Mini Merseyside Big Garden Birdwatch count 2019

Once again we have undertaken a mini Merseyside birdwatch count:- 30 Observers from Merseyside to Rainford  sent in their counts, which you can see in the table below. 
Once again robin, blackbird and bluetit were the species seen in most gardens. 

I was pleased two of our Red listed garden birds came out on top,  despite starlings and sparrows  being missing from many of our gardens - it may be interesting to see if there are any common denominators  that indicate why these 2 species favour certain gardens, something that is highlighted in the sparrow survey 

1 new species arrived in our garden count - Brambling, a lovely  bird for your garden list, Damian has both male and female birds in his Rainford garden 
https://twitter.com/DamianYoung75/status/1094659806567321600

Little egret was in the field, close to the back of Carol's Hale garden and Moorhen is a regular visitor to her garden pond. Parakeets still being seen, and in different gardens each year.

SPECIES		No’s of gardens seen in	TOTAL No’s of birds seen	RANK By no’s seen	RANK  By gardens found in	Red Amber Green
1	BLACKBIRD	25	64	5	3rd
2	WREN	8	18	8	10
3	BLUE TIT	28	47	7	2nd
4	GREAT TIT	24	37	10	4J
5	COAL TIT	10	12	16	8J
6	LONG TAILED TIT	8	21	13	10J
7	ROBIN	29	38	9	1st
8	BLACKCAP	4	4	19	13
9	STARLING	10	105	1st	8J	Red
10	DUNNOCK	22	27	12	5J	Amb
11	HOUSE SPARROW	14	103	3rd	7	Red
12	FERAL PIGEON	9	50	6	9
13	WOOD PIGEON	24	77	4	4J
14	COLLARED DOVE	8	18	14J	10J
15	GOLDFINCH	17	104	2nd	6J
16	CHAFFINCH	17	46	8	6J
17	GREENFINCH	6	18	14J	12J
18	JAY	3	3	20J	14J
19	JACKDAW	6	16	15	12J
20	MAGPIE	22	35	11	5J
21	CROW	7	11	17	11
22	GOLDCREST	2	3	20J	15J
23	NUTHATCH	2	3	20J	15J
24	SONG THRUSH	2	2	21J	15J	Red
25	GREY WAGTAIL	1	1	22J	16J	Red
26	SPARROWHAWK	3	3	20J	14J
27	GT SPOT WOODPECKER	3	3	20J	14J
28	LESSER REDPOLL	1	1	22J	16J	Red
29	PIED WAGTAIL	1	1	22J	16J
30	R NECKED PARAKEET	1	2	21J	16J
31	BRAMBLING	1	2	21J	16J

32	REED BUNTING	1	1	22J	16J	Amb
33	LITTLE EGRET	1	1	22J	16J
34	BLCK HD GULL	1	2	21J	16J	Amb
35	MOORHEN	1	1	22J	16J

36

HERRING GULL

23

3

20J

15J

Red

RED, AMBER GREEN https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-guide/redliststory.aspx

Last year’s results:

https://liverpoolrspb.blogspot.com/2018/03/our-mini-rspb-big-garden-birdwatch.html

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 website. 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

Many thanks to all those who took part in our little survey, I hope you find it of interest. Please free to add your comments and observations, on our blog.

Sparrow Census 2019

NESTING - COLLECTING FEATHERS FROM OLD PILLOW

House Sparrows are in decline across the United Kingdom with numbers falling by 71% between 1977 and 2008 . Take part in the Sparrow Census 2019 by GJ Gamble and help gather valuable data to build a bigger , better , clearer picture of what is happening

https://wigstonsparrowproject.wordpress.com/sparrow-census

HOUSE SPARROW BATHTIME IN GARDEN POND

SPARROWS FEEL SAFE IN THORNY  PYRACANTHA

         

Wirral nature reserve receives VisitEngland Welcome accolade

Burton Mere Visitor Centre - Ron Thomas

Staff, volunteers and visitors are celebrating at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands, the popular nature reserve near Neston, following news that the site has been awarded the prestigious Welcome accolade from VisitEngland – one of just six attractions in the North West to receive an award this year.

Attractions across England are awarded VisitEngland accolades in appreciation of the outstanding experiences they provide, with other categories including story-telling, food and drink, hidden gem status and an overall Gold award. The attractions have achieved these awards based on the score they obtained following their annual assessment by VisitEngland, with Burton Mere Wetlands’ Welcome accolade a result of its 100% score on the staff component of the assessment.

Burton Mere Wetlands, the heart of the RSPB Dee Estuary reserve, is increasingly popular with nature enthusiasts of all ages, with thousands of visitors flocking to the site each year to explore its unique visitor centre, extensive trails, breath-taking wildlife spectacles, wild play area and impressive views.

Graham Jones, Site Manager at RSPB Dee Estuary reserve, said: “This is fantastic news for the reserve and we’re sure that our visitors will be as thrilled as we are.

“To achieve a Welcome accolade is such an honour. This award reflects the ongoing hard work by everyone here at the Dee Estuary to deliver an outstanding visitor experience for the many families and individuals who enjoy our wonderful reserve each year.

“A huge thank you goes to our staff and volunteers for working so hard to deliver the highest level of visitor experience at Burton Mere Wetlands. To receive this award in the reserve’s 40^th anniversary year is a fitting recognition of the sensitive development the RSPB has delivered on the Dee Estuary, since our beginnings at Parkgate in 1979.”

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “England is home to world-class attractions right across the country, welcoming visitors throughout the year and offering experiences of the highest quality including excellent food and drink and outstanding customer service.   It is also really fantastic to see these accolades recognising the work of those employees, managers and owners who make sure that all who pass through their doors have a truly memorable experience.”

VisitEngland’s Attractions Accolades, now in their fifth year, can be attained by members of the VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme in categories including the Welcome Accolade, Hidden Gem, Best Told Story, Quality Food and Drink and the Gold Accolade for all-round top-scoring attractions.

For further information on the special events and wildlife at RSPB Dee Estuary, visit

https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/dee-estuary-burton-mere-wetlands/