Saturday 27th
January 2007
Big Garden Birdwatch
Today was the Big Garden
Birdwatch 2007, so we took up our normal position, at Goff's Park duck pond,
at dawn. The pond was covered in a thin sheet of ice and we only saw about 3
other people in the hour we were there. It was very cold on the hands but sunny
and clear. Great conditions for the half a million people expected to be doing
the Birdwatch this year.
We did slightly better than
last year
with 19 species, although we did not see birds that we thought we would, such as
long-tailed tits and woodpeckers. We did see a Goldcrest though, feeding near
the base of a tree, and Gill managed to see a Wood Mouse beside the footpath
(not strictly a bird, but nice to see all the same). Just before the given
hour was up, a Grey Heron came in over our heads being mobbed by gulls.
Our full list was: Mallard (20), Mandarin Duck (3), Magpie (2), Carrion Crow
(1), Moorhen (2), Wood Pigeon (21), Herring Gull (5), Jay (3), Blue Tit (4),
Chaffinch (3), Black-headed Gull (1), Robin (1), Blackbird(2), Nuthatch (1),
Goldcrest (1), Fieldfare (2), Grey Heron (1), Song thrush (2), Starling (1).
Thin ice on the pond
Maybe some of you recognise Goff's House, home of Crawley
Probation Service!