Garden/Yard List 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Richard Prior]

A bit of sneaky 'scoping, looking towards the village added another returning breeding species this morning:

57 Common Kestrel

The first cows are in the fields today after being cooped up in their barns since early November, so listening for birdsong doubly complicated now with "The Bells, the bells" added to the noise from the river currently roaring away below.

 

[birdmeister]

Early this morning I saw two

51. Cedar Waxwing

These have been noticeably scarce all winter, so nice to see them back.

 

[Richard Prior]

Third time lucky

Another bird of prey added today, got all excited when a medium-size falcon shot over the house, "Hobby" I thought, so I went outside to try and re-find it. After a tense couple of minutes I spotted it wheeling around in the distance, a male Peregrine:C. I then noticed a constant piping call from the nearby trees and nearly convinced myself it was a Common Redstart. After at least ten minutes scrambling around the fallen branches (note to self, must tidy up the woodland a bit!) I finally tracked down the culprit, a Chiffchaff, which promptly 'chiff-chaffed' to emphasise my incompetence, I still don't understand why it didn't hoo'eet like it should have. So, double dipping you might say. Then, to save the day, a ghostly pale male


58 Goshawk

zoomed over, long overdue as they breed in the forest, for once the crows hadn't seen it and it sped across the valley undisturbed.B

 

[Steve Lister]

April 13th - out hoping the Worcestershire White-tailed Eagle might drift NE nut no joy except

58. Swallow

Steve

 

[halftwo]

Another bird of prey added today, got all excited when a medium-size falcon shot over the house, "Hobby" I thought, so I went outside to try and re-find it. After a tense couple of minutes I spotted it wheeling around in the distance, a male Peregrine:C. I then noticed a constant piping call from the nearby trees and nearly convinced myself it was a Common Redstart. After at least ten minutes scrambling around the fallen branches (note to self, must tidy up the woodland a bit!) I finally tracked down the culprit, a Chiffchaff, which promptly 'chiff-chaffed' to emphasise my incompetence, I still don't understand why it didn't hoo'eet like it should have. So, double dipping you might say. Then, to save the day, a ghostly pale male


58 Goshawk

zoomed over, long overdue as they breed in the forest, for once the crows hadn't seen it and it sped across the valley undisturbed.B

Fabulous!

 

[Richard Prior]

And another raptor this evening, a year and two days after my last sighting of this species here:

59 Red Kite

I was expecting a Barn Swallow or Willow Warbler today, there was one of the latter singing away in the centre of Annecy this morning, but it’s much warmer down there than at our 1000m altitude so patience required....

 

[halftwo]

Still can't get a Chiffchaff to shout loud enough to hear from here.

 

[Richard Prior]

Still can't get a Chiffchaff to shout loud enough to hear from here.

My sympathies H, are you suffering from wind problems then?8-P

 

[Jos Stratford]

76. Black-tailed Godwit
77. Hawfinch.

The godwit was very welcome, was a new species for my land last year, now another individual on exactly the same area of wet meadow

 

[halftwo]

Bramblings and Redpolls still singing here, but still no Willow Warblers.

 

[birdmeister]

Big surprise this morning with a

52. Brown Thrasher

singing briefly in the neighbor's yard. They've become annual from/in the yard in recent years (<3 per year), but all previous records were from June or later.

 

[halftwo]

66 : Chiffchaff

finally the sun brought a songster close enough.

 

[birdmeister]

A good migration morning brought four new additions.

53. Barn Swallow (f)
54. Savannah Sparrow (year bird for me and only the second yard record!)
55. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (f)
56. Common Loon (f)

I also enjoyed a second yard record in the form of a Horned Lark migrant. Not new for the yard list this year, though!

 

[birdmeister]

A casual look out the bedroom window just after 6PM brought a delightful adult

57. Broad-winged Hawk (f)

 

[Toby Tyke]

Latest additions
65 redshank
66 blackcap
67 grey wagtail
68 swallow
Been very slow recently.
Had peregrine fly over as I returned from walking the dog but not able to get it from the garden. One I may well not get another chance at.

 

[Warixenjalka]

One species I have already expected, then arrived at once with a larger group:

#33. Eurasian Siskin - 100+ little beauties enjoyed the remains of winter feeding and were three days in our joy.
#34. Redwing - 14th April I heard singing, and yesterday morning I also saw the singer.

I put the lamb leg to salt for Easter and sculpted the biggest fats from it. I took them to the apple tree branch for Corvids. First came the Magpies, secondly Jackdaws. Hoodies remained more cautious in the background. Suddenly a big Herring Gull landed in garden, and a couple of Common Gulls followed. Fats disappeared fast. I think the Hoodies didn't get any. But the best part was that after the bigger gulls there came one...
#35. Black-headed Gull - ...soaring above garden. (It had no chance to getting any fat.)

Yesterday evening was big-birds-evening. Firs two...
#36. Cranes -... fly by, and then five...
#37. Gray Herons

 

[Steve Lister]

April 18th.

59. Willow Warbler - one singing bird, a garden lifer to boot, #90
60. Sand Martin - flock of 7 straight through going NW

Steve

 

[Jos Stratford]

Following on from Smew a few weeks back, a second new species for my land - and again a duck, this time a pair of Gadwalls on a flood pool. Black-tailed Godwit still present too, plus six Green Sandpipers.

Also Willow Warbler singing.

78. Gadwall.
79. Willow Warbler

 

[Richard Prior]

Feeling a bit inadequate with all those garden lifers etc, plus Wari’s salted leg of lamb exploits! I’ll also be roasting
one for the Easter family get together but they all add loads of salt at the table so I’m keeping it simple.Just to make Toby jealous I’ve had male Peregrine overhead on 3 different days this week, they must be breeding not far away. One sole addition for the year this afternoon, a pair of

60 Barn Swallow

enjoying the warm (18C) conditions.

 

[Paul Chapman]

First garden yeartick for a while with Barn Swallow (36). Maybe a few more over the long weekend.......

All the best