A Garden List (1 Viewer)

Yay - my first sighting of a green woodpecker today. There's two moved into the woods, and they were doing a lot of call and refrain around lunchtime. Then one flew into the old oak tree which overlooks my garden. They are very noisy fellas indeed - made the neighbour's mutt go "crackerdog" (copyright - James Herriot)- loads of barking and scrabbling around.

Whilst I doubt they'll come into the garden (unless an anthill miraculously appears overnight) it's good to know they're about - I thought they were a mythical being, even though they are supposed to live in the Snape Wood 'nature reserve' (ironic quotes as the site is Council owned and very neglected).

The resident tawny owl has also taken up residence near my house too !

Another first in Clayts' garden - a female chaffinch, who incredibly helps herself to sunflower hearts from a hanging feeder. She's not too clever at using it, preferring to flap wildly around the holes and hope she can fluke a seed out of the holes. She's done pretty well so far and keeps returning.

So, still a very modest list, but gradually, gradually improving :

great tit
blue tit
coal tit
magpie
woodpigeon
blackbird
robin
dunnock
collared dove
chaffinch

Common visitors to my garden are -

Cardinals
Mockingbirds
Red Bellied Woodpeckers
Downy Woodpeckers
Tutfed Titmouse
Carolina Wrens
Carolina Chickadees
American Robins
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds
Brown Thrashers
Towhees
Common Grackles
Crows
Mourning Doves
House Finches
Gold Finches
Blue Jays
Chipping Sparrows
House Sparrows
Pileated Woodpeckers
Eastern Bluebirds

Occassional vistors to my garden are -

Northern Flickers
Cedar Waxwings
Red Tailed Hawks
Rose Breasted Grosbeaks

And I am sure I there are more I have either left out or just not identified yet!

Saturday 6.30am saw the first visit by a sparrowhawk (which I witnessed) who, I think, went away empty-clawed - too fast to see whether the dunnock rustling around in a shrub was taken or not.

Up to 11 now....slowly but surely increasing

great tit
blue tit
coal tit
magpie
woodpigeon
blackbird
robin
dunnock
collared dove
chaffinch
sparrowhawk

I see most people here are from Europe or North America... well, my list will be rather different, as I live in the city of São Paulo (southeast Brazil)

Very common birds:

Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus
Rufous-bellied Thrush, Turdus rufiventris
Rufous-collared Sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis
Plain Parakeet, Brotogeris tirica
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
Sayaca Tanager, Thraupis sayaca
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Eupetomena macroura
Bananaquit, Coereba flaveola


Less common birds:

Southern Lapwing, Vanellus chilensis
Pale-breasted Thrush, Turdus leucomelas
Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana
Palm Tanager, Thraupis palmarum
White-eyed Parakeet, Aratinga leucophthalmus
Common Waxbill, Estrilda astrild
Ruddy Ground Dove, Columbina talpacoti
Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus
Rufous Hornero, Furnarius rufus
House Wren, Troglodytes aedon

I probably forgot somethings...

A good garden tick today:

80) flyover Osprey, high and flying south!:t: Feeling pretty chuffed with this one.

my garden today:

starlings
dunnock
magpie
yellow hammer
wood pigeons
robin
blue tits
great tits

visiting occasionally now blackbirds

only a few weeks ago was about to give up on the bird feeding as was not getting any visitors after a couple of months, but things slowly picking up, first time i've ever seen a yellow hammer in my garden so really chuffed with that one.

Here's a bird I never thought I'd be adding to a garden list:

Turkey Vulture

Not just one, but three. They roosted overnight, got some very impressive views of one in particular this morning. Nothing like having my morning coffee and watching a vulture barely thirty feet away yawning and scratching at its head. One of them even turned around and spread its wings out like a cormorant when full sun hit the perch it was on. One of the others looked like it was molting, judging by the ragged look of the feathers and multiple vigorous preening sessions-quite clearly saw white down flying off it.

Very cool, I'd never seen one so close and for such a long period before. Eventually they left, but not before giving me well over an hour of clear, close viewing.

Also have a familiar, but uncommon visitor. Red-breasted Nuthatch, I've seen it here before, always in the fall. It probably lives further north but comes down when food is scarce. Very cute, a little shy though.

~DH

during the last month

goldfinches (50) :eek!:
blue tits
coal tits
long tailed tits
wren
robin
blackbird
starling
great tit
greenfinch
collared dove
wood pidgeon
magpie
sparrowhawk - took one of our goldfinches :eek!:


there was also another bird who came but i could not recognise it

small - smaller than a bluetit-, 2 tone brown on the top and reddish/ruddy underneath - no its not a robin, very sleek looking, possibly a nuthatch?

