Garden Visitors

[IanF]

Our garden count isn't brilliant but it's also not bad for a small suburban garden.
At present the daily visitors number Goldfinches, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Stock Dove, Crow, Collared Dove, Magpie, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Starlings, Dunnocks, Robins and Greenfinches all in quite good numbers.

[burhinus]

Hi Ian

Do you feed or are the goldfinch's coming in for a natural food source or water?

You seem to have a good range of species.

burhinus

[JennyWren]

Hi Ian,

Just like you, I tend to get most of those birds too, though mainly finches, blue tits and house sparrows!

I leave seed and nuts out on a daily basis... and it's usually gone within hours! :rolleyes:

My mum has been feeding the same blackbird for a few years now, it recently returned with another one, a lot smaller, which we presume is one of it's offspring, though we can't be completely sure? :confused: They are both very tame, we can get within around 4ft of them before they fly off!! :)

[Paul White]

Hi,
I am in the somewhat odd position in having Rose-ringed Parakeet as probably the commonest bird seen from the garden. Grove Park Crematorium is only 5 minutes walk away and is host to a resident roost of a couple of thousand Parakeets. You could spend all day in the garden and not see any Parakeets, unless you happen to be there at dawn or dusk. they generally fly over in small flocks or even single birds but sometimes 70 or more make their presence known with their squawking flight call.
Any-one who needs this bird on their year list can't go wrong visiting the area as long as its within 1.5 hours of darkness or by visiting the crematorium itself. A word of warning, they can be surprisingly difficult to see them once they land amongst some greenery!!:D

[IanF]

Originally posted by burhinus
Hi Ian

Do you feed or are the goldfinch's coming in for a natural food source or water?

You seem to have a good range of species.

burhinus

Hi burhinus,
You're right, we do feed the birds and provide the water, though there has been plenty of the natural stuff falling ou of the sky this year ;-)
This is the first time that we have provided food right through the year. This amounts to fat balls, sultanas, chopped peanuts and sunflower hearts along with niger seed for the Goldfinches though they are just as happy with the sunflower hearts.
Even our neighbours have had more nesting birds, though that may be coincidental as in the countryside which is quite close, the birds seem to have had a really good nesting season after last years poor do.

[paj]

What do members include on their garden list?
Has it got to land in your garden/trees/bushes or do you include fly-overs?
I include anything I see in or from my garden.
My garden list stands at 47 species but that includes the likes of Raven, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Buzzard and Green Woodpecker - all fly-overs.

Pajarero

[IanF]

Personally I have two garden lists. The main one is of birds that actually land in the garden itself or on the boundary fences.
The second list is just an additional one to the above of birds that can be seen from our garden in neighbouring ones or having been seen flying over, such as the Swallows and Swifts.

[paj]

Dunlin! That's a good one Alan. I don't think that will be on too many members Lists!!

Pajarero

[burhinus]

I count fly overs on my garden list. It currently stands at 56, best fly over Stone Curlew also had Bewicks Swan, Greenshank,Common Buzzard and Marsh Harrier over.

In the garden Yellow-browed Warbler the best so far! Also Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Great and Green Woodpecker. Tawny Owl. Siskin, Brambling, Tree Sparrow to name but a few.

burhinus

[burhinus]

Hi Paul
We consider those as quite rare in west Norfolk. Only a couple of sightings each year. I think there are probably more nearer Peterborough though I am not sure.

[Paul White]

Hi there Burhinus,
You certainly seem to have picked a good locale as far as advancing your garden list is concerned!!!!
I had to go to Scilly to see Yellow-browed Warbler, but I confess that I haven't been to Norfolk nearly as much as I would like.
I used to live in Berkshire where a birder found an Olive-backed Pipit in his garden which stayed around for a few weeks. Considering how naff Berkshire is for mega rarities it was a real shock to the local birders. Mind you finding a first for Britain while shopping at Tescos takes the prize [Golden-winged Warbler]. I guess it goes to show that you should never be complacent and always keep your eyes skinned.

Paul White :)

[Andy Bright]

I note 'fly-overs' but don't count them on the garden list (shame, as I had Little Egret a few months ago). My own list is 46 for a garden in a built-up area of Watford (large council estate backing on to my garden)
We all live in hope of a 'mega' in our own garden, most of us have our own relative 'megas'....my own being a Lesser-pecker that was a regular visitor during Jan/Feb a few years ago. Wood Warbler is second....rare but annual are Common Redpoll and Redstart.
Andy B,
Watford

[Andy Bright]

Mind you finding a first for Britain while shopping at Tescos takes the prize [Golden-winged Warbler]. I guess it goes to show that you should never be complacent and always keep your eyes skinned.

