GARDEN
BIRDS, BUCKINGHAM WARD, SHOREHAM-BY-SEA
28
December 2004
21
different birds were spotted in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham
Park), (TQ 219 063),
during the weekly visits in 2004. The most prevalent birds were Starlings
with
143 recorded on 18 different occasions, the most often seen was the Blackbird
on 26 occasions with 66 recorded birds. Other birds often seen included
Greenfinches
115, Chaffinches
46, Blue Tits
44 and Collared Doves
35. Highlights included a Goldcrest
and Goldfinches
and the greatest surprise was the single appearance of a Rook.
Feeding was almost regular during the winter, mostly black sunflower seeds,
but sometimes the birds ate them before the following week. Feeding did
not occur during the summer when almost all the birds were absent. Peanuts
were included from the autumn. The Laburnum Tree was shelter but this blew
down in the July 2004
gales. The corvids
roosted in the large trees bordering the road and descended to the bird
table or summer house roof for scraps in hard weather. The small garden
pond was specifically attractive to Song
Thrushes, Blackbirds
and Blue Tits.
| BIRD |
OCCURRENCES |
TOTAL |
| Starling |
18 |
143 |
| Greenfinch |
22 |
115 |
| Blackbird |
26 |
66 |
| Chaffinch |
12 |
46 |
| Blue
Tit |
19 |
44 |
| House
Sparrow |
12 |
37 |
| Collared
Dove |
21 |
35 |
| Jackdaw |
9 |
33 |
| Wood
Pigeon |
9 |
16 |
| Robin |
12 |
12 |
| Great
Tit |
8 |
10 |
| Dunnock |
7 |
7 |
| Song
Thrush |
6 |
7 |
| Wren |
5 |
5 |
| Sparrowhawk |
4 |
4 |
| Herring
Gull |
3 |
4 |
| Crow |
3 |
3 |
| Magpie |
2 |
3 |
| Goldcrest |
2 |
2 |
| Goldfinch |
1 |
2 |
| Rook |
1 |
1 |
Some
birds tend to flock in large numbers. During 2004, the largest number of
a single species recorded in the garden at one tome was Starlings
23, followed by Greenfinches 12, House
Sparrows 11, Chaffinches
10 and Blackbirds
6. The Robin
arrived at the end of October 2004
and was resident ever since, at least up to the middle
of March 2005.
The
most species recorded in the garden in one day was eleven, record on three
days in March 2004, the 7th, 27th and 29th.
Garden
Bird Database 2004
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