The view from my office window. (1 Viewer)

Andy Ledger · Oct 12, 2004

I recently decided to start an office list - just to make the working day more meaningful - and being in the middle of a town, it's not that long. Mostly I see feral pigeons and Black headed Gulls, but there have been highlights - Starlings coming in to roost on the roof just above me (I work on the top floor) or watching large numbers of House Martins heading South recently.

Yesterday was a good day, though. At about 5 pm I was idly looking out of the window and I saw a bird. My initial reaction was 'pigeon', which it usually is. Instead of flapping up and descending with that raised wing thing they do - it just went 'flap, flap, flap, glide', which had me scurrying for my 'work' bins. Sparrowhawk!!! Even better: when I left work, it flew over my head at rooftop height on the way back to the car park. In the space of a week, I've gone from thinking that I've seen all the birds I'm likely to see from the office, to seeing a Jay, a Sparrowhawk and hearing a Green Woodpecker. Maybe I won't ask for a transfer to somewhere more rural JUST yet!

robinm · Oct 12, 2004

Nice one, Andy. Staring out the window is always better than work !

Brian Stone · Oct 12, 2004

Like you Andy I am in an office near a town centre but I have managed to amass 57 species recorded from this unpromising location in 3 or 4 years. Just added Skylark yesterday. Most are fly overs of course but there are still some goodies, e.g. Pink-footed Goose, Goosander, Red Kite, Buzzard, Hobby and Woodcock. Sparrowhawks are almost daily.

Can certainly help to brighten up a dull day at work.

RiB · Oct 12, 2004

I look out over the formal gardens of the Lodge. I have a fair patch of sky too. Whereas I can't beat Brian's impressive 57 species, 40 miles up the A1, I have seen 50. Hightlights are Osprey, Waxwing, Brambling, Crossbill and most recently Raven. We had a pair hanging around in early srping. Perhaps best but not that unexpected, was Firecrest. Last year, four different Firecrests were ringed here! It was only a matter of time before one landed in the conifer outside the window...

Bluetail · Oct 12, 2004

I used to work in the centre of Bristol where I had a very restricted view. My office list was dire. The only decent bird on it was a totally out-of-place Pied Flycatcher which turned up one June day, flitting around the wall of a hotel opposite.

My current office is more productive and has some good birds on it, though my 56 is still behind Brian: Office List. Now if only I could get a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Or if only I'd been looking up at the right time when a Red Kite flew over the nearby university.

Brian Stone · Oct 12, 2004

Just had the first Long-tailed Tits of the year flit through the one tree I can see from here (an ornamental cherry). Takes the year list to 39. My full list (minus Skylark) is on this thread:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=5133

Benjismum · Oct 12, 2004

You are all very lucky!

I look out onto another office about 20ft away from my window. If I crane my neck and put my nose on the glass (and it's a clear day) I can just make out the ruin of Riber Castle, but as far as birds go, it's pigeons on the opposite office roof!

David FG · Oct 12, 2004

Andy Ledger said:
I recently decided to start an office list - just to make the working day more meaningful - and being in the middle of a town, it's not that long. Mostly I see feral pigeons and Black headed Gulls, but there have been highlights - Starlings coming in to roost on the roof just above me (I work on the top floor) or watching large numbers of House Martins heading South recently.

Yesterday was a good day, though. At about 5 pm I was idly looking out of the window and I saw a bird. My initial reaction was 'pigeon', which it usually is. Instead of flapping up and descending with that raised wing thing they do - it just went 'flap, flap, flap, glide', which had me scurrying for my 'work' bins. Sparrowhawk!!! Even better: when I left work, it flew over my head at rooftop height on the way back to the car park. In the space of a week, I've gone from thinking that I've seen all the birds I'm likely to see from the office, to seeing a Jay, a Sparrowhawk and hearing a Green Woodpecker. Maybe I won't ask for a transfer to somewhere more rural JUST yet!

Some of us don't have the time to stare out of the window, Andy

!

David

Alastair Rae · Oct 12, 2004

My last office window faced onto a sort of large court yard with a few trees. In winter there was a Pied Wagtail roost. You'd get hundreds of the beggers chiswicking away as night fell.

Now I'm reduced to the odd kestrel and occassional heron fly-over. I don't hold out much hope for a list over 20.

BarbaraM · Oct 12, 2004

My best was a beautiful red shouldered hawk (I think female by the size) that hung around quite a bit last winter through spring. One afternoon she was pecking at her reflecton at ground level in one of our windows - spectacular view. I've seen her once in late summer this year. Also bush tits, scub jays, crows, have heard woodpeckers but not spotted them.

I look out over a few trees next to a two lane area of car park, a freeway ramp and then the freeway. But on the other sides of the building are a large apartment complex with lots of trees and then the American River parkway, which is just teeming with wildlife, and other office buildings (none more than 3 levels) with lots of trees, bushes. and grass. We also have a small flock of resident chickens that migrated from the University campus just down the road (the large campus flock was eliminated this summer by our new University president, who didn't think that chickens running around were appropriate. Claim is that none were killed - just allowed/encouraged to be caught and taken home...).

