RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch 2015

This weekend it was the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch 2015. The RSPB run this activity every year to help them record and monitor trends to understand how different birds and wildlife are faring. It can assist in identifying and helping species that are in danger and the best ways to give nature a home. 

It is a simple activity to take part in and all you need to do is find one hour to just sit and watch the birds and record which species come into your garden. The results can then be submitted via most electronic devices or by form to the RSPB. (See their website below) There is still plenty of time to send in results - they can be submitted up to 16th February. 

It was a lovely morning on Saturday- perfect for watching birds come and go. We watched and counted:

2 bluetits

2 blackbirds

2 magpies

2 wood pigeons

2 robins

4 sparrows

1 great tit.

It was fairly quiet morning and we do often get many other species of birds visiting such as long tail tits, goldfinches, greenfinches, wrens, fieldfares, redwings, woodpeckers, chaffinches and even moorhens and pheasants to name a few, but you can only record what you see in the hour that you watch. 

We have worked hard to try and attract wildlife in our garden and have an assortment of feeders and bird boxes to attract a variety of birds. It is always a pleasure to sit quietly and watch the different birds busily coming and going. I love it in spring when the waterfall on the pond is flowing properly

 -not iced up like it is now - and the birds come for a bath in it's pools all day long. We have a couple of bird baths too and try and ensure there is water out for them to drink, especially in this freezing weather. 

Did you take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, if so what did you spot and what birds come in your garden?

The apple tree plentiful with bird feeders

Sunflower seeds

mixed seeds

A fat feeder - the birds love this one

Bird box ready - blue tits are already looking around it

More mixed seed on the cherry blossom tree

Another fat ball feeder on the blossom tree

Fruit feeder near the conservatory so we can spy who's on it!

Little seed feeder - a favourite for the robins and blackbirds - the pigeons like to mop up the leftovers underneath it too!

Another bird box - hidden on the back of the summerhouse, but viewed nicely from a distance on the top patio

Bird table with a little butterfly house hanging too

Bacon rind, mealy worms and table seed  for dinner today!

Drinking hole amongst the shrubs

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

The Amazing RSPB Minsmere

If you are a fan of the BBC's Springwatch, then you will have been watching the programme recently when it was broadcast from RSPB Minsmere. We went to visit Minsmere on a glorious day while the filming was going on and it is an amazing place. It is set off the beaten track on the Suffolk coast and just the drive down to it from the main road is very beautiful as you meander through farmland and pass meadows and hedgerows full of bloom. There are stunning walks through varied scenery - pathways take you through heathlands, woodlands, marshlands and down to the beach and coast. If you love nature and wildlife it is a feast for your eyes wherever you look! 

A grebe enjoying a quiet swim on a tranquil pond hidden amongst the grasses. 

Pheasants wander around freely and you can hear them calling as they walk around. 

You will spot common bird's foot along the walkways out towards the coast. 

Pretty little daisies - remember making those daisy chains! 

Bright yellow flag irises kept popping up in the marshlands giving a bit of sunshine to the greenery. 

There is a lovely area of sand cliffes and I was completely mesmerised here as flocks of sandmartins kept sweeping to and from their nests. You can see the holes in the cliff were they were nesting and feeding their young, but unfortunately, although there were so many, they were so swift and quick I couldn't capture them on camera! 

White clover enjoying the sun.

There were beautiful views over Dunwich Heath and out to sea as we reached the coast. A whole flock of seagulls were ducking and diving around the fishing boat.

One of the ever elusive reed warblers flitting between reeds and the shrubbery. 

As you reach the coastal area, you enter the National Trust's Dunwich Heath, which takes you down to the beach and sea. 

The beach is a neverending stretch of sand, shingle and grasses. A lovely quiet place to enjoy a picnic half way around one of the main pathways on the reserve. 

A handmade scupture down by the beach, made from plastic debris washed up by the sea. 

A pretty view across the heath. 

The starry little flowers of stonecrop sedum pop up everywhere on the barren heath, spreading over rocks and stones and walls. 

A stunning view across the marshlands from one of the bird hides. The pools are teeming with birds. 

Common cat's ear mingles with the grassland. 

Honeysuckle growing in the wild by one of the pathways. 

We spotted a pair of these unusual buff tip moths. They resemble broken twigs when they are resting and they enjoy feeding on trees and shrubs. 

Sleepy seagulls! 

A lonesome sparrow having a good old sing song. 

Highland cattle graze the land in summer to help encourage lapwings in spring and prevent expansion of scrublands. 

Konik ponies also graze the land, renowned for their hardiness in wetlands, they help keep the boundary between the open water areas and the reed beds, preventing expansion of the reeds. 

Ducks and ducklings enjoying the sunshine and the water.

Wild dog roses tangled in the hedgerows.

Little inlets of water appear everywhere as walked through the marshes and reeds. 

I was really pleased to spot this beautiful marsh orchid. Marsh orchids grow on fens, marshy areas and wet meadows. This one was just on the edge of the wet grassland areas we walked through. 

More fabulous views of the pools. 

A visit to RSPB Minsmere is a stunning day out. I'm sure we will be back soon as we walked for miles and we still didn't see everything or finish exploring all the pathways. It is a place to visit over and over again and during different seasons of the year.