Garden/Yard List 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Richard Prior]

No 60. Shelduck.
Just had a pair fly down the valley as I was filling the feeders.
Going much better than I expected. My first attempt at a garden list since I retired so now get to spend more time at home.
Think 80-90 species is doable this year.

With H2 on 58 in Silkstone Common this South Yorkshire sub-competition is getting tasty :t:
Bit of a punch-up by the feeder this morning (see photo)!

 

[Steve Lister]

March 2nd

55. Nuthatch - just audible in the distance, only my 4th here in over two years

A total of 29 species this morning !

Steve

 

[jasperpatch]

Spot on 16, same as this time last year - although not the same 16!

 

[birdmeister]

This morning brought 4+ inches (10+cm) of snow, and with it a Yard Bird of the Year candidate.

One or two calling

41. Horned Lark (f) (yard lifer!)

were almost certainly not on my list of expected yard birds. I suspect that they are moving around with the fresh snowfall.

Very exciting stuff!

 

[KenM]

This morning brought 4+ inches (10+cm) of snow, and with it a Yard Bird of the Year candidate.

One or two calling

41. Horned Lark (f) (yard lifer!)

were almost certainly not on my list of expected yard birds. I suspect that they are moving around with the fresh snowfall.

Very exciting stuff!

I wouldn’t say no to more of the white stuff and more heavy frost, however have my doubts as to that re-occurring this Winter....as you say, it can stir things up.

 

[birdmeister]

I wouldn’t say no to more of the white stuff and more heavy frost, however have my doubts as to that re-occurring this Winter....as you say, it can stir things up.

On top of this, we're forecast to get at least this much (and possibly more) snow tomorrow night into Monday! The winter is certainly shaping up to end in a bang here, after a long stretch without significant snowfall.

 

[KenM]

March 2nd

55. Nuthatch - just audible in the distance, only my 4th here in over two years

A total of 29 species this morning !

Steve

The most number of species that I recorded in a single Winters day was 34, but that was thirty odd years ago, unfortunately many of those species rarely, or no longer occur now. :-C

 

[Warixenjalka]

Interestingly Richard, I wholeheartedly agree with your comment regarding Corvid vocal response to raptors. For me it’s either a frantic “caw-caw” or a soft “crick” which I think is more often than not, used when Accips.are about. However on Saturday in Eastern England , I was scanning over rolling farmland adjacent to the end of a hedgerow and telegraph pole, watching several Buzzards on high, and was attracting one closer, with my (much practised) “pew” calls, when I heard just normal Corvid calls, certainly nothing exceptional with the “pitch” or frequency, I almost didn’t bother looking up. I’d have regretted it for evermore had I not!.....looking up perhaps 4m above the telegraph pole, coming towards out of a perfect blue sky, an immature Gos! framed by 4 Corvids, needless to say the resulting images were quite simply...to use an “Americanism” simply awesome, will publish later. The moral to this is “ya never can tell”. :t:

Waiting for those Gos pics... :cat:||

After this year two first months: 18 species, last year at this time: 27. |8.|

 

[Richard Prior]

Waiting for those Gos pics... :cat:||

After this year two first months: 18 species, last year at this time: 27. |8.|

There you are Wari, Ken started a thread on his Gos pics:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=373546&highlight=Goshawk+ageing

Storm Freya even touching the Alps this morning with very strong winds blowing. Despite this, my earliest ever

42 Black Redstart

has just appeared, a handsome adult male. I've been keeping record since 2007 of the arrival dates here and at our previous place (both at around 1000 to 1100m altitude), the average first date is 16 March and the earliest up to now was the 11th, so this male is a real record-breaker!

Edit, never seen in March before, a female

43 Linnet
(see pic) now feeding on seeds I put out to attract er, Pine Buntings:eek!:

 

[Richard Prior]

Me again, another earliest ever this afternoon, at least eight Water Pipits feeding in the field behind the house (rubbish photo of one taken through the kitchen window), the two previous Springs here it's been April before they stop off on their way to the pastures higher up, at our previous place the earliest ever was 17 March. Chances are they'll get forced lower down again with the next snow (possibly tonight!).

