Garden/Yard List 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Jos Stratford]

Quite rare for me to get additions during February, so five in one day is pretty exceptional, especially when they include a fly-overRough-legged Buzzard (a species I get most years, but typically in November) and fly-over Whooper Swan (usually regular in spring).

18. Whooper Swan.
19. Mallard.
20. Rough-legged Buzzard.
21. Greenfinch.
22. Goldfinch.

 

[Richard Prior]

Quite rare for me to get additions during February, so five in one day is pretty exceptional, especially when they include a fly-overRough-legged Buzzard (a species I get most years, but typically in November) and fly-over Whooper Swan (usually regular in spring).

18. Whooper Swan.
19. Mallard.
20. Rough-legged Buzzard.
21. Greenfinch.
22. Goldfinch.

Will that be your earliest Whooper Swan then Jos or do a few tough out the winter up there?

 

[Jos Stratford]

Will that be your earliest Whooper Swan then Jos or do a few tough out the winter up there?

Whoopers do winter where there is ice-free water, but in my part of the country all water is generally frozen throughout.

Has gone mild these last couple of days and, being an eternal optimist, hopefully these are the first signs of spring ...yeah right, will be a bucket of snow and sub-zero in a week or so.

 

[Telephoto Paul]

For various reasons I've only recently started feeding the birds in the garden. It doesn't help that I'm a mid terrace and there's a general lack of cover for birds. I frequently get to watch red kites from my back door yet have yet to see a bluetit...

The local starlings have now discovered the fat balls. Interestingly they bought along a blackbird (garden first) that was picking up the dropped crumbs.

 

[Richard Prior]

Whoopers do winter where there is ice-free water, but in my part of the country all water is generally frozen throughout.

Has gone mild these last couple of days and, being an eternal optimist, hopefully these are the first signs of spring ...yeah right, will be a bucket a=of snow and sub-zero in a week or so.

Thanks Jos, speaking of snow, we had another 15cms overnight and it's still falling. Just like last winter, when it snows heavily we get one of my favourite visitors coming to shelter and look for food:

34 Alpine Accentor

 

[halftwo]

Some great additions recently on this thread - several of which I'll never get here, so it was nice to add another to my list today:

54 : Grey Wagtail...

A flyover just as I was out feeding the birds - just rewards!

A Song Thrush is singing today, in the sun, I'm just hoping it'll kick-start a Goldcrest!

 

[jasperpatch]

15. Blue Jay Finally!

 

[KenM]

Thanks Jos, speaking of snow, we had another 15cms overnight and it's still falling. Just like last winter, when it snows heavily we get one of my favourite visitors coming to shelter and look for food:

34 Alpine Accentor

.....looks like an Alpine Descentor...to me Richard.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Thanks Jos, speaking of snow, we had another 15cms overnight and it's still falling. Just like last winter, when it snows heavily we get one of my favourite visitors coming to shelter and look for food:

34 Alpine Accentor

And a seriously nice photo ...

 

[Richard Prior]

Cheers Jos, I have to admit if it had come any closer it would have been sharing my coffee and toast!

And Ken, you're right, they do seem to descend from the mountains when the snow gets serious (I'd love to know what percentage of the species migrate away from the Alps and how many stay).

 

[Toby Tyke]

No 55. Grey heron.
Had to run back to the garden to get it on the list 😂

 

[Steve Lister]

February 12th

51. Lesser Redpoll - one flew south calling

A pleasant couple of hours, with 26 species including a Peregrine circling high on the lookout, a few large gulls moving SW. Stumped by what sounded like a Crossbill with a bad throat.

Steve

 

[KenM]

A bit distant over the trees, and probably my earliest!....Red Kite. no.52.

 

[Richard Prior]

February 12th

51. Lesser Redpoll - one flew south calling

A pleasant couple of hours, with 26 species including a Peregrine circling high on the lookout, a few large gulls moving SW. Stumped by what sounded like a Crossbill with a bad throat.

Steve

Sounds like a serious case of bird 'flu Steve. Redpoll would be nice, I only saw one here all last year.

 

[halftwo]

February 12th

51. Lesser Redpoll - one flew south calling

A pleasant couple of hours, with 26 species including a Peregrine circling high on the lookout, a few large gulls moving SW. Stumped by what sounded like a Crossbill with a bad throat.

Steve

That's a Brambling, Steve - had one over today too which I thought might be a Crossbill - they give two different flight calls - the "jep" one much less common.

 

[birdmeister]

Yesterday's addition of

35. Eastern Bluebird

was expected but still pleasant.

 

[Richard Prior]

Several sunny days helping to gradually thaw the deep snow and raising the tempearture nicely, bringing out our first butterfly of the year, a Small Tortoiseshell. Other hints that Spring is arriving soon were first song of Robin (15th) and Chaffich (today,16th), they first piped up on the same day in 2017 (14th) so bang on cue I suppose.A different Alpine Accentor turned up at midday,unlike the snow-driven refugee the other day I suspect this is more likely to be a bird returning from wintering in warmer areas in the South of France.
A passing flock of c40 Hawfinch early this morning was the first visible sign of movement but if it continues this mild I suspect Song Thrush will be arriving very soon (I'd settle for an overshooting Great Spotted Cuckoo instead of course:t

 

[wcb]

20 - Canada goose
21 - Herring gull (finally - for some reason they like to fly everywhere near me apart from our garden)
22 - Goldcrest

 

[KenM]

It was worth the 48 day wait!....Goldcrest in my neighbour’s yew hedge this am, no.53.

 

[owhy]

No new birds for a while here, but this morning we had our first sparrowhawk kill of the year - a blackbird perished. |=(|

What I found surprising though was the fact that some small birds were still feeding occasionally on the feeder while this was ongoing! The magpies and crows were scolding it, the magpies especially annoyed since they are constructing a nest nearby.