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Garden (Yard) List 2012 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Larry Lade
- Start date
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Papa 10
Miserable Old Git
Hawfinch:eek!:
chowchilla
Well-known member
A stupid amount of water has fallen out of the sky today. Managed to cycle home in the one pause in the wet and was accompanied by a chorus of frogs virtually all the way home as well as Cane Toads, even on the 'Nade!
Today saw both Red-necked Crake and Buff-banded Rail at work; the former in the courtyard; the latter out the back by the flowerbeds; also flushed a Nankeen Night Heron that appeared to be fishing (or should that be frogging?) for frogs in a temporary pool by the cycle track.
A couple of shite pics taken from the bedroom window this morning:
Today saw both Red-necked Crake and Buff-banded Rail at work; the former in the courtyard; the latter out the back by the flowerbeds; also flushed a Nankeen Night Heron that appeared to be fishing (or should that be frogging?) for frogs in a temporary pool by the cycle track.
A couple of shite pics taken from the bedroom window this morning:
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KenM
Well-known member
But that was taken last year
You can't see the ''resemblance'' to the Fieldfare/Nuthatch/Robin/Leaf?....
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I added Sparrowhawk yesterday, a big female that failed to catch a Blackbird.
57 from 30 over 18 in
176 species between us!
57 from 30 over 18 in
176 species between us!
chowchilla
Well-known member
It's late and I've got the aircon off and the window open seeing as it's cooler.
Result: another Buff-banded Rail is calling outside (or probably the same one as the other night), only much closer.
Result: another Buff-banded Rail is calling outside (or probably the same one as the other night), only much closer.
chowchilla
Well-known member
This avo saw me sitting on my desk with my back pressed against the wall peering at distant trees towards Centenary Lakes. This is rapidly becoming my favourite way of adding birds to the year list. Work and torrential rain have put paid to any birding or much bird activity over the last few days. Unsurprisingly, activity outside was frenetic. Lots of birds could be seen in, around and over the trees: The tall paperbarks had a lot of movement in them, including a little red blob that flew out of one tree rapidly resolved itself into a male Crimson Finch. It was accompanied by several females which were invisible until they took off. Good to see this declining species again; I've seen them in my street, but not recently.
Minutes later, a very overdue Eastern Osprey flapped by. This 'split' is recognised by the IOC but not by Clements. Seeing as someone in the UK is bound to get Osprey at some point, it may be relevant to this list, but I'm not sure if we have any established rules of what we go by. I'm bound to see Eastern Great Egret at some point too, raising this issue again.
Speaking of Egrets, this was followed a short while later by an Intermediate Egret flying above the tree line.
I scooted down to the Freshwater Lake to see if the Comb-crested Jacana was still there and couldn't find it. I also didn't see our omnipresent Intermediate Egret, so maybe that was it heading off to pastures new! I also saw Magpie Goose, Pacific Black Duck, Wandering Whistling Duck and Australian Darter amongst other things, all of which I'm reasonably confident of adding as fly overs at some point.
Returning home up my street I heard the unmistakable call of Graceful Honeyeater from the forest. I ran back to the drive and strained to hear it for several minutes without success. This common bird is continuing to elude me.
Back in the study and as I watched the trees once more, a BOP came into view being relentlessly harried by two Magpie Larks. It landed high up and out of sight. for the few seconds it was visible, it looked for all the world like a Goshawk. It was also very pale.... I studied where it had landed through my bins until my arms ached. Every now and then, the Magpie Larks would rise above the tree before diving down again out of sight. It must have taken a full 15 minutes for my patience to be rewarded as the bird finally flew out of the tree and thankfully straight towards me. As I suspected it was a Grey Goshawk; possibly the same bird I saw only the other day. Or there may well be a pair nesting somewhere.
As it got dark the heavens opened once more and I type this to the accompaniment of heavy rain. Still many 'regulars' missing and this being the wettest time of year doesn't exactly help. A productive day nonetheless.
57) Crimson Finch.
58) Eastern Osprey.
59) Intermediate Egret.
60) Grey Goshawk.
Minutes later, a very overdue Eastern Osprey flapped by. This 'split' is recognised by the IOC but not by Clements. Seeing as someone in the UK is bound to get Osprey at some point, it may be relevant to this list, but I'm not sure if we have any established rules of what we go by. I'm bound to see Eastern Great Egret at some point too, raising this issue again.
Speaking of Egrets, this was followed a short while later by an Intermediate Egret flying above the tree line.
I scooted down to the Freshwater Lake to see if the Comb-crested Jacana was still there and couldn't find it. I also didn't see our omnipresent Intermediate Egret, so maybe that was it heading off to pastures new! I also saw Magpie Goose, Pacific Black Duck, Wandering Whistling Duck and Australian Darter amongst other things, all of which I'm reasonably confident of adding as fly overs at some point.
Returning home up my street I heard the unmistakable call of Graceful Honeyeater from the forest. I ran back to the drive and strained to hear it for several minutes without success. This common bird is continuing to elude me.
