Big Garden Birdwatch photos

   
I decided this Sunday to photograph the birds I saw while doing my Big Garden Birdwatch, a weekly record of all birds, mammals, and insects seen in a 1 hour period. I didn't get them all and some not well but some are worth posting for the record.

I started doing this count before the first lockdown and have continued religiously since, and I checked today and it's still open to new participants for FREE, originally it wasn't. I've posted the link below, give it a try and you'll find you see more, and you can look back through your records at any time.

This is the first use of a script I've written to crop and darken the original photos to stop Google's over brightening during processing, at first glance it seems to have worked.

Big Garden Birdwatch, click here

You don't bring me flowers anymore, click here   

Olive says I don't bring or send her flowers, so I included some below and have sent then to her by WhatsApp, surely that means I'm classed as a romantic?

Blue Tit, in flight or just jumping

Coal Tit

The resident Herring Gulls

Most of the remaining House Martins were encouraging the second brood in this nest to fledge, it worked. This was the only second brood I saw in 5 local nests, and was the earliest nest occupied. The nest on Olive's gable was rebuilt this year and the delay meant they only fledged a first brood, with no second attempt

A second brood House Sparrow, most pairs seem to have managed a successful second brood

"Olive's" Robin appeared this week, nearly three weeks later than in most years (she knows it's not the same one)

Not so many Starlings coming in since I butchered the cotoneaster, there's no cover for roosting so they've moved somewhere else

Crane Fly, pleased with the detail I can see in this close view taken with a 300mm lens

A rose from one of those M&S gift selections, planted into a border and seems to be doing Ok

I believe this is Hypericum androsaemum, also referred to as Tutsan, Shrubby St. John's Wort. It was planted by my gardeners the birds

The berries of the Tutsan

Cosmos

Another Cosmos

A cultivated Scabious I'd guess

Common Carder Bee

The first Blackbird I've seen for a while

This is the first photo in sequence of the Starling drinking the water

and the last