Male Bullfinch

We had a hugely successful Big Schools’ Birdwatch this year, with all children taking part over three days. We are very lucky to have such fantastic school grounds with a variety of habitats, including  mature trees such as Alder, Sycamore, Silver Birch and Ash, hedgerows and a pond area.  In addition, the school is surrounded by fields and because Ogston Reservoir is nearby, we often see interesting birds flying overhead (not countable in this survey). This variety in habitat was reflected in the number of different bird species spotted during the week; a grand total of 23! We were particularly lucky to have some less common birds visit and  in very good numbers. These included Tree Sparrows, Bullfinches and Siskins.

A couple of people donated binoculars to school which made it easier for all children to take part in the event; thank you very much for these. We were joined on Friday by a local birdwatcher, Mr Daniel Martin who kindly gave up his time to lend his expert eye and help us spot a number of species we may have otherwise  missed. Most of all, well done children, you did a fantastic job and did your school proud. Let us know which birds you enjoyed seeing most by leaving a comment on this post.