Ironically, I was talking to the guy who found that bird, whilst at the Birdfair on Friday (Paul Doherty aka Bird Images videos).
Andy B,
Watford

[Motmot]

I read on your messages that most of you are British or live in Britain. My garden list here is very very different from yours but I would like to share my findings here. I have to say I count all birds seen, fly overs or not. My own list is 174, done in 18 months living here. We have a mixture of resident and migrant species, during this days we are starting to receive migrants from North America, wood-warblers and flycatchers make the big of it. We have a huge figtree on fruit, and it attracts all sort of fruit eaters and also lots of warblers attracted to the bugs in the fruit. This last few days have been very exciting, with a few warbler species very difficult to find in CR visiting the tree, like Cerulean Warbler, Pine Warbler or Prairie Warbler along with the commoner Blackburnian and Black and White Warblers.
Saludos

[paj]

Motmot

Do you take photos of your birds? .
If you do, can you post any so we can take a look?

paj

[Motmot]

Sorry pajarero, I am not a photographer but a friend of mine does digiscoping here as a hobby and has some stunning pictures taken in CR
http://www.angelfire.com/bc/gonebirding/birdimages.html
I send you the link to his website, some of the birds in it are from Monteverde, some others not. If you need any further details just ask.
Motmot

[Motmot]

Just to say that there are amazing photographers here where I live, the great Michael Fodgen is one of my neighbours and friends. The bad news is that they are professional and I have no access to their material. If any of you has the Handbook of the Birds of the World you will find in some of the volumes pictures taken from Monteverde birds by Fodgen, Toucanets, Motmots, Quetzals are already edited and Bellbirds, Umbrellabirds etc are coming soon.
saludos

[burhinus]

Hi Motmot

That is some garden. A very impressive list and one which I am sure will make many birders go green with envy.

burhinus

[Motmot]

Hi burhinus.
Yes, here in Southern Central America diversity is amazing. Yesterday I added a new bird (#175) to my garden list. This time it was a Green Honeycreeper.
Saludos

[burhinus]

We had a new species today, Common Whitethroat, perched for some time in a eucalyptus tree. Also for the first time today Goldfinch's feeding. I have noticed them bathing before but never feeding. It was a female feeding a juvenile on sunflower hearts.

burhinus

[Dave Parker]

Hi Paul
My pipit actually stayed around for the best part of 2 months. 19th Feb - 15th April. It was certainly a shock to me when I first saw it on the lawn. Fortunately I had seen one previously on the Scillies so I was quite happy with the id, although I did have to pinch myself to make sure I wasnt dreaming! Other less glamorous highlights have been a spring male pied flycatcher and regular bramblings. I added a flyover common tern to the garden list this summer, not bad for a council estate in land locked Berkshire.
Dave

[Paul White]

Hi Dave,
The reason that your OBP sticks in my memory so much is because I was pretty hardcore about my local [Berkshire] birding from '78 to'82, but went through a period from '83 to '85 during which I phased really badly [I put it down to the hormones of adolescence]. Anyway the downside of this is that even though I was living in Bracknell in Priestwood, I couldn't be bothered to get my teenage arse over to see your bird.
I have had plenty of time to regret my tardiness [I knew it was there and at the time I did have your address from another birder], but I kept putting it off until it was too late.
I also went to the Scillies [in 85 and 86 but not since] and I am yet to add OBP to my list.
The moral of this is obviously that if you get a chance of an easy tick you should still take it because you never know when the relevant bird will make itself available again!
I moved from Bracknell in '85 for Bristol and I am currently in London where I keep up with all things Berkshire based with www.berksbirds.com.
Thanks for he email, the folly of youth eh?
Paul

[Funky]

My fly over list:
House Sparrow
Starling
Greenfinch
Boeing 767
Pipstrelle Bat
Motorised Hang-Glider
Neighbours kids football
400 Pink Footed Geese
8-P

[Korpen]

Hi

I have also counted the species I've seen on or from my yard. The list is now 159 species long
thats a rather good number for the northern parts of Sweden (140 km south of the Arctic Circle)

But you can get other visitors than birds ...

This Saturday we have our annual "National Champinship in Yard-Birding" in Sweden. 98 yards all over the country participated last year.

Day-light from 05.00-20.00 and I will be out!

Keep Your fingers crossed.

Peter

[Dave Parker]

Hi Funky
House Sparrow! Lucky you. They are a major rarity in my garden. I had 2 fly over about 5 years ago and last year I saw one on my neighbours roof, I'm still waiting for one to be tempted down to the feeders etc and actually touch down, but I'm not holding my breath.
Dave

[Dave Parker]

Hi Paul
Sorry you missed my OBP, it seemed like most of the world came to see it! At the time a winter record was unique but since then there have been a few. and would you believe it one actually stayed in a garden again, this time in Paignton. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before you connect with one if your really serious about seeing one. Good Luck
Dave

[jim hall]

Had visitors this year in my only tree. Pair of wood pigeons nested in it. Just a rough platform of twigs and we could easily watch the birds as they took it in turns to hatch out the two eggs. The female did a 12 hour day shift and the male the night shift. For the first time in my life I found out the name for a young pigeon nestling. They are called squabs but I expect most of you will know this.....happy bird watching..ruddyduck!