As expected, both Robin and Blackbird turned out to be very early visitors to garden feeding stations in the recent 'Early Bird' survey.
Over five and a half thousand people took part in the survey organised by BBC Radio 4's Today Program and the
BTO. The blackbird (
Turdus merula) and the robin (
Erithacus rubecula) arrived at feeding stations at 13 and 16 minutes respectively after first light. Great spotted woodpeckers (
Dendrocopos major) were among the latest arrivals at 32 minutes after first light. The BTO is still analysing the results to see if there was a difference between the north and the south of the country.
