Garden/Yard List 2020 (3 Viewers)

Richard Prior · May 8, 2020

Warixenjalka said:
5 - 6 is quite good I think. Or how long you have lived the present place? We bought this house at September 2009 and I have counting Garden ticks since that, even we didn't moved here until January 2011.

It’s very good I would say, normally once I’ve lived somewhere for 2 years new Garden ticks become very difficult, we are here since 2016 and recorded just 2 new ones last year, three already this year is a surprise! Old codgers

like Ken and I probably spend more time garden birding in an average year than many of you who are experiencing lockdown birding so not surprised that more garden lifers are being achieved in these unhappy times.

ClarkWGriswold · May 8, 2020

Just in the garden with my birding buddy and we heard #51.

51. Common Whitethroat

dantheman · May 8, 2020

Richard Prior said:
It’s very good I would say, normally once I’ve lived somewhere for 2 years new Garden ticks become very difficult, we are here since 2016 and recorded just 2 new ones last year, three already this year is a surprise! Old codgers like Ken and I probably spend more time garden birding in an average year than many of you who are experiencing lockdown birding so not surprised that more garden lifers are being achieved in these unhappy times.

I kinda disagree - in my experiences (and I've tended to do a fair bit of garden birding but patchy) I wouldn't expect things to tail off after 2 years - once everything common/regular in an area has been encountered it's true things become harder but irregular and random flyovers are still out there. Maybe it's just chance connecting but if on any kind of flyway/commute route or reasonable time put in I'd expect a regular low increase in new ticks??

KenM · May 8, 2020

Warixenjalka said:
5 - 6 is quite good I think. Or how long you have lived the present place? We bought this house at September 2009 and I have counting Garden ticks since that, even we didn't moved here until January 2011.

37 years at my current address Wari. so 5 lifers over an 18 day period-24th March-11th April was embarrassingly exceptional, considering the residency period. :eek!:

dantheman said:
I kinda disagree - in my experiences (and I've tended to do a fair bit of garden birding but patchy) I wouldn't expect things to tail off after 2 years - once everything common/regular in an area has been encountered it's true things become harder but irregular and random flyovers are still out there. Maybe it's just chance connecting but if on any kind of flyway/commute route or reasonable time put in I'd expect a regular low increase in new ticks??

I tend to agree with Dan’s assessment particularly if one puts in an excessive amount of time, laced with a modicum of obsessiveness

you should connect more often, although weeks of zilch (unfavourable weather patterns etc.) can test the patience and dedication somewhat. If the truth were known we’re probably all guilty to a greater or lesser degree of spending more time at the window than we should, instead of doing something more useful...Lockdown has certainly helped. :t:

Steve Lister · May 8, 2020

May 8th

70. Whimbrel - heard overhead at 00.12 whilst checking my moth trap

#66 for my Garden Lockdown List.

Steve

ClarkWGriswold · May 8, 2020

52. Swift

Steve Lister · May 9, 2020

May 9th

71. Crossbill - one heard-only calling as it flew SW high overhead

Steve

timsg80 · May 9, 2020

A fantastic number of other migrants through this Spring, hopefully a few more before Spring is done!

65. Western Bonelli's Warbler
66. European Turtle Dove
67. Whinchat
68. Common Cuckoo
69. Western Marsh Harrier
70. Moltoni's Warbler
71. Thekla Lark
72. Long-tailed Tit
73. Garden Warbler
74. Western Yellow Wagtail
75. Eleonora's Falcon
76. Cetti's Warbler
77. Zitting Cisticola
78. Purple Heron

I also thought I might have seen a Balearic Warbler, definitely one I'll be keeping an eye out for!

birdmeister · May 9, 2020

Busy week of final exams, but I got out for a bit (later than I wanted) yesterday morning and had a good trio of birds.

95. Nashville Warbler (new yard bird, heard only)
96. Yellow-throated Vireo (new yard bird, pretty much heard only)
97. White-crowned Sparrow

Others in the general area had fantastic warbler fallouts. One friend of mine who has some woods had about 20 species of warblers in the last two days! I narrowly missed adding Cape May Warbler to my list, having seen a probable flyover. The White-crowned Sparrow could probably have been in bold. A smart adult, this was the time I see them most in the yard, though not quite annual. I've attached a picture of it.

Can I reach 100 in the next week or two? Monday morning could be great, with SW winds forecast then and Thursday/Friday, too.

Unfortunately, we're in a near-record cold snap today. I was informed that our Eastern Bluebird nestlings (4) didn't survive the night. I guess thousands of chicks died with the freeze. Part of nature, for sure.

KenM · May 10, 2020

Rook was a good start to the day at 7am (4th) this year with Common Tern South at 7.30 (2nd), followed by 5 Starlings over, then 4 Swifts and 2 Grey Lags by 9.10 am. As it was going to be a mid 20's (C) day we took our 10k steps earlier than usual and were back home by 11.45 am.

Not much en-route with Common Whitethroats appearing to have stopped singing on the plain although Blackcap and Garden Warblers were still vocal. A couple of Common Buzzards and a Kestrel being the only other highlights, once home the tea and toast went down well and set me up for a ''sustained'' sky-watch thereafter.

With eyes already smarting from the 7am start I was not relishing ''the rest of day'', even though a colleague living in West Sussex had texted me the day before with his high elevation hat-trick of Northbound flyover adult male..pale morph Honey Buzzards. With reddened eyes I stared out into the South facing heat haze not expecting much at all, after ten minutes or so a couple of onward flying Herring Gulls appeared low over the canopy breaking the boredom.

