Counting the birds on our plot for one hour a year is something we just do. It is always a bit of a disappointment in that birds we see on a regular basis just don’t turn up in our chosen hour. But this time there were a couple of finches seen that we rarely see although neither would be classed as uncommon. We saw greenfinches and a bullfinch and they don’t often get entered on our return to the RSPB.
It has to be said that I seem to have a problem when I patrol our area to count the birds. It seems I’m not allowed to do it alone. Our ever friendly cat accompanies me.
There he is. Yes, we are lucky and have a pasture field as well as a garden.
I got in amongst our fruit trees – often a good spot for birds, but not when this one takes up a dominant perch.
Even in the garden, near the house, an area where I expect to see sparrows by the quite a few, goes quiet as the cat seeks a good vantage point.
But I did see house sparrows in some quantity. I counted eight of which four got in one photo.
The house sparrow is often a neglected species. They are regarded as dull and ordinary but in truth we are lucky to still see them in numbers. And they do have beauty as well.
OK, there are no bold bright colours but the feather markings are still quite striking.
It isn’t easy to get photos on a bird count. You need to spot, recognise and record and then turn attention to a camera – by which time the bird has probably moved on.