By mid-December I'll be moved into an interior office with NO windows. Aargh! But maybe I'll start getting out more, since in the past I've really suffered working in a windowless office. Barbara

Andy Ledger · Oct 13, 2004

David FG said:
Some of us don't have the time to stare out of the window, Andy !

David

Oh, I don't have time - but if I didn't let my attention wander from time to time I'd go crazy! (A more accurate version of that is probably 'If I didn't let my attention wander from time to time, I'd never get any work done')

very boring banned member · Oct 13, 2004

David FG said:
Some of us don't have the time to stare out of the window, Andy !

David

Wouldn't the world be much more nice place if we all took time to watch out

David FG · Oct 13, 2004

Andy Ledger said:
Oh, I don't have time - but if I didn't let my attention wander from time to time I'd go crazy! (A more accurate version of that is probably 'If I didn't let my attention wander from time to time, I'd never get any work done')

Ok, you've convinced me, but would El Supremo swallow that?

David

Mike Pearson · Oct 13, 2004

View From My Home Office Window

I don't have an on-going list but the picture of the Sharp-shinned Hawk was taken through my home office window. The Sharpie stayed around for 10 days and the only evidence of a kill was the remains of a Starling.

Benjismum · Oct 14, 2004

I may not see much from my office window, but my job also involves driving round rural Derbyshire, this is what I've seen from my mobile office (car) window today:

Wren 1
Kingfisher 2
Tree sparrow 2
House sparrow 10+
Rooks 30+
Crow 10+
Blue tit 5
Great tit 5
Coal tit 2
LT tit flock 10+
Blackbird 1
Kestrel 2
Goldcrest 2 (or the same one twice)
Treecreeper 1
Buzzard 1 (came and parked itself on a tree right in front of the car! I
could see the yellow on it's bill and it's very pale,almost white bib)
Buzzard 4 (up together, one being harrassed by a Corvid and two
talon grappling)
BH Gull 10+
Nuthatch 1
Chaffinch 1
Robin 5
Grey heron 2
Mallard 4
Lapwing 7
Goldfinch 20+
Cormorant 1
GC Grebe 2

I'm getting to know the best places to park up and 'write up my work notes'!
This work lark isn't bad after all!

Andy Ledger · Oct 15, 2004

That's cheating! If I included things seen from vehicles while at work I could include Great Northern Diver, Coot, Greylag and Brent Geese, Barn Owl, Kestrel, Green, Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Turtle Dove, Red necked Grebe, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Mallard, Shelduck, Dunlin, Curlew, Song Thrush, Skylark, Pheasant, Red Legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Canada Goose and a lot more. Office means static room in big building! No cheating!

Benjismum · Oct 15, 2004

Shucks! it was worth a try.

Well here is my office list - Pigeons!

cheers Andy

deboo · Oct 15, 2004

We had a Blue Tit in the factory yesterday,
took about 3 hours to convince it to leave.
My 'office' looks out into the factory,
so my list is pretty poor.

1... Blue Tit

Dave

Birdspotter · Oct 15, 2004

Andy Ledger said:
That's cheating! If I included things seen from vehicles while at work I could include Great Northern Diver, Coot, Greylag and Brent Geese, Barn Owl, Kestrel, Green, Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Turtle Dove, Red necked Grebe, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Mallard, Shelduck, Dunlin, Curlew, Song Thrush, Skylark, Pheasant, Red Legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Canada Goose and a lot more. Office means static room in big building! No cheating!

I'm afraid we cant all be suits Andy !
I work in the building trade and as a result I have no windows to stare out of only roofs to look from.
I have found literally hundreds of Waxwings as a result (ears primed waiting for first trill of the winter) and also such goodies as Osprey, Xbills and Peregrines.
Havent worked out my work list yet but my best find was a 3yr Glaucous Gull in Port Seton harbour opposite the house I was working in.
I was just about to sit down for my lunch when it flew past the window to a shout of "White winger" much to the bemusement of my work mates.
I ran outside and preeceded to throw my lunch out for the bird as it gave crippling views, went back indoors very happy but after half an hour I was starving and also skint !!
The ironic thing is that I had been checking this harbour for years with friends looking for white winged Gulls without any joy and the only day i'm working next to it I find one. :bounce:

Rob Williams · Oct 16, 2004

I'll have to start doing this. My office looks onto a patch of land before a retail park. It is however, a bit like an oasis. Regularly see bullfinches, a pair today in fact; a wren hopping along the fence looking for spiders; jay in one of the trees. Something to build on.

Rob

The view from my office window. (1 Viewer)

Falling into disrepair

Registered User

A Stone chatting

Well-known member

Senior Moment

A Stone chatting

Well-known member

The Big Dipper

London birder

Well-known member

Falling into disrepair

New member

The Big Dipper

Active member

Attachments

Well-known member

Falling into disrepair

Well-known member

.............

Well-known member

Well-known member

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread