Jane Turner
Well-known member
Three more migrants this morning - Wheatear, Sand Martin and Little Gull (76)
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Garden (Yard) List 2012 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Larry Lade
- Start date
Jane Turner
Well-known member
246 species together now.
Larry Lade
Moderator
25. Cedar Waxwing, (x 5) taking a drink from our backyard pond and perching in trees in our yard.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
That's another new one 247. Who will get the 250th
chowchilla
Well-known member
The rainy season proceeded in fits and starts until late February, then it finally got into full swing, the result being impossibly wet conditions for birding.
I've been mostly limited to what I see from my study, but contrary to this managed to add one more bird during the week (Thursday? Odd that I'm not sure of the exact day...) a Torresian Crow flapped over heading south west as I stood outside waiting for a taxi to work (way too wet and hazardous for cycling at the mo...) heading South-West.
There're a few pairs over the northern beaches but they tend to wander (I saw one at Crystal Cascades the other week), so I was quietly confident of adding one at some stage.
72) Torresian Crow.
I've been mostly limited to what I see from my study, but contrary to this managed to add one more bird during the week (Thursday? Odd that I'm not sure of the exact day...) a Torresian Crow flapped over heading south west as I stood outside waiting for a taxi to work (way too wet and hazardous for cycling at the mo...) heading South-West.
There're a few pairs over the northern beaches but they tend to wander (I saw one at Crystal Cascades the other week), so I was quietly confident of adding one at some stage.
72) Torresian Crow.
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Spring Alive. After the virtual silence of long winter months, a kaleidoscope of sounds to herald the first major arrival of the year. With the snow largely gone and a respectable 13 C marking the weekend, what a pleasure it was. Birds everywhere, hundreds of Skylarks pouring north, flocks of Fieldfares too, Blackbirds in the forest, Grey Herons dropping into the colony.
A notable reduction in intensity at the feeding station, but the din echoing from meadow and forest certainly compensated. Yodelling, drumming, trumpeting, chirping from all quarters. Leading the pack, Common Cranes in the meadows - a pair, a flock of four, two singles - certainly not vocally-challenged! Also in the orchestra, occasional peee-weeets from Lapwings, a constant musical backdrop of Skylarks, rude kronks of Grey Herons and mega-decibel White-backed Woodpecker drumming from the forest, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker adding a soft accompaniment, the other woodpeckers throwing in their added extras as desired.
And then an almighty yapping yodel, a White-tailed Eagle dropping into a clump of think pines a little beyond my cabin. A good bird for my land, I rarely see more than one or two a year here, so what was to follow was a treat indeed. From the forest emerged not one, but three adult White-tailed Eagles, most clearly a pair and an intruder, a good deal of argy bargy and noise till the undesired one finally lumbered off, the pair then engaging in full aerial display for some half an hour, repeatedly dropping back to the very same patch of trees. Hmm, interesting. Never seen three together here, so a good sighting all in all.
Better still, from the forest edge, where the undergrowth met the still frozen swampland, up flushed a Woodcock, only my third record on the land. Yay, spring is here, bring it on.
Also added a rather stunning Goshawk. No sign of my Three-toed Woodpecker however, I guess he has finally decided it time to move on.
29. Grey Heron.
30. White-tailed Eagle.
31. Goshawk.
32. Woodcock.
33. Common Crane.
34. Meadow Pipit.
35. Mistle Thrush.
36. Blackbird.
37. Fieldfare.
38. Starling.
39. Jackdaw.
40. Chaffinch.
41. Linnet.
A notable reduction in intensity at the feeding station, but the din echoing from meadow and forest certainly compensated. Yodelling, drumming, trumpeting, chirping from all quarters. Leading the pack, Common Cranes in the meadows - a pair, a flock of four, two singles - certainly not vocally-challenged! Also in the orchestra, occasional peee-weeets from Lapwings, a constant musical backdrop of Skylarks, rude kronks of Grey Herons and mega-decibel White-backed Woodpecker drumming from the forest, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker adding a soft accompaniment, the other woodpeckers throwing in their added extras as desired.
And then an almighty yapping yodel, a White-tailed Eagle dropping into a clump of think pines a little beyond my cabin. A good bird for my land, I rarely see more than one or two a year here, so what was to follow was a treat indeed. From the forest emerged not one, but three adult White-tailed Eagles, most clearly a pair and an intruder, a good deal of argy bargy and noise till the undesired one finally lumbered off, the pair then engaging in full aerial display for some half an hour, repeatedly dropping back to the very same patch of trees. Hmm, interesting. Never seen three together here, so a good sighting all in all.
Better still, from the forest edge, where the undergrowth met the still frozen swampland, up flushed a Woodcock, only my third record on the land. Yay, spring is here, bring it on.
Also added a rather stunning Goshawk. No sign of my Three-toed Woodpecker however, I guess he has finally decided it time to move on.
29. Grey Heron.
30. White-tailed Eagle.
31. Goshawk.
32. Woodcock.
33. Common Crane.
34. Meadow Pipit.
35. Mistle Thrush.
36. Blackbird.
37. Fieldfare.
38. Starling.
39. Jackdaw.
40. Chaffinch.
41. Linnet.
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Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
chowchilla
Well-known member
I've just seen a great bird!
A rare break in the seemingly relentless torrential rain saw me watching the trees from my study this avo. I could see some activity in the trees across from my neighbours' garden (Helmeted Friarbirds, a pair of Drongos and a single White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike), when up onto a branch popped an Oriental Cuckoo! These birds winter in Cairns in small numbers but can be difficult to locate as they are very skulky and generally silent. There's one reliable spot near the ambulance station in Anderson Street however where you have a good chance of seeing one in the summer.
This bird wasn't even on my radar of expected species but on the face of it I suppose it is not altogether too surprising.
73) Oriental Cuckoo.
A rare break in the seemingly relentless torrential rain saw me watching the trees from my study this avo. I could see some activity in the trees across from my neighbours' garden (Helmeted Friarbirds, a pair of Drongos and a single White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike), when up onto a branch popped an Oriental Cuckoo! These birds winter in Cairns in small numbers but can be difficult to locate as they are very skulky and generally silent. There's one reliable spot near the ambulance station in Anderson Street however where you have a good chance of seeing one in the summer.
This bird wasn't even on my radar of expected species but on the face of it I suppose it is not altogether too surprising.
73) Oriental Cuckoo.
edenwatcher
Well-known member
84. Treecreeper (never predictable, so nice to get one early in the year).
The tree sparrow investigating a nest box was perhaps even better.
Rob
The tree sparrow investigating a nest box was perhaps even better.
Rob
edenwatcher
Well-known member
Not very exciting but
85. meadow pipit
Rob
85. meadow pipit
Rob
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
dantheman
Bah humbug
And now to Falmouth. Over a week has gone by with no new birds. Still picking up Little Egret and Mute Swans on the Penryn river on a daily basis, but the Curlews have long since departed. Scanning the visible water at high tide today was rewarded with -
53) Green Sandpiper
jinxing briefly back and forth in flight (I saw it land behind some reeds, but not again).
53) Green Sandpiper
jinxing briefly back and forth in flight (I saw it land behind some reeds, but not again).
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Merlin, Turnstone and Golden Plover added this morning.
79/46/24
79/46/24