Ive always wanted to list the Birds ive seen in my Garden, and this thread gives me the chance to do just that!

Im counting flyovers aswell, so....although not actually perched within the confines of my Garden, they did appear over it, so count.


Cormorant ( 1 record )
Grey Heron ( Regular )
Canada Goose ( Regular during spring and Autunm )
White-fronted Goose ( 1 record )
Mallard ( Regular, Breeds adjacent )
Black-headed Gull ( Regurlar, esp winter )
Herring Gull ( ditto )
Lesser Black-back ( Recorded throughtout the year )
Great Black-back ( Rare Winter )
Common Gull ( Spring/Autunm )
Woodpigeon ( Breeds )
Stock Dove ( Regular )
Collared Dove ( Breeds nearby, regular )
Feral Pigeon ( hehehehe)
Magpie ( Breeds )
Carrion Crow ( Regular )
Jackdaw ( Regular )
Rook ( Rare, winter )
Raven ( 1st record last week!!!)
Buzzard ( Regular )
Honey Buzzard ( Single record from the Invasion year)
Goshawk ( 3 records )
Sparrowhawk ( Regular )
Peregrine ( Regular, breeds nearby )
Kestrel ( Regular, Breeds nearby )
Hobby ( Single spring record )
Sand Martin ( Scarce Spring )
Swallow ( Regular )
House Martin ( Regular )
Swift ( Regular )
Tawny Owl ( Mostly Autunm/winter )
Blackbird ( Breeds)
Fieldfare ( Winter, hard weather )
Redwing ( Regular, winter )
Song Thrush ( Breeds)
Mistle Thrush ( Regular )
Robin ( Breeds )
Green Woodpecker ( Autunm visitor )
Grt. Spot Woodpecker ( Regular, but scarce)
House Sparrow ( Regular, but declining )
Chaffinch ( Breeds locally )
Brambling ( One record )
Goldfinch ( Breeds Locally )
Greenfinch ( Breeds locally )
Bullfinch ( Mostly winter )
Siskin ( Regular winter )
Common Redpoll ( Regular Winter )
Meally Redpoll (One record )
Blackcap ( Breeds, winter)
Chiffchaff ( Regular spring and autunm. occ winter )
Willow Warbler ( Regular spring and Autunm )
Goldcrest ( Regular, breeds locally )
Skylark ( One or two most autunms, flyovers)
Dunnock ( Regular, Breeds )
Nuthatch ( Winter )
Treecreeper ( Winter )
Blue tit ( Breeds )
Great tit ( Breeds )
Coal Tit ( Winter )
Willow Tit ( Rare winter visitor most years)
Long-Tailed Tit ( Breeds )
Reed Bunting ( Winter, occ )
Ring Necked Parakeet ( 1 record )
Pied Wagtail ( Regular winter )
Grey Wagtail ( Regular winter )
Wren ( Breeds )
Starling ( Breeds )

Im fairly lucky that i have a pond that backs on to my Garden, that i live in a well wooded area of Brum that is open, and is located near to two wildlife corridors, aswell as Bartley res and Edgbaston Pool LNR.

My list is still pretty feeble in comparison to that little lot, WiseOwl but I've only been at it since June :

feeding in garden

Blue tits
Great tits
Coal tits (plus the two of them steal seed throughout the day, almost non-stop)
Dunnocks
Chaffinches (lots at present - recent arrivals)
Collared doves
Woodpigeons
Magpies
Great spotted woodpecker (just the one - once only, not seen since)
Blackbirds
Robins
Wrens

on fence or on oak tree in woods overhanging my garden

sparrowhawk
jay
tawny owl
green woodpecker

Plenty of fly overs, but I'm still trying to identify these

mammals

grey squirrels (up to 8, rarely more than two at once, including Numbnuts my very tame guard squirrel)
hedgehogs (up to 3 - had them all in my garden once)
bats (not sure what type, as they are only out very briefly and are impossible to focus on as they flit about - only 2 of these at any one time, usually just one)

When its sunny and clear, scan the heavens...you may be surprised what passes over, especially early mornings.

Ive not been so lucky with other Wildlife. Foxes occasionally visit, mostly during the Winter, and i have found signs of Hedgehog, but besides the numerous Squirrel and Rats, i dont see much.

Ive had Daubentons and Pips on an evening, and i KNOW there is more stuff out there, but im sure i will see more as the garden develops.

