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Garden/Yard List 2020 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter halftwo
- Start date
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Very wise Steve, do you do the Yard listings on eBird as I do now? I wish people would not call their ‘yard’ a 10 squarekm area that they go walking in, that sounds like a local patch to me
Of course in Jos’ case his garden really is that big so he’s forgiven! We’re waiting for an early spring update from Lithuania in fact......
KenM
Well-known member
....Yes Richard, one species down could be called a blip! However, what would you call 7 species down?...:eek!:
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
I’d call that 7 things to look forward to in these otherwise depressing times:t:
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
Very wise Steve, do you do the Yard listings on eBird as I do now? I wish people would not call their ‘yard’ a 10 squarekm area that they go walking in, that sounds like a local patch to me
Of course in Jos’ case his garden really is that big so he’s forgiven! We’re waiting for an early spring update from Lithuania in fact......
Certainly do - and agree about the people who fail to understand how it should work. When you get people including walks of two miles etc - that's a lot of circuits of my garden.
Steve
As a reviewer for eBird most of these 'gardens' have been removed, in the UK anyway. Harder to remove peoples 'patches' that are a whole county or even two or three together in the patch league though!
Since we all include sightings 'from' the garden, mine is no bigger than many I suppose
Only difference is if I can see it, usually it is within my borders Was going to skip this thread this year, but seeing the current situation I may as well jump in. Will update in next days.
sicklebill
well-known Cretaceous relic
We have a 2-acre fenced area around the house and sheds before the mid-altitude rainforest reserve of 120 acres, located at Topaz near Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland. We moved here in mid-February and all my birding has been incidental around this smaller area, but I am gradually building up the list, and now we are self-isolating seems a good point to join the thread.
Common birds are Lewin's Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill and Pied Currawong, whilst Tooth-billed Bowerbird calls nearby, as do Victoria's Riflebird and Spotted Catbird. Chowchilla calls every morning, and what sounds like Rufous Shrike-thrush, though my son took a photo of a Bower's Shrike-thrush, so they overlap here. Australian Swiftlets appear from time to time, and we have a noisy flock of Helmeted Guineafowl that wander in and out and beat up the cockerel and our german shepherd, who both initially thought they might be good to chase but overlooked guineafowl group solidarity!
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and King Parrots are regular, as are Rainbow Lorikeet, and we get a few Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, but oddly I have yet to see a single diurnal raptor in 5 weeks here now. Nightbirds are Southern (Red) Boobook calling most nights, and sometimes Lesser Sooty Owl heard.
Recent additions have been White-eared Monarch, Varied Triller, Rainbow Bee-eater and Brown Cuckoo-Dove, with occasional Pacific Emerald Dove and Wompoo Fruit-Dove, plus Hornbill Friarbird.
Given the shut-down we will be adding to this as autumn advances, as I envisage at least 3-4 months here. Tourism has collapsed and the north is doing it tough, with many people, ourselves included, now out of work. Best wishes to all and stay safe.
Common birds are Lewin's Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill and Pied Currawong, whilst Tooth-billed Bowerbird calls nearby, as do Victoria's Riflebird and Spotted Catbird. Chowchilla calls every morning, and what sounds like Rufous Shrike-thrush, though my son took a photo of a Bower's Shrike-thrush, so they overlap here. Australian Swiftlets appear from time to time, and we have a noisy flock of Helmeted Guineafowl that wander in and out and beat up the cockerel and our german shepherd, who both initially thought they might be good to chase but overlooked guineafowl group solidarity!
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and King Parrots are regular, as are Rainbow Lorikeet, and we get a few Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, but oddly I have yet to see a single diurnal raptor in 5 weeks here now. Nightbirds are Southern (Red) Boobook calling most nights, and sometimes Lesser Sooty Owl heard.
Recent additions have been White-eared Monarch, Varied Triller, Rainbow Bee-eater and Brown Cuckoo-Dove, with occasional Pacific Emerald Dove and Wompoo Fruit-Dove, plus Hornbill Friarbird.
Given the shut-down we will be adding to this as autumn advances, as I envisage at least 3-4 months here. Tourism has collapsed and the north is doing it tough, with many people, ourselves included, now out of work. Best wishes to all and stay safe.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Local Greylags over the house calling before I even got out of bed this morning!
21. Greylag Goose 2+ over
22. Feral Pigeon (I suppose it had to happen sometime.)
23. Jackdaw
Whitey rocked up three times last night before I went to bed and again when a wakeful Maz went down for a fag during the night. I suspect he is either feeding his vixen or caching some of this.
John
21. Greylag Goose 2+ over
22. Feral Pigeon (I suppose it had to happen sometime.)
23. Jackdaw
Whitey rocked up three times last night before I went to bed and again when a wakeful Maz went down for a fag during the night. I suspect he is either feeding his vixen or caching some of this.
John
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
I had two Curlews this morning as well, but sadly not over my garden where they would be a tick but over Swithland Reservoir, where I see them about once every two years. Even better were 2 very distant Cranes a few minutes later, #191 for my reservoir list.