After another ten minutes or so ''another gull'' (sharp elbowed and pale underneath) circa 200' up was on the same trajectory, raised the bins, that's no Larus, it's a Buteo I murmured, as it disappeared behind the Ash tree!
Camera grabbed! I shutter-burst as it emerged from the other side, images were never going to be particularly good as the sensor was struggling to ''lock on'' into the South facing glare.

Perhaps a dozen images in all and all less than sharp (resulting in a degree of contrast adjustment and tone lightening) to attempt to bring out what little detail there was. However structure was very evident-with small head, long tail with under-tail terminal bands and fairly typical flight posture. Honey Buzzard no.78. This was followed by my 4th Willow Warbler and 3rd Common Tern carrying small fry....not forgetting an evening toast to the bird of the day! :t:

ClarkWGriswold · May 10, 2020

Congrats on the sweet BOP Ken. For only the second time ever we had a Kestrel over the back garden this morning.

53. Common Kestrel

KenM · May 10, 2020

ClarkWGriswold said:
Congrats on the sweet BOP Ken. For only the second time ever we had a Kestrel over the back garden this morning.

53. Common Kestrel

Thanks Rich appreciated, Interestingly Kestrel is the scarcest falcon for me too, apart from Merlin which I’ve only had once in 37 years. :t:

birdmeister · May 11, 2020

Never mind a week or two, we're over 100 by the end of today!

This morning was quite cold, just a bit above freezing. Birds were not flying much, but I had some great birds in the yard.

98. Blue-headed Vireo (2nd yard record, first was 9 years ago!)
99. Tennessee Warbler (2nd yard record)
100. Common Yellowthroat (crushing views)

I went out again about noon and promptly scored a male

101. Cape May Warbler

in the spruces. The final year addition for the day was two

102. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

that didn't stop at all on their way north.

Of special note were 21 (!!!) Bald Eagles over the yard today, 19 of which were migrants. This is a fantastic spring count for the area and probably a new all-time county high!

There's currently great migration overhead tonight. Tomorrow morning could be interesting!

Photos include Tree Swallow, Eastern Kingbird, and Bald Eagle.

Warixenjalka · May 11, 2020

The pandemic caused the annual Battle of the Towers had been canceled. It was replaced by the Battle of the Yards. At Saturday morning 5 am I climbed to the roof of Sauna with my scope, binos and camera. I stayed there for 10.30 am which point the wind was so hard, I have to come down. Rest of the time, till 1 pm, I stood in the yard, from where the view of the surroundings is much more limited than from the roof. I manage to observe 46 species. 6 of them was new garden ticks for this year and one Garden lifer. On those 8 hours time 3775 Barnacles, about 400 un-ID Geese and one Anser sp flew to East.

#68. Osprey
#69. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Second garden record. :t:
#70. Willow Warbler - heard only
#71. Goldcrest - Last seen 2017
#72. Northern Wheatear - Garden lifer! B

#73. Barn Swallow

Four more and I have broken my year record. :king:

All photos from that Saturday

Richard Prior · May 11, 2020

Excellent stuff BM and Wari ( a new record for the year looks guaranteed!)

Farnboro John · May 11, 2020

Another long-overdue one, normally near-daily, silent for the last several weeks:

63. Green Woodpecker calling from trees beyond the brook.

dantheman · May 11, 2020

A Red Kite today - as part of the major annual Cornwall influx incredibly disappointing rear end views of a single individual heading low NE this morning.

:-O

birdmeister · May 12, 2020

I was really excited for a good flight yesterday morning, but the pesky rain lingered for a bit too long. Nothing really to complain about, though, with a year addition and yet another new yard bird!

103. Northern Parula (heard only, new yard bird)
104. Green Heron

It's quite windy and cool at the moment, but migration should continue at a trickle. Later this week has forecast S and SW winds. Nocturnal Swainson's Thrush should be any day now!

Warixenjalka · May 14, 2020

I was just Jitsy-meeting for an 1½ hour and saw two new one from upstairs window:

#74. Pied Flycatcher
#75. Common Swift

KenM · May 15, 2020

Warixenjalka said:
I was just Jitsy-meeting for an 1½ hour and saw two new one from upstairs window:

#74. Pied Flycatcher
#75. Common Swift

I've just noted Wari, that we both got Northern Wheatear as ''garden life ticks'' recently. :t:

No ticks from the garden today (apart from a maximum Red Kite appearance x3) as such, however my first (local) birding trip since Lockdown.
Rules have been eased in ''England only'' albeit I have a feeling that that they'll soon be slapped back on as the ''R'' rate has increased to 1. :eek!:

A watch from the house today produced this Little Egret that attempted to thwart my recently cleaned windows, fortunately he missed as did the gutter Swifts.

We then drove to a local ''Birding spot'' that was more empty than our once a week trip to the local supermarket!

Highlights were 5 Hobby interacting over the weir, a Harrier sp. that I was unable to image due to overgrown hedges, an immature Gadwall some Common Terns and an ''I know not what terrapin'', Big enough to make your eyes water upon making contact with an unguarded digit. :-O

Garden/Yard List 2020 (3 Viewers)

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Carpe Carpum

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Carpe Carpum

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Birdwitcher

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Halfway up an Alp

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