Yay - the ransacking flock of 7 or 8 long-tailed tits which I have seen around the estate the last couple of weeks finally found their way into my garden for a snack stop this morning - I hope they pop in every day. What cheerful, cheeky and confident birds they are - I was able to stand, slack-jawed, within about a foot of them as they went to work on my suety goodness....

My garden list for Douliou, Taiwan:

1. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
2. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
3. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
4. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
5. Malayan Night-Heron Gorsachius melanolophus
6. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
7. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
8. Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca
9. White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
10. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
11. Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis
12. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
13. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
14. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
15. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
16. Rock Pigeon Columba livia
17. Red Collared-Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica
18. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
19. Collared Scops-Owl Otus bakkamoena
20. Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis
21. House Swift Apus nipalensis
22. Taiwan Barbet Megalaima nuchalis
23. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
24. Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha
25. Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula
26. Plain Martin Riparia paludicola
27. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
28. Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica
29. Striated Swallow Cecropis striolata
30. White Wagtail Motacilla alba
31. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
32. Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis
33. Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
34. Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius
35. Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis
36. Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris
37. Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
38. Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus
39. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
40. Grey-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia
41. Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus
42. Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus
43. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
44. Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae
45. White-vented Myna Acridotheres javanicus
46. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
47. Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus
48. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
49. White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata
50. Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

Well, I can't miss out on this one, can I?

Here goes...

Starlings - See them, no more than 25 metres away, yet never in my Garden!
Blackbirds - Recent rapid growth - Breeds in trees behind house
Blue Tits - A pair and 4 chicks, bred in Bird Box in '08
Coal Tits - Breeds in trees behind house
Great Tit - Only the one
Goldfinch - Finally came to our garden in '08, 3 years of wait! A pair.
Greenfinch - At least 10, devours Sunflower Hearts!
House Sparrows - LOVE THEM! Breed in hedge, 2 broods of about 6.
Dunnock - Have only seen the one so far, first seen in '08.
Great Spotted Woodpecker - A pair. Beautiful Birds.
Robin - Just the one, yet what a character. Has a right go at Woodpigeons.
Woodpigeon - Who doesn't have them? And oh so clumsy...
Collared Dove - Love their call, who needs an alarm clock?
Magpie - Have seen about 8 in the past month, where do they come from?

Thats it, guys! Keep commenting on what is a fabulous thread. Shall keep you all updated with new arrivals.

MattSharps

A new garden bird for us today, so here's our list. Ones marked * we've only seen once. Flyovers only aren't included.

1 House Sparrow
2 Robin
3 Starling
4 Blackbird
5 Song Thrush
6 Mistle Thrush
7 Blue Tit
8 Coal Tit
9 LT Tit
10 Great Tit
11 Nuthatch
12 Goldfinch
13 Chaffinch
14 Greenfinch
15 Bullfinch*
16 Siskin*
17 Linnet
18 Jackdaw
19 Carrion Crow
20 Jay
21 Magpie
22 Grey Heron*
23 Pheasant
24 BH Gull
25 Stock Dove
26 Collared Dove
27 Wood Pigeon
28 Wren
29 Dunnock
30 Blackcap
31 Swallow*
32 House Martin
33 Mallard
34 Sparrowhawk
35 GS Woodpecker
36 Green Woodpecker
37 Yellowhammer*
38 Whitethroat
39 Willow Warbler
40 Brambling* (today)

Bogey bird: Rook - we can hear the rookery only quarter of a mile away, but still not one in the garden....

Down on the Farm in Oklahoma

I have a small acreage and boarding stable. The acreage includes a sewage lagoon, stocked pond, pasture, yard, and good stand of trees in the back. Across the street is 180 acres of pasture with a small herd of cattle.

At my property and at the feeders this week are:

36 Species:
Canada Goose
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Bewick Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Savannah Sparrow
Harris Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

This week is about normal. I usually run between 30 and 40 different species. Birds I missed seeing, that are normally somewhere on the property this time of year, include:

Carolina Wren
Mallard Duck
Field Sparrows
Chipping Sparrows

41. Pied Wagtail (nothing for ages, then 2 in a week!)

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the maple tree today.

Some Mourning Doves on the telephone lines behind the yard, too.

Down on the Farm in Oklahoma

Added a Field Sparrow and a Yellow Rumped Wabler last week. Saw my Kingfisher this morning again. I am trying to get the Bewick's Wren to eat freeze dried meal worms off the front porch. So far he is just hopping around them.