Back in the study and as I watched the trees once more, a BOP came into view being relentlessly harried by two Magpie Larks. It landed high up and out of sight. for the few seconds it was visible, it looked for all the world like a Goshawk. It was also very pale.... I studied where it had landed through my bins until my arms ached. Every now and then, the Magpie Larks would rise above the tree before diving down again out of sight. It must have taken a full 15 minutes for my patience to be rewarded as the bird finally flew out of the tree and thankfully straight towards me. As I suspected it was a Grey Goshawk; possibly the same bird I saw only the other day. Or there may well be a pair nesting somewhere.
As it got dark the heavens opened once more and I type this to the accompaniment of heavy rain. Still many 'regulars' missing and this being the wettest time of year doesn't exactly help. A productive day nonetheless.
57) Crimson Finch.
58) Eastern Osprey.
59) Intermediate Egret.
60) Grey Goshawk.
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chowchilla
Well-known member
61) Pale-vented Bush Hen calling outside as I eat my dinner!
dantheman
Bah humbug
It's going to get harder to add new ones ... had better luck myself though over the last day or two ...
Back in Cornwall now. Yesterday had a Song Thrush (32) perched in a tree not to far away.
Today, half an hour of scanning, bins and scope, added four new species -
33) Sparrowhawk m and f
35) Bullfinch m and f
36) Lapwing 16 west 2-3miles distant
37) Raven 2
All in flight, the Lapwings being the true rarity. 7 Buzzard in flight, and over the last few days up to 5 Little Egret and 1 Greenshank down on the river.
For those interested in such things (
) - 36 from, 1 in ... if you count the garage roof as being part of the garden - 1 Magpie on it briefly the other day.'Regular' species last year included Meadow Pipit (in the garden 3 times :eek!: ) and overflying Oystercatchers, but no sign yet this year. Little Grebe on the river a possibility if I keep trying ...
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KenM
Well-known member
Likewise...Where are those bloody Mallards?
However..looked out the window this am, and thought the cloud/lighting general ambience, with the promise of more blue sky in the North gave me an optimistic feeling..a bit subjective I know...but sometimes you run with it until it peters out!
The usual culprits were present..Redpoll,Siskin,Goldfinch,Nuthatch and Grt.Spot. on the feeders...Redwings,Blackbirds and Blackcap gorging themselves in the Ivy..and then c20 Fieldfares overhead (3rd sighting this year) 2 Long tailed tit, single Greenfinch (only 2nd grdn.visit this year), and a single Song Thrush!
Then the 3 Redpolls soared to 12...a sight record!...things are looking up.
This prompted me to put on the ''wellies'' for a glutinous trudge through the forest mud to the local coffee house, for my daily fix. On the return leg I came to where the path branched, and took the left fork for a change. It had been an uneventful walk with a distinct lack of birds (ah yes twenty years ago...it would have been a lot different), as I thought of all the species that had disappeared..gloom set in!
Casually walking through the bosom of two Hawthorns, I entered into an open scrubby area whereupon I espied a Redwing sized round ''black blob'', perched perhaps 10' up and 25m away in a young Oak. As I trained my bins...the silhouette morphed into an ''intense'' block of colour..hard white tail tips contrasting against a ginger rest of tail and rump, cloaked in a rich brown mantle and topped with blue grey nape and ginger head looking straight at me! all out of a neutral grey/brown background.
I was struggling to get the camera out of the case and set the zoom...when a dog walker appeared out of nowhere...and off it flew! The moral to this sad tale is when in the field....always be extended
chowchilla
Well-known member
Despite looking distinctly 'birdy' I've added nothing new today but saw Intermediate Egret again today, so maybe the same bird has returned to the Lakes, or more likely it's a totally different bird...
Lots of Ibises over today; Dusky Honeyeater in a tree outside my study window is a property first but not a year first.
I thought I had a Dollarbird today but couldn't be sure as the bird in question was mostly obscured by branches; perhaps I should have headed around to the forest to take a closer look. There is a small resident population in Cairns but this is more typically a species I encounter on migration which swells their numbers in the area.
Lots of Ibises over today; Dusky Honeyeater in a tree outside my study window is a property first but not a year first.
I thought I had a Dollarbird today but couldn't be sure as the bird in question was mostly obscured by branches; perhaps I should have headed around to the forest to take a closer look. There is a small resident population in Cairns but this is more typically a species I encounter on migration which swells their numbers in the area.
Likewise, temperatures dipping to minus 20 C, set to hit minus 30 by the week's end ...heaps of action at the feeders, humongous numbers of Great and Blue Tits, gangs of woodpeckers, but zilch new on the species front.
Before fingers chilled rather, a couple of shots of my favourite garden visitors at present...
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joannec
Well-known member
I presume not of the temperature :-O
But before Dan calls for a ban again, please note I have not reached even 20 species yet in either the garden or feeding station.
KenM
Well-known member
It's not the quantity that irks...It's the bloody quality!...I think the ban should be upheld with a ''drum roll''...