Steve
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Ooh, nice one Steve! Here, one of the resident species (that I see every time I walk from the house through the forest to the village) finally deigned to honour us with a visit:
54 Goldcrest
Otherwise it was all very springlike, with Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Black Redstart and Crag Martins all getting in the mood, just the increase in Brambling numbers to around sixty(!) reminded us that there's a bit of winter left. Some of the males are looking superb, but I liked this female(see photo) enjoying a sunlit shower.:t:
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Curlews and Goldcrest here too over the past couple days. Stormy conditions have produced good seawatching too, 3000+ RT Divers and 1100+ Gannets today was quite the sight...
81 Ringed Plover 19-Mar-20
82 Curlew 19-Mar-20
83 Kestrel 20-Mar-20
84 Goldcrest 20-Mar-20
85 Manx Shearwater 21-Mar-20
81 Ringed Plover 19-Mar-20
82 Curlew 19-Mar-20
83 Kestrel 20-Mar-20
84 Goldcrest 20-Mar-20
85 Manx Shearwater 21-Mar-20
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Whitey twice yesterday evening. The second time he was dirtied up with earth as if he'd just been underground and hadn't cleaned up again. His second visit was followed a little later by Rip (vixen, unsure if connected to Whitey but they are quite tolerant of each other) for the first time in a few days.
Quiet this morning so far.
John
Quiet this morning so far.
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
22 March
Two plus Egyptian Geese over calling woke me up.
24. Egyptian Goose
Later, I went out and did a watch from the back garden. Cold in the house shade with the East wind!
25. Collared Dove
26. Red Kite (one over low, just patrolling, then another very high heading deliberately North.)
John
Two plus Egyptian Geese over calling woke me up.
24. Egyptian Goose
Later, I went out and did a watch from the back garden. Cold in the house shade with the East wind!
25. Collared Dove
26. Red Kite (one over low, just patrolling, then another very high heading deliberately North.)
John
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
March 22nd.
53. Mute Swan - 1 flew over, well overdue
54. Chiffchaff - 1 flycatching and then singing
Ryan's 3000 Red-throated Divers and 1100 Gannets take some beating on a garden list. I suppose I just might get a Gannet one day.
Steve
53. Mute Swan - 1 flew over, well overdue
54. Chiffchaff - 1 flycatching and then singing
Ryan's 3000 Red-throated Divers and 1100 Gannets take some beating on a garden list. I suppose I just might get a Gannet one day.
Steve
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
I was hoping to try some more vis-migging today (I'm a glutton for punishment I know) but the whole area was in cloud till early afternoon, when the local Buzzards started to appear. Installed on the bench I was watching a pair in the distance when what I first took to be a Mistle Thrush or Ring Ousel flashed in front of one of them, it banked left - a falcon! Sure enough, a male Merlin, it even had the temerity to dive bomb a Buzzard further up the valley before it sped further east. Only my second here, the other one an October bird. That raptor feel only increased with at least three, probably four different Sparrowhawks about, then a female Goshawk directly overhead (unusually no alarm calls from crows to alert me so my photo is of its rear end as it went into the distance:C). Next thing a male Peregrine flashed by the side of the house, again I was too slow but later it did a few circles high up for me to get an image or two for the record. All this occurred in the space of 75 minutes, finishing off with an obliging camera friendly first garden Red Kite of the year. Previous years' first Red Kites have been in mid-April, probably immature non-breeders, but this date is early enough for a prospecting bird, they have never nested in the valley so fingers crossed.
55 Merlin
56 Peregrine Falcon
57 Red Kite
55 Merlin
56 Peregrine Falcon
57 Red Kite
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KenM
Well-known member
With the arrival of the first Easterlies this Winter (South East?) and high pressure yesterday and today (with the rest of the week looking good too), I took to the skies with my bins and it's certainly been looking up
Being West facing with the stiff Easterlies blowing off the ridge behind me, it proved to be an attractive draw for local raptors (especially lunch time), and hopefully from elsewhere.
Between 8am-2pm circa one distant flying (or should I say ''trying'' LSWoody) fluttering into the oncoming wind, 6-10 Common Buzzards 4 together at one time, at least 3 Sprawks with one displaying in the middle of 2 displaying Common Buzzards, what appeared to be a ''fork-tailed'' sprawk! another Accip.albeit unassigned, a Peregrine (my 2nd in 2 days/4th for year), plus my 13th Red Kite sighting (gotta be a record) so far for the year...almost joining us for tea. :eek!:....however no ticks, but I'm not complaining....says he nervously looking over his shoulder.
Being West facing with the stiff Easterlies blowing off the ridge behind me, it proved to be an attractive draw for local raptors (especially lunch time), and hopefully from elsewhere.
Between 8am-2pm circa one distant flying (or should I say ''trying'' LSWoody) fluttering into the oncoming wind, 6-10 Common Buzzards 4 together at one time, at least 3 Sprawks with one displaying in the middle of 2 displaying Common Buzzards, what appeared to be a ''fork-tailed'' sprawk! another Accip.albeit unassigned, a Peregrine (my 2nd in 2 days/4th for year), plus my 13th Red Kite sighting (gotta be a record) so far for the year...almost joining us for tea. :eek!:....however no ticks, but I'm not complaining....says he nervously looking over his shoulder.
