Outside the top 10

In all, 72 different species of bird were recorded over the Birdwatch weekend, with greenfinches, dunnocks, magpies, long-tailed tits and jackdaws filling the 10-15 slots.

We were pleased to find that song thrush numbers were up 80 per cent compared to last year. This was probably thanks to last year's warm, wet summer, which made it easier for them to find snails, slugs and earthworms to feed their young.

However, with a decline in numbers of almost two thirds over the past 30 years, there is still a long way to go to reverse the fortunes of song thrushes, and see them once again in the top 10.

As usual, with so many eyes watching, some unusual 'garden' birds were seen this year, including red kites, firecrests, hawfinchs, and little egrets.