Spotted a Swallow above my garden chattering away.
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Garden / Yard List 2025 (13 Viewers)
- Thread starter halftwo
- Start date
Bismarck Honeyeater
Barely known member
This morning had a few points of interest:
• 2nd record of Rabbit.
• 4 Starlings - that this is worthy of mention shows that they are getting rare here!
• A brief, distant Lark, hopefully only Sky, as I still need Wood for the year. 😬
• And, finally #89 Green Woodpecker. A bird heard very distantly, but from an area where I usually hear them. Hopefully when the river contractors finally leave us in peace, we will get them back in the garden. Something happened to them 2 years ago, and they are struggling to come back from it.
I’ve just been told that the population in Thetford Forest has fallen from 1,000 pairs to 200 pairs in the last 20 years, cause as yet unknown.
Merlin™️ misbehaving; gave me Crane (Collared Dove) and Redstart (Chaffinch) this morning, which was ironic, as I had the latter as a target today - I managed to find 3 singers and see a probable female, not a million miles away.
I’m pretty hopeful that both Redstart and Crane will genuinely find themselves on my garden list in due course.
• 2nd record of Rabbit.
• 4 Starlings - that this is worthy of mention shows that they are getting rare here!
• A brief, distant Lark, hopefully only Sky, as I still need Wood for the year. 😬
• And, finally #89 Green Woodpecker. A bird heard very distantly, but from an area where I usually hear them. Hopefully when the river contractors finally leave us in peace, we will get them back in the garden. Something happened to them 2 years ago, and they are struggling to come back from it.
I’ve just been told that the population in Thetford Forest has fallen from 1,000 pairs to 200 pairs in the last 20 years, cause as yet unknown.
Merlin™️ misbehaving; gave me Crane (Collared Dove) and Redstart (Chaffinch) this morning, which was ironic, as I had the latter as a target today - I managed to find 3 singers and see a probable female, not a million miles away.
I’m pretty hopeful that both Redstart and Crane will genuinely find themselves on my garden list in due course.
Frank van Drogen
Not so important
Frank van Drogen
Not so important
Beautiful weather and some time to relax yesterday, so we spend a couple of hours in the garden. After getting some of the most unruly growth back in check, I sat down with my bins. After seeing most of the common species (Great Tit, Collared Dove, Magpie etc.) I noticed some high up dots. Zurich garden #XXXIX Common Swift.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Plenty of Green Woodpeckers here BH, maybe they emigrated 
Sometimes being a light sleeper has its benefits, even with double glazing I can be awoken at night by Tawny Owl near the house. The bonus this morning at 02h44 when a male
73 Pygmy Owl
was calling quite close! I’ll double Check later but I’m pretty sure it’s my first April record here.
Sometimes being a light sleeper has its benefits, even with double glazing I can be awoken at night by Tawny Owl near the house. The bonus this morning at 02h44 when a male
73 Pygmy Owl
was calling quite close! I’ll double Check later but I’m pretty sure it’s my first April record here.
CPP Gardener
Well-known member
Finally something new to report. I heard some twittering/chittering waaaaaay up there, waaaaayyy over there and knew it had to be White-throated Swifts, but couldn’t find them for the longest time. I kept watering and looking up and around. Finally they came zooming waaaaay overhead. Then amongst them there was a Barn Swallow zipping through. Probably some other Swallows too, but nothing I could pin down to species.
edenwatcher
Well-known member
41. a very vocal blackcap
Rob
Rob
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
April 30th
58. Swift - initially two, later four
58. Swift - initially two, later four
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
It felt warm enough for Swift here too today but a Clouded Yellow was the only sighting with a summery feel to it, so I end April on 73 species, pretty much in line with the past four years - 72, 72, 72, 71, just call me Mr Consistency!
Montereyman
Well-known member
Merlin picked up the song of a violet-green swallow flying overhead. I looked up and saw one about 70 feet above the ground. But for Merlin I would have missed it entirely.
An Caislín Dearg
Active member
Been away for a while so no recent additions but the day before I left we had strong winds all day which brough a lot of birds into the bay. Spent a while in the evening watching as they made their way back out to sea and No. 83 flew past - 2 dark phase Arctic Skua, my first of the year anywhere.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
No 55 today after a long gap, with half a dozen Swifts loitering late morning.
55 Swift
John
55 Swift
John
Bismarck Honeyeater
Barely known member
Last bird yesterday afternoon was a silent Cuckoo, which flew over the garden, naturally I fumbled getting the camera app open on my phone.
