The hobby was a highlight of 20 years of birdwatching

AFTER TWO decades of observing birds in the same Yorkshire garden, a grand total of 49 different species have been ticked.

They range from single sightings of oystercatcher and heron, greylag goose and mallard, red kite and hobby, to everyday birds like starlings and blue tits.

I do include the one-offs on the admittedly cheating basis that they were observed from the garden rather than physically present in a tree or on the lawn.

I especially prize the record of the hobby, which was chasing swifts overhead one gorgeous summer night.

Seeing one of our less common raptors whilst enjoying a drink in the garden is a great way to birdwatch.

Being a summer visitor, though, I doubt anyone in the UK will see a hobby during this coming weekend’s Big Garden Birdwatch (BGB).

During last year’s survey, the list of top 10 birds contained only the usual suspects. In order of prevalence they were the house sparrow, starling, blue tit, blackbird, woodpigeon, goldfinch, great tit, robin, chaffinch and magpie.

The RSPB claims the event is the world’s biggest wildlife survey, and last year almost halfa-million people counted 7.5m birds over the final weekend of January. When the results were revealed, it was heartening to see that the house sparrow’s recovery is continuing.

Since the BGB began in 1979, house sparrow numbers reported by participants have fallen by 56 per cent, but in the past 10 years they have increased by 10 per cent.

Less positive last year was the apparent decline of long-tailed tits and wrens, down by 27 per cent and 17 per cent respectively from 2018.

They are thought to have suffered badly in that year’s “Beast from the East” cold spell since small-bodied birds suffer high mortality in below-zero temperatures.

Ornithologists will be hoping for signs of recovery in the 2020 BGB. Encouragingly, I have seen more of both species in my garden, and they were certainly nesting in the neighbourhood last spring.

However, it has been sad to note the continued slide in the fortunes of song thrushes, at least in winter. If the BGB took place in spring, though, perhaps the bird would be higher up the species rankings.

A big increase in garden woodpigeons has been detected by BGB, which accords with my own experience. Since the start of the survey, observations have shot up by 1000 per cent.

Even 20 years ago they were mainly a farmland species, but now they cause mess and intimidate robins and chaffinches from garden ground feeders every day of the year.

Usually, a lot of luck is attached to getting good results on the BGB weekend. If the weather is fine and there is a bit of a frost, I am likely to see siskins, nuthatches, redpolls, even bramblings and the odd treecreeper. But if it is dull and wet, I end up with just the names of those usual suspects.

To take part in the survey on January 25 to 27, visit www.rspb. org.uk.