Redwing & the Big Garden Birdwatch

These are from Tuesday. It was too grey to photograph on Saturday morning

We've done a count in the Big Garden Birdwatch for the last few years. And it's been the general rule that for the hour of the count there has been hardly a bird to be seen. This year was very different. The redwings made their first appearance of the year, to eat the holly and cotoneaster berries. There were birds everywhere.

We counted:

• 6 redwing
• 2 wood pigeons
• 2 collared doves
• 2 blackbirds (both male)
• 4 blue tits
• 3 great tits
• 1 black cap
• 1 coal tit
• 4 sparrows
• 1 robin
• 6 long tail tits
• 1 jay

You don't count overflying in the birdwatch, but the skies were pretty busy too:

• 4 magpies
• 1 little egret
• 1 black headed gull
• 4 crows
• 1 heron

The heron looked like it was about to land on our roof, but it veered off when it saw me.