44 Water Pipit

 

[Toby Tyke]

61 yellowhammer.
One singing this morning at the side of my house.
Nearly got little egret. Returning from my afternoon walk with the dog when I watched one fly over my garden. 200 yd’s too much for my old legs to run 😢.
Getting good no’s of chaffinch (15+)under the feeders but can’t buy a brambling when they seem to be everywhere.

 

[Warixenjalka]

There you are Wari, Ken started a thread on his Gos pics:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=373546&highlight=Goshawk+ageing

Storm Freya even touching the Alps this morning with very strong winds blowing. Despite this, my earliest ever

42 Black Redstart

has just appeared, a handsome adult male. I've been keeping record since 2007 of the arrival dates here and at our previous place (both at around 1000 to 1100m altitude), the average first date is 16 March and the earliest up to now was the 11th, so this male is a real record-breaker!

Edit, never seen in March before, a female

43 Linnet
(see pic) now feeding on seeds I put out to attract er, Pine Buntings:eek!:

Thanks the link of Kens pics.

You have full Spring there already. We got more snow this morning...

 

[KenM]

Flock of Golden Plover wind assisted...high and East, only my 4th record in 36 years!...no.56.

 

[Richard Prior]

Ooh, nice one Ken, not a species I'm likely to see here. Still, to get my own back I've just seen one you won't see in your neck of the woods:

45 Rock Bunting

Having learned in previous years to have the camera all ready for action at this time of year this nice male bird was still to quick on the draw for me, perching for about 2 seconds in our hazel bush and vanishing before I was ready to 'pull the trigger'.
With one bird in Feb 2017 and singles in March and early April last year I'll be lucky to immortalise a visit this year :-C
At midday flitting around in the neighbour's pear tree a

46 Firecrest
A good two weeks earlier than normal for up here and like the Rock Bunting, another altitudinal rather than necessarily a long distance migrant.
Still lots of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer and Brambling at the feeders in the current cool and damp spell, but Blackbird finally started singing yesterday and a Hawfinch doing its apology for a song this morning.

 

[edenwatcher]

A few additions courtesy of the sharp eyes of my younger son:
33. starling (surprisingly scarce in the winter months)
34. mallard
35. oystercatcher

Rob

 

[delia todd]

33. starling (surprisingly scarce in the winter months)

LOL Rob.... think they're all here then!!

 

[edenwatcher]

LOL Rob.... think they're all here then!!

There's a small flock in the village but they don't visit us much. I suspect they get overlooked. More around in the summer.

Rob

 

[KenM]

Ooh, nice one Ken, not a species I'm likely to see here. Still, to get my own back I've just seen one you won't see in your neck of the woods:

45 Rock Bunting

Having learned in previous years to have the camera all ready for action at this time of year this nice male bird was still to quick on the draw for me, perching for about 2 seconds in our hazel bush and vanishing before I was ready to 'pull the trigger'.
With one bird in Feb 2017 and singles in March and early April last year I'll be lucky to immortalise a visit this year :-C
At midday flitting around in the neighbour's pear tree a

46 Firecrest
A good two weeks earlier than normal for up here and like the Rock Bunting, another altitudinal rather than necessarily a long distance migrant.
Still lots of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer and Brambling at the feeders in the current cool and damp spell, but Blackbird finally started singing yesterday and a Hawfinch doing its apology for a song this morning.

I have yet to knowingly lay eyes on a Rock Bunting Richard, however I’ll have to make do with (historically) Reed and Yellow...:-C

 

[Richard Prior]

I have yet to knowingly lay eyes on a Rock Bunting Richard, however I’ll have to make do with (historically) Reed and Yellow...:-C

Ah, Yellow Bunting, you sweet old-fashioned thing
Still waiting for my first Hedge Sparrow of the year of course.....................

 

[Adun]

Very interesting thread.

It will take me quite a while to learn to identify all the birds that just pass by.