The interesting thing to me is, that I almost certainly saw this bird 6 km downriver earlier in the day. It was a female, with its bubbling call, and was associating with 2-3 males calling nearby. The plumage was quite interesting, having a decidedly pale brown cast to its normal greyness. Nowhere approaching a hepatic female, but not a plumage type I have noticed before. (Male left, female right)
It helps support my theory, that we have a small number of Cuckoos that have a long, linear territory along the river, and move up and down looking for each other, and would-be victims.
This morning I was hoping to add House Sparrow to my May list, they’ve never occurred this month before. I shouldn’t have worried as the male was soon seen, and judging by the feather it was holding, will be with us a while yet, as it is clearly nesting.
View attachment IMG_5970.mov
This brings May up to 81 species cumulatively, not one of my better months.
I’ve only seen 1 male, but earlier in the year, 2 females - are they polygamous?
The interesting thing to me is, that I almost certainly saw this bird 6 km downriver earlier in the day. It was a female, with its bubbling call, and was associating with 2-3 males calling nearby. The plumage was quite interesting, having a decidedly pale brown cast to its normal greyness. Nowhere approaching a hepatic female, but not a plumage type I have noticed before. (Male left, female right)
It helps support my theory, that we have a small number of Cuckoos that have a long, linear territory along the river, and move up and down looking for each other, and would-be victims.
This morning I was hoping to add House Sparrow to my May list, they’ve never occurred this month before. I shouldn’t have worried as the male was soon seen, and judging by the feather it was holding, will be with us a while yet, as it is clearly nesting.
View attachment IMG_5970.mov
This brings May up to 81 species cumulatively, not one of my better months.
I’ve only seen 1 male, but earlier in the year, 2 females - are they polygamous?
Last edited:
Frank van Drogen
Not so important
103. Greenshank - single on fast dwindling flood pool, alongside nine Wood Sandpipers
104. Lesser Spotted Eagle - pair drifting around
104. Lesser Spotted Eagle - pair drifting around
hookem2010
Well-known member
Nonstop south winds continue to push migrants right past us here in central Texas, but I was able to add...
#56 Yellow-breasted chat (#78 all-time!)
A somewhat common migrant, but still one of my better yard birds at this location. Still waiting for warblers though.
#56 Yellow-breasted chat (#78 all-time!)
A somewhat common migrant, but still one of my better yard birds at this location. Still waiting for warblers though.
Bismarck Honeyeater
Barely known member
That’s cumulatively over all past Mays, in this case 7 years. 🤣Your predictive capabilities must be excellent!!
My best May is 66, average 56.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
An early morning surprise when I opened the shutters at 7 o’clock, a female
74 Pied Flycatcher
in the big cherry tree, although regular in autumn the species is a real mega for us in spring, only one previous record, 3 May 2019 ( there was a cracking male just up the road on the previous day, so it was clearly a ‘vintage’year).
The snow has receded from the surrounding mountains much faster than in previous years making it trickier to spot the Black Grouse, fortunately a male chose to venture onto a patch earlier to do some energetic display, I couldn’t see any rivals or females (though the latter tend to stay in the trees so hopefully the male wasn’t wasting his effort!). With the current mini - heatwave I’m hopeful that Cuckoo and Rock Thrush will be visible through the ‘scope up on the Sulens mountain opposite before long……
74 Pied Flycatcher
in the big cherry tree, although regular in autumn the species is a real mega for us in spring, only one previous record, 3 May 2019 ( there was a cracking male just up the road on the previous day, so it was clearly a ‘vintage’year
).The snow has receded from the surrounding mountains much faster than in previous years making it trickier to spot the Black Grouse, fortunately a male chose to venture onto a patch earlier to do some energetic display, I couldn’t see any rivals or females (though the latter tend to stay in the trees so hopefully the male wasn’t wasting his effort!). With the current mini - heatwave I’m hopeful that Cuckoo and Rock Thrush will be visible through the ‘scope up on the Sulens mountain opposite before long……
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
May 2nd
59. Mute Swan - two over
Despite up to 20 or more being ever-present on a pond a few hundred yards away, unfortunately not visible at all from here, it has taken four months for any to venture this far.
59. Mute Swan - two over
Despite up to 20 or more being ever-present on a pond a few hundred yards away, unfortunately not visible at all from here, it has taken four months for any to venture this far.
