Garden (Yard) List 2014 (1 Viewer)

[halftwo]

Bloody Ell. We have to hang our own washing out where I live!

 

[Richard Prior]

:clap::clap:

 

[timsg80]

39. Greenfinch
About time! One came to the feeders this afternoon.

 

[Chris-Leeds]

Bloody Ell. We have to hang our own washing out where I live!

:t:

 

[Jos Stratford]

Red Letter Day - two 2nd ever records for my land, one 3rd record!

Glorious sunny day, plus nine and a real feel of spring - plenty of Skylarks already back, rising on song. Cranes newly-arrived in the meadows today, a yodelling pair and a single, two White-tailed Eagles tumbling in display, calling echoing out.

Lapwings passing over in call, then three Whooper Swans over (third ever for the land), followed shortly after by the first of several skeins of White-fronted Geese, all bizarrely going south! And then one lone goose -a honking Greylag Goose (second record).

And if that were not enough, one superb male Hazel Grouse flushed from a woodland edge, flying up to sit in low spruce for a while - second sight record for land (seen tracks in snow on couple of occasions too).

Red Squirrel still on feeders, Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker both calling.

34. Whooper Swan
35.White-fronted Goose
36. Greylag Goose
37. Hazel Grouse
38. Common Crane
39. Lapwing

The spring climb begins...

 

[KenM]

Literally...totally out of the blue!...a 2nd only record of flyover drake shoveler! no.53.

 

[joannec]

Literally...totally out of the blue!...a 2nd only record of flyover drake shoveler! no.53.

And I can only add: 49) Collared Dove

This time last year I was on 50 so not too much difference.

 

[Richard Prior]

Well, I've done well today, although nothing like as impressive as Jos' Red Letter Day yesterday. Three new species (all before 9am, it's the early birder etc etc!):

38 Skylark
39 Dunnock
40 Robin

A solitary migrating Skylark is only my 3rd spring record, Dunnock and Robin both males singing in celebration of an April-like day.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Well, I've done well today, although nothing like as impressive as Jos' Red Letter Day yesterday. Three new species (all before 9am, it's the early birder etc etc!):

38 Skylark
39 Dunnock
40 Robin

A solitary migrating Skylark is only my 3rd spring record, Dunnock and Robin both males singing in celebration of an April-like day.

After somehow drawing a total blank on Dunnock last year, I'd also be calling it a Red Letter Day if one decided to sing in celebration

They do breed some/most years, so hopefully in a week or two when they arrive back (strictly migrants here, as are Robins) ...

 

[Jos Stratford]

Red Letter Day Mark II

When the spring gets going here, it sure gets going. Fantastic day today - fairly warm, several Large Tortoiseshells on the wing, as well as Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone, plus lots of bird action.

Spent quite a while putting up new nestboxes, about 20 or so went up today, but one compensation was flushing two separate Woodcocks, a very good bird for my plot (only three previous records, two of which were also in this early March period). Also one added disruption when a Pygmy Owl started to call - recorded at my feeding station several times in winter, but this is my first singing bird.

Also Bean Geese migrating over, a singing Woodlark newly arrived, and seventh woodpecker species of the year - a drumming Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (they usually use my feeders in winter, but didn't this year, so good to see one reclaiming territory).


(40. Magpie - forgot to add in the winter)
41. Bean Goose
42. Woodcock
43. Pygmy Owl
44. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
45. Woodlark
46. Jackdaw

 

[halftwo]

Some world ticks there - let alone garden ticks!

 

[Richard Prior]

Hmm, I've heard Pygmy Owl less than a mile from my garden, but the wind would need to be in the right direction for me to get it on my Garden List!
Despite the amazing mild and sunny day, the only new species for the list was:

41 Starling
Apart from a pair that bred in 2012 Starling is strictly a passage migrant up here, late Feb to mid April, and again in October/November.
I predict that the Black Redstarts will be back before the weekend(well, I hope they will be).

 

[KenM]

And I can only add: 49) Collared Dove

This time last year I was on 50 so not too much difference.

I'm ahead of myself by ''one'', for the same time last year.

 

[Larry Lade]

26. Hairy Woodpecker
27. Common Grackle

 

[halftwo]

A herd of Canada geese over this morning : 47.

 

[KenM]

Two Mandarin's skimming the tree tops heading North, a single "lime streak" RNParakeet arrowing West, and a small olivey bird flitting about neighbours hedge...Chiff Chaff no.54.

 

[RyanI]

The fog is scuppering any seawatching the last couple days but still managed a few bits and bobs, teh stonchats the closest I've come to a spring migrant...

65 Bar-tailed Godwit
66 Grey Heron
67 Stonechat
68 Pied Wagtail

 

[joannec]

I'm ahead of myself by ''one'', for the same time last year.

Trying to catch up..........

50) White Wagtail
51) Red-legged Partridge

 

[KenM]

Trying to catch up..........

50) White Wagtail
51) Red-legged Partridge

A-a-a-g-h-h!...the hayseed is only 3 behind! :eek!:

 

[Richard Prior]

A great start to the weekend while topping up the feeders this morning, only my 2nd record of this species in 8 years here, bubbling away on the mountainside (the birds, not me)

43 Black Grouse


(I was listening out for a possible first Black Redstart, so I got the 'Black' part right!)

Richard