Early Bird Survey - 2009

Observers were asked to get into their observation position before "first light" (i.e. when it was light enough to be able to see the birds, usually about an hour before sunrise) on one morning between Sunday 20^th and Sunday 27^th December 2009 inclusive, and then record the order and time of arrival of individual species at their garden feeding stations.

Of the 7 submissions received, one was invalid. There were no submissions from outside the British Isles.

Coverage

The region (the Counties and Districts included within the Regions are detailed here) that provided the most submissions was South-east England.

Most of the gardens (83%) were in suburban areas, a similar proportion to last year, but again there were none representing urban areas.

Habitat Definitions

• Urban - densely built-up areas and town centres with very few natural or near-natural bird feeding sites.
• Suburban - inhabited areas on the outside of built-up areas, near countryside or with large gardens, municipal parks or recreational areas.
• Rural - areas away from towns, with just a few scattered houses, farms or other isolated buildings.

Early Bird

This year your observations show that the most common early birds were Robins and Blackbirds, arriving between 12 and 15 minutes after first light. These are the same species as last year but arriving sooner after first light.

Arrival Times

The average time after first light that each species arrived at feeding stations is given in the table below. Carrion Crow and Robin were the earliest birds, though Robins were reported by more people.

Conclusions

Generally, Blackbirds and Robins are among the early birds, the same result as in past years years, though they seem to have been earlier this year than in past years.

A very big thank you to everyone who submitted their observations to the survey.