T.G.I.F. and RSPB Great Garden Birdwatch Results

Back in the days when I was working (I hated being in an office), these initials stood for Thank God It's Friday.  Currently they stand for Thank God It's February!  January was NOT a good month here, and I didn't achieve much - you can't do much outside because it's so cold/wet/miserable and that cold lingered and I didn't feel like doing anything much.  Now I am feeling a bit more positive.

I want to get a walk in too, and perhaps some weeding in the front garden as it's a sunny day out (though still none too warm).  I have just a tiny bit of my old "get up and go" back, thank heavens.

(A certain Sam-cat would like to think he really IS a member of the family, but only managed this because all the others were asleep when he snuck in!!)

I spent a couple of hours yesterday redecorating in the blue bedroom.  I have painted the inset around the window in white, so that it reflects a lot more light (the room faces East) and am going to rub down the blue window paintwork today and hopefully free it up too by removing the beading.  The sashes are painted shut (ahem, I wonder who did that?!  Me of course, in a rush, in the past . . .)  There are a couple more like that I need to deal with . . .

Anyway, my RSPB Great Garden Birdwatch results are these:
Blue Tit - 9
Coal Tit - 1
Great Tit - 2
Greater Spotted Woodpecker - 1 (male)
Chaffinches - 3
Goldfinches - 5
Robin - 1
Siskin - 1
Long Tailed Tits -4
Magpie - 1
Marsh Tit - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1

These numbers are lower than we normally see.  No Nuthatch for starters, and he is on the feeder regularly.  Numbers lower too - far more Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits normally, higher numbers of Goldfinches too.

The Sparrowhawk flew into the Damson Tree (where the feeder is) when the Long Tailed Tits were there, but didn't get any of them.  She grabbed a branch and glared around for a moment before flying off again but it was wonderful to see her so close.

We have a feeder in the front garden on an apple tree, and that has LOTS of Sparrows on/under it (we have a big colony who live under the eaves here), lots of chaffinches, blackbirds, a pair of Nuthatches, sometimes the Woodpecker, Blue and Great Tits etc.  The light is in the wrong place to identify the numbers easily though and they tend to lurk in the bushes behind the feeder so not so easy to count.

Right, my paintbrush is yelling at me so I'd best do some work!