Garden Birds (1 Viewer)

With the start of 2007 I have for the first time started a year list and a seperate one of all birds seen in my garden. What with doing that and Garden Birdwatch coming up soon, I've been thinking about what my favourite and most unusual visitors have been.
Difficult to choose so I've stuck to ones that actually landed in the garden and come up with my top three.

Favourite: Long Tailed Tit, Wren, House Sparrow
Most Unusual: Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Kingfisher
Most Common (currently): House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit
They've visited but I wish they'd come more often!: Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Pied Wagtail
Most Wanted (that has never been)!: Nuthatch

House Sparrow may seem an odd choice for favourites but it is just because they are in abundance all year round and without them my garden would be empty some days. The male Yellowhammer was a wonderful surprise under the feeder one day, looked like someone had painted the head of a sparrow!

Would anyone like to share their garden favourites? Give you something to think about! :bounce:

Hi Kezza.

My favourite regular visitors are without doubt the Blackbirds. They always nest in or near the garden and seem to become quite attached. I am sure if I spent some time at it I could have them feeding from the hand. However I don't advocate that type of behaviour towards wild birds. I think the Blackbirds song is very much under rated too. The Song Thrush has to be a close second and would probably take first place if only I saw more of them. I used to have them all of the time once upon a time but no longer. There has definately been more about recently however.

A rare visitor which is one of my favourite birds over all is the Bullfinch. Seeing a male Bullfinch in full sunlight is something very special I think.

I too have a soft spot for the spuggie which I have in the garden in numbers every day. I used to like to watch the Starlings too which which visit every day but in much lower numbers now. They have great characters, cheeky chappies and have a spark about them and I like that in birds just as I do in people.

take care

What a good idea for a thread, Kezza.

I think my over all favourite visitor is the GSW - I just love them, and they cling to the peanut feeder for ages, munching away. But then, I also like to watch the nuthatch. And the male bull finch. And the sparrows. Not forgetting the wren.

Hmmmm ... not so sure I can choose a single favourite :bounce:

Hi Kezza,
Favourites... Blackbirds, I love to watch them chasing one another around the garden! and I too love the H.Sparrows, such cheerful chirrups they give, and my Jackies, of course! then there's the Song Thrush, & the L.T.Tits and the Wren, oh and the Coal Tits &.....oh gosh....I love 'em all!! & can't choose! :'D
Most Common would have to be H.Sparrow, Starlings, Goldfinches & Blackbirds.
Most Unusual...I suppose would have to be the Grey Heron that landed on the roof opposite when there's no water or ponds around!
Visited...I'd love to see the GSW come again
Most Wanted...to see the Greenfinches back again... Bullfinch, never had one...and a Nuthatch would be most welcome!
I envy you the Yellowhammer, not seen one for years and the Kingfisher...Wow...what a garden visitor!!

Hi Kezza...love the new avatar...they are my favourite, somehow they seem to have a smile lurking there somewhere!

Favourites.....Goldfinch, Robin and Blue Tit.
Most common.....Sparrow, Starling and Blackbird.
Most unusual....like Judo, the Heron that landed on the garage roof last year.
Visit more often...Long Tailed Tits (they`re in the lane not 100m away, but rarely visit) Great Tit (unlike the Blue, they only come every now and then) and Collared Dove (all around the village, but somehow they don`t like my garden)
Most wanted...Treecreeper, Nuthatch and GSW.

Great thread!

Hi Kezza,

A super thread, though one which requires a good deal of thought, but here are mine.

Favourite: Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests,
Most Unusual: Marsh Tits, GSW (sadly only in summer), Bullfinches
Most Common Tree Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Starlings, Jackdaws, Magpie, Robins, Dunnock, Goldfinches, Chaffinch and Greenfinches also until numbers have diminished so much recently!
Most WantedJays, Treecreepers, Longtails
They've visited but I wish they'd come more often! Marsh Tit, Bullfinches Chiffchaffs.
Most Wanted (that has never been) Nuthatch for me too - and - Treecreeper!

Sue.

Hi Kezza. Love the new hair style!

Hmmmmmm. There is always a new favourite(s) ....

Favourite: Black-capped Chickadee, Starling, Carolina Wren, Ruby-throated Hummingbird .....

Most Unusual: Rufous-sided Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Most Common (currently): House Sparrow, Red and House Finches, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-crowned Sparrow, Mourning Dove ...

They've visited but I wish they'd come more often!: Pileated Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing

Most Wanted (that has never been)!: ??? Not sure!

Hi Kezza,
Here is the voting from the Cheshire judge!
Favourite: Dunnock
Most Unusual:Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (once)
Most Common (currently): House Sparrow
Most Wanted (that has never been)Waxwing (we can but dream!)
Best wishes,

Here's my votes:

Favourite: Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest

Most Unusual: Reed Bunting, Male Pheasant, Redwing, Fieldfare, Tree Sparrow

Most Common: House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Blue Tit & Great Tit

They've visited but I wish they'd come more often! Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinches, Long Tailed Tits

Most Wanted -That has never been! - Nuthatch, Blackcap

Hi Kezza,

My list is:

Favourite: Robin, Blackbird and the Tit families.

Most unusual: Tawny Owl (once)

Most common: Dunnock, Robin and Blackbird.

Visited: Nuthatch, Bullfinch, G.S.Woodpecker. Waxwings(I missed them though :C )

Most wanted: Waxwings to return so I can see them

A great thread Kezza :t:

Favourite: Tree Sparrow

Most Unusual: Hoopoe! But that was before I was even born...>:-(

Most Common: Blue Tit & Great Tit

They've visited but I wish they'd come more often! Bullfinch

Most Wanted -That has never been! - Erm. Hoopoe again? Maybe not too realistic. Would also like Little Owl or a Waxwing like Ruth. Not that Ruth is like a waxwing, if you understand what i mean.

