17 Apr 2020 Eynsham’s Garden Wildlife Survey is off to a great start.
Eynsham’s Garden Wildlife Survey has got off to a great start. Many people have said that sitting together (in spirit) in our respective gardens for 30 minutes is an antidote to Covid blues. It could also be a benefit to national research if we keep it up and get our neighbours to join in. Already, we have found a correlation between the number of birds and bird-feeding. Compare the entry for Duncan Close with others… Email to take part.
Kerry Fisher took the amazing photographs below in his Eynsham garden during the bird survey with Renée Watson and their children.
Blue tit making off with seed from the bird table
Nicola Davies writes: "What a lovely thing to organise. Thank you for the inspiration. This is something new for me and all the family, but we would really like to help with the national research on garden birds, and wildlife generally. Our children (ages 15, 13 and 11) are now becoming much more aware of the different birds living in the garden as I try to get them to help me spot them (as their eyes are far better!)"
Lucy and Roger Badger, who moved into the new Thornbury Green Development last autumn, have been working to make wildlife-friendly their ‘blank canvas’ of a garden. Lucy writes:
“Ours is a new garden on the Thornbury Green development. It is mainly lawn with small-scattered flowerbeds. We have planted a rowan, 3 apple trees and 2 holly bushes. We have 2 areas, one small and one quite a bit larger, which we have sown with wild grass and wild flower seeds. To attract wildlife, we have 2 hedgehog holes in the fences, a small log pile, an insect box and 3 new bird boxes. We have 5 bird feeders with sunflower hearts, bird seed, peanut pieces, peanuts and fat balls."
Carl Rylett wrote that blue tits were visiting the bird box that his son Alex had made at the Peace Oak Bird Box Bash.
Green finch tucking in to free food from the bird table
A couple of recorders wrote somewhat diffidently of having seen only blue tits and great tits. Sadly - nothing is “only” these days. With the chaffinch population having declined by 30% between 2007 and 2018, we can’t be sure which of our most common species is going to go next. This is what makes our collective recording so important. See you tomorrow, same time, same place!
If you would like a recording form in Word or Excel please email (Unfortunately, the technology doesn’t allow either sending these formats as an attachment to this mail-out or to our web page). A simple list is also fine. Please return to us within the week.
Here is a link to BBOWT to help with ID of all species.
And please keep sending us your pictures of Eynsham's nature and wildlife and your engagement with it for the new website.