Garden Bird Count: We saw these birds in the garden!

Garden Bird Count and Birds in Small Gardens

Do you take part in the National Garden Bird Count every year? We do! It’s wonderful to set aside a little “mandatory” downtime over the weekend (while enjoying a cup of coffee, of course) to sit outside and see which birds we’ll be welcoming this year.

Birds in a Small Garden

There are plenty of birds to be seen in our own little garden. We have a regular group of 12 house sparrows, a pair of Eurasian collared doves, a curious robin, blackbirds foraging on the lawn, and, in the spring, blackbirds nesting in the laurel hedge. Great tits and blue tits are also regular visitors to our small garden. Magpies are also regularly seen in our garden, as are jackdaws, though both often chase away the smaller birds. Fortunately, those little birds come back quickly afterward. Speaking of chasing away small birds, the unique and striking green-collared parakeets are quite the experts at it, too! There’s a flock of about 15 parakeets flying around here in the neighborhood. Several times a week, 2, 3, or 4 of them visit our garden. It’s wonderful to see, but they’re incredibly bold, so other birds stay out of their way.

Unusual Birds in the Garden

Very occasionally, we also see garden birds such as the spotted woodpecker, goldfinches, long-tailed tits, starlings, jays, and greenfinches. About once or twice a year, a sparrowhawk finds its way into our garden. Fortunately, things usually turn out all right, and small birds manage to find shelter just in time in the dense hawthorn tree or in the broad laurel hedge.

Garden Bird Count Results

Unfortunately, the Garden Bird Count was somewhat disappointing this year. We didn’t see any unusual birds, and the total number of birds was also a bit disappointing. Even the flock of sparrows was smaller than on other days… We also saw little difference between the species we observed and those most commonly spotted nationwide, as well as in our province (Utrecht).

8 house sparrows (in the hedge and near the feeders on the pergola)

3 blackbirds (on the lawn and on the table with a few pieces of apple)

1 squirrel (on the barn roof)

2 magpies (on the barn roof)

2 great tits (in the hawthorn tree and near the feeders on the pergola)

2 blue tits (in the hawthorn tree and near the feeder in the tree)

1 Eurasian collared dove (on the pergola)

More birds AFTER the count

Fortunately, all the birds have returned as of this writing. Now there’s a constant coming and going of birds in the garden: 12 house sparrows, 3 great tits, 2 blue tits, 2 blackbirds, 2 magpies, and 1 Eurasian collared dove… Oh wait, here come the ring-necked parakeets again!

Would you like to attract more birds to your garden?

Do you see few birds in your garden, or would you like to attract more birds to your garden? Make sure your garden has plenty to offer birds. Don't just think about birdseed—it's especially important to provide plenty of shelter and protection. Check out the following articles for lots of tips:

More Birds in Your Garden All Year Round (51 Tips)
Feeding Birds in Winter: Which Bird Eats What?
The 11 Most Beautiful Berry Plants for Birds

How many birds did you count in your yard? And what kinds did you see?

We're curious! Leave a comment below.