Being in touch with the miracle of our planet is a perfect way to chill out and relax on our own or with friends. In Henfield we are lucky to have our green spaces where we can enjoy and marvel at the amazing wildlife around us.
What we recorded
Over the weekend of 16th & 17th May, during the 2020 ‘lockdown’, thirty six households took part in a fun survey and this is what we recorded – 43 species and 1,156 individual birds. What a fantastic achievement! Thanks to everyone for taking part.
| Species | Number recorded | Number of gardens out of 36 | |
| Blackbird | 79 | 35 |  |
| Blackcap | 10 | 8 | |
| Blue Tit | 77 | 32 | |
| Bullfinch | 4 | 2 | |
| Buzzard | 3 | 2 (flying over) | |
| Carrion Crow | 22 | 12 | |
| Chaffinch | 17 | 9 | Only 1 person didn't see a Blackbird. |
| Chiffchaff | 2 | 2 | |
| Coal Tit | 16 | 11 |  |
| Collared Dove | 32 | 16 | |
| Dunnock | 42 | 19 | |
| Feral Pigeon | 37 | 6 | |
| Goldcrest | 2 | 2 | |
| Goldfinch | 63 | 20 | |
| Great Spotted Woody | 27 | 17 | Starlings were the most numerous bird recorded. |
| Green Woodpecker | 2 | 2 | |
| Great Tit | 50 | 20 |  |
| Greenfinch | 31 | 15 | |
| Grey Heron | 1 | 1 (flying over) | |
| Herring Gull | 2 | 1 | |
| House Martin | 28 | 7 | |
| House Sparrow | 113 | 25 | Two lucky people saw Goldcrests. |
| Jackdaw | 40 | 15 | |
| Jay | 10 | 9 |  |
| Kestrel | 1 | 1 (flying over) | |
| Long Tailed Tit | 14 | 7 | |
| Magpie | 26 | 17 | |
| Nuthatch | 2 | 2 | |
| Pheasant | 2 | 1 | Pat Brooke reported “I told the Magpies not to pinch the baby birds; they just wagged their tails.”! |
| Pied Wagtail | 5 | 2 | |
| Red Kite | 1 | 1 (flying over) |  |
| Reed Bunting | 2 | 1 | |
| Robin | 60 | 32 | |
| Song Thrush | 16 | 12 | |
| Sparrowhawk | 1 | 1 | |
| Starling | 147 | 24 | Red Kites are becoming more common. |
| Stock Dove | 20 | 8 | |
| Swallow | 11 | 5 |  |
| Swift | 14 | 5 | |
| Tawny Owl | 1 | 1 | |
| Tree Creeper | 1 | 1 | |
| Wood Pigeon | 102 | 33 | |
| Wren | 20 | 15 | With a little local encouragement, Swifts are also on the increase. |
We don’t just have lots of birds in the village.
You also saw:
| Group | Species |
| Mammals & Rodents | 6 Grey Squirrels, 3 Badgers, 2 Foxes, 2 Stoats, 1 Wood Mouse, 3 Bats |
| Amphibians & Lizards | 5 Palmate Newts, 3 Frogs, 1 Toad, 2 Slow Worms |
| Butterflies | Green Veined, Large & Small Whites, Peacock, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood |
| Insects etc | Stag Beetle larvae (Henfield is a hot spot for Stag Beetles) Damselflies Leatherjackets, worms, ants and a centipede. (What would the birds do without them?) Cockchafers, Bumblebees (I have learned from this we have 24 species in the UK!), 5 Hairy Footed Bumblebees and 1 Violet Ground Beetle. |
The purpose of the Bird Bash is to have fun but it does at the same time provide excellent “citizen science” information. Population trends are of great importance for conservation and the presence or otherwise of wildlife generally is an indicator of the health of the world’s environment.
We have shown we have a good range of birds visiting our Henfield gardens with some red listed (endangered) species showing quite well; Starling and House Sparrow being our top 2 in terms of numbers and Song Thrush appearing in 33% of gardens. Over the years new species have become more numerous locally and some of these were observed, noticeably Buzzard (now common) and Red Kite. Swifts, House Martins and Swallows are in decline but all were recorded and as an organisation Henfield Birdwatch is championing their conservation in the village by encouraging people to put up Swifts boxes in suitable places and certificating folk in properties where any of the 3 species are nesting.