Bird Watch

The RSPB have asked members of the public to count the number and species of wild birds they see in their gardens this weekend. It is an unofficial census of birds done for free by people who like staring out of the windows. Unlike the official census the birds won't be allowed to claim that their religion is "Jedi" so it will actually carry some accuracy and relevance. We filled the form in yesterday and posted it off. It confirmed a largely dull collection of British birds - a robin, a couple of sparrows, three goldfinches and a pair of blackbirds. Imagine my surprise then when I looked out this morning to see a buzzard, a kittiwake, a condor, a parrakeet called Bernard, a dodo, two cassowaries and an ostrich perched on the washing line. Admittedly the ostrich and the cassowaries soon fell off but the RSPB will never know about this. Still,if I told them they'd only ignore it and think I made it up.