Good Thread, Kezza.

Hi Kezza,

An interesting (and not easy) question.

Anyway, after some thought, here are my contributions.

Favourites: Blackbirds, Robins, Blue Tits

Most unusual: Tawny Owl, Buzzard, Turtle Dove, Wheatear, Reed Bunting (all 'oncers')

Most Common: Collared Doves, Rooks, Greenfinches, Blackbirds (based on 'year-round')

They've visited but......: Long-Tailed Tits, Siskins, Green Woodpeckers (plus any of the 'one-offs above)

Most wanted.......: Spotted Flycatcher, Yellowhammer, Treecreeper (I've resisted all the 'improbable' ones, these are species that I've seen in the area in the past; I'd love a Nuthatch but I've never even seen one within 2 miles)

Bill.

Hi all :hi:
well this is my list
Favourite: Blackbird,House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Robin
Most Unusual: Common Gull, Black Headed Gull, Treecreeper, Barn Owl
Most Common: Blackbird,House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Starlings
They've visited but I wish they'd come more often: Great Tit, Long tailed tit, Treecreeper, Pied Wagtail
Most Wanted (that has never been): Jay, Tawny Owl

Hi Kezza ~ great thread

Heres mine.


Favourites: Blackbirds, Thrush, Siskin

Most unusual: Dont think I've really had anything unusual yet.

Most Common: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch Blackbirds

They've visited but......: Long-Tailed Tits

Most wanted.......: I'd love a vist from a Bullfinch

Ths is my list -

Favourites: GSW, song thrush
Most unusual: kestrel (often seen around, but very rare garden visits)
Most Common: Great tit, blue tit, robin, greenfinch, chaffinch, blackbird, dunnock
They've visited but: Goldfinch, blackcap, nuthatch (heard most days in the woods opposite but don't often visit), wren (they're there in the garden, but keep out of sight), green woodpecker
Most wanted: Bullfinch, tree creeper, goldcrest (all nearby, but don't visit)

And... wish I hadn't got them - ring-necked parakeet (noisy, greedy and damage my peanut feeders)!

Hi Kezza & All.

Here is the South Wales entry |=)|

Favourite Song Trush, Blackbird

Most unusual Grey Wagtail, Goldcrest, GSW, Heron, Nuthatch

Most Common House Sparrows

They Visited but.. GSW

Most Wanted Any Owl


Fantastic thread Kezza

Thank you for your wonderfully interesting replies! :t:


There is quite a lot of variation, particularly in the ‘most unusual’ category which of course you’d expect otherwise they wouldn’t be unusual!! :brains: Some great sightings there and almost all are ones that I’ve never had in my garden, you lucky things!


I would say the Blackbird seems to have come out as a favourite for many and the House Sparrow the most common visitor (even for Lydia!).


Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Bullfinches and Waxwings are all in high demand! |8.| We don’t ask for much do we. o


Happy birding and here's to all your 'most wanteds' flying in for lunch B
:flowers:

Hi Kezza and All. Bit late on this one. Better than never as they say. Herewith the altitude view. Well 1200 feet anyway.
Most Common: Starlings, House sparrows, Greenfinches & Dunnocks.
Most Unusual: Grey heron. Looked rather out of place perched next to my chimney.
Most Wanted: Love to see a Bullfinch in the garden.
Favourites: Wrens. Much more comical than aerodynamic. Seen them bounce off their targets a few times in the past.
Best wishes
Roy

Kezza said:

Give you something to think about! :bounce:

Click to expand...

Well it certainly has Kezza!

Favourites Well, where do I begin? I love them all, and it's difficult to narrow it down because there are different reasons for loving each one.
Blackbirds really seem to live with me, coming to see what's for breakfast, nesting, breeding, fighting their corner, moulting and hiding in my bushes. You name it, they live out their lives with me.
Long-tailed Tits win the 'pretty' title and always excite me when they arrive.
If I'm allowed, I have a third favourite - the Song Thrush. They always delighted me in years gone past by covering my rowan tree and devouring the berries. Now I have rejoiced in recent years in the lone regular who hops around in my ground feeding areas. But I am concerned that he hasn't been this winter.

Most unusual: Yellow fronted Canary/African Finch. Well I suppose that’s a cheat because it was an escapee, but nevertheless a great thrill in the garden setting. A Heron got stuck in my apple tree last Christmas (which all the family saw and I missed!), so that was very unusual. And I did have a fleeting visit from a solitary Redwing one winter, so the Redwing also comes into the ‘wish it would visit more often’ category too.
Most common seems to have been the Tit family lately. Not numerous but always there like old faithfuls. The Greenfinches used to fit this category, so much so that by their numbers and their constant presence munching all day, we nicknamed them Greedyfinches. Obviously now they come into the ‘pray you come back’ category.
I have a category of ‘not numerous but very regular to brighten almost every day’ and these are the Goldfinches.
Those I would like to see again that only visited for one winter only: Blackcap, Goldcrest and Siskin.
Isolated visits that I’d like to see increased include Great Spotted Woodpecker – only had two quick visits in the thirty years I’ve been in this house. A female Bullfinch came just the once, and I’d love to see a male Bullfinch.
And last but not least the Nuthatch, which also seems to be the wish of many of you. My reason is that it was my ‘prize’ observation as a child. We had moved from South London (sparrows were all I could remember) to Hampshire, where garden birds were much more varied. I was spotting birds to ‘tick off’ in my book, and I was so proud to have seen a Nuthatch. It stuck in my mind all these years (having just had a birthday, you will know how many!), and I have yet to see another one.

Great thread Kezza! :clap:

Just to prove they do visit sometimes. This was taken this morning.