tit family

The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) is asking you to put up a nest box in your local area to help increase the number of suitable nesting spaces for birds. Natural nest sites for birds such as holes in trees or old buildings are disappearing fast as gardens are 'tidied' and old houses are repaired.

Anyone can take part whether you're a family with space for a box in your garden, a teacher, a member of a local wildlife group, or you belong to a bird club. You can put up a nest box at any time of the year, though early spring is the best time. It is also a good time to clean out the nest boxes you already have, ready for their next incumbents.


Further information on making, buying and putting up a nest box is available at the BTO site:

NNBW aims to:

Encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife.

The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997, thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss. It is estimated that there are now 5-6 million boxes in gardens across the UK.

Further information on making, buying and putting up a nest box is available at the BTO :  http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw

RSPB links: Create a high home for swifts: http://bit.ly/20PNWTU

        Create a sparrow street: http://bit.ly/1NtvrvS

                Create a cosy starling home: http://bit.ly/1T3ONZA

RSPB Liverpool's own Big Garden Bird Watch 2016

Sparrowhawk SPECIES NO’ OF GARDENS/PARKS SEEN IN TOTAL NO’S OF BIRDS OF SPECIES SEEN RANK BY NO’S SEEN RANK By GARDEN PARKS FOUND In Blk-hd Gull 3 507* 1st 14j Blackbird 28 85 5 1j Blackcap 6 8 22 joint 12 Blue Tit 28 58 9 1j  Crow 7 121* 4 11 Chaffinch 16 38 12 5 Coal Tit 8 10 21 10 Coll Dove 10 18 18 9 Dunnock 18 27 16 4j Feral Pigeon 12 60 8 7j Goldcrest 3 3 24j 14j Goldfinch 15 169 2 6 Gt Spt Wdpk 1 1 26j 16j Great Tit 24 41 11 3j Greenfinch 11 21 17 8j HSparrow 12 64 7 7j Jackdaw 3 8* 22j 14j Jay 3 3 24j 14j L-tailed Tit 11 55 10 8j Magpie 18 37 13 4j Mist Thrush 2 1 26j 15j Nuthatch 3 6 23 14j Pied Wagtail 1 1 26j 16j Reed Bunt 1 2* 26j 16j Robin 24 30 15 3j Siskin 2 17 19 15j Sng Thrush 4 8 22j 13 Sparrowhawk 2 2 25j 15j Starling 15 139 3 6j Woodpigeon 25 73 6 2 Wren 11 12 20 8j Moorhen 2 3* 24j 15j Rg nk parakeet 1 3* 24j 16j Coot 1 2* 25j 16j Bullfinch 1 3* 24j 16j Kingfisher 1 1* 26j 16j Mallard 1 32* 14 16j Little grebe 1 2* 25j 16j Heron 3 3* 24j 14j Herring gull 2 2* 25j 15j Pheasant 1 1 26j 16j Grey wagtail 3 3 24j 14j Grey squirrel 9 12 - - SPECIES NO’ OF GARDENS/PARKS SEEN IN TOTAL NO’S OF BIRDS OF SPECIES SEEN RANK BY NO’S SEEN RANK By GARDEN PARKS FOUND In Blk-hd Gull 3 507* 1st 14j Blackbird 28 85 5 1j Blackcap 6 8 22 joint 12 Blue Tit 28 58 9 1j  Crow 7 121* 4 11 Chaffinch 16 38 12 5 Coal Tit 8 10 21 10 Coll Dove 10 18 18 9 Dunnock 18 27 16 4j Feral Pigeon 12 60 8 7j Goldcrest 3 3 24j 14j Goldfinch 15 169 2 6 Gt Spt Wdpk 1 1 26j 16j Great Tit 24 41 11 3j Greenfinch 11 21 17 8j HSparrow 12 64 7 7j Jackdaw 3 8* 22j 14j Jay 3 3 24j 14j L-tailed Tit 11 55 10 8j Magpie 18 37 13 4j Mist Thrush 2 1 26j 15j Nuthatch 3 6 23 14j Pied Wagtail 1 1 26j 16j Reed Bunt 1 2* 26j 16j Robin 24 30 15 3j Siskin 2 17 19 15j Sng Thrush 4 8 22j 13 Sparrowhawk 2 2 25j 15j Starling 15 139 3 6j Woodpigeon 25 73 6 2 Wren 11 12 20 8j Moorhen 2 3* 24j 15j Rg nk parakeet 1 3* 24j 16j Coot 1 2* 25j 16j Bullfinch 1 3* 24j 16j Kingfisher 1 1* 26j 16j Mallard 1 32* 14 16j Little grebe 1 2* 25j 16j Heron 3 3* 24j 14j Herring gull 2 2* 25j 15j Pheasant 1 1 26j 16j Grey wagtail 3 3 24j 14j Grey squirrel 9 12 - -

*Figures – due to park counts included

Coal tit

Thanks to all who sent in their recordings. 

A total of 29 gardens and 5 park areas were scrutinised.

Included in our local count were contributions from 4 buddies out in  Rainford x2, Whiston and Newton Le Willows

Not included in our local count were  2 Scottish garden guest contributions from : 

Shetland with 105 mph winds: 67 starlings, 4 house sparrows. 

And a Snowy St Fillans, Perthshire : Great tit 4, Blue tit 3, Coal tit 3, Dunnock 2, Robin 3, Bullfinch 2, Wood pigeon 2, Jackdaw 7, Blackbird 4, Chaffinch 5, House sparrow 12, Pheasant 1

Once again the weather upset the apple cart for many, saturday being very windy and sunday wet.

Recorders were up on last year, and despite their varying locations, the same bird species were recorded. Rarities tending to be in the parks.  

Selection of comments from our watchers.

‘Sadly it was one of the quietest days in the garden for a while’,

 ‘ The birds were mostly staying away from my garden too’ ,

 ‘ They all decided to stay away despite all the lovely food’ , 

 ‘Mine was pretty pathetic,’  ‘Where did all our birds go?’ ‘ Did they know about the Big Garden Bird watch and went on a go-slow?’

‘No sign of the coal tit who is usually a frequent visitor, or the two nuthatches ditto’

‘ A wet and windy Sunday meant I only saw a solitary blackbird in my back yard.

 ‘Such a mild year, I have had less rarities’

‘ I was thrilled that the Goldcrest and the Great spotted woodpecker popped along while I was counting!’

‘ After an hour with only 3 birds yesterday I had another go today with much more success’

‘Got a glimpse of a goldcrest  but it was too short for me to be confident of the ID.’

‘Last week I saw a nuthatch the first new bird to the garden list since 2001 total now stands at 35’

‘It was a quiet hour for us – due to the weather and time of day (rather later than we would have wished but the only time we had available)

‘I think all the other birds were sheltering from the relentless rain.’

‘Disaster. Saturday the birds left town.  Even the black birds didn't appear for their cheese. Sunday slightly better.’

‘The usual gold finches didn't come, probably too much food around in other gardens, neither did the long tails or the woodpecker, but we were thrilled to see a black cap’ 

‘The best show was on Sunday’. 

Remember in a world bereft of birds even a magpie would be welcome!

For those of you who have enjoyed taking part in the big garden birdwatch and would like to record more, please consider joining the BTO garden birdwatch , this will involve you recording your birds every week and uploading them to the BTO. The count includes other nature sightings such as insects & mammals and also records the type of food you put out, more recently they have included your sightings of diseased & dead specimens.

 http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw

Laura