Garden/Yard List 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Toby Tyke]

Anyway, I'm still on cloud nine as my beloved Stockport County won the National League North today and go up to the fifth-tier National League, the first thing they've won since 1967 (Fourth Div champions,and I was at the match when they won it!) [/QUOTE]

Understand your joy.
Was at Oakwell this afternoon watching the reds take another massive step towards promotion.

 

[Richard Prior]

Understand your joy.
Was at Oakwell this afternoon watching the reds take another massive step towards promotion.[/QUOTE]

Good stuff Toby, my Uncle and Auntie lived next to the ground on Grove Street, only garden birds there when I was a lad were the Barnsley subspecies of House Sparrow, Passer domesticus sootycus, the darkest sparrows I ever saw! Enjoy the birding in Mallorca:t:

 

[KenM]

After a lot of grey sky watching today, the cloud layer broke up c4pm, resulting in 3 House Martin at 4.15pm heading SE, then a single Swift heading North at 16.35pm. no’s. 68 and 69 respectively.

 

[Steve Lister]

May 2nd.

63. Swift - heard only unfortunately, very high
64. Hobby - two together circled slowly east not much above rooftop height. Superb.

Steve

 

[Richard Prior]

May 2nd.

63. Swift - heard only unfortunately, very high
64. Hobby - two together circled slowly east not much above rooftop height. Superb.

Steve

Let's hope for their sakes that the Swifts spotted the Hobbies too Steve:eek!:.
After the quiet April the new month has kicked off nicely. We are dog-minding for the next week so I am obliged to go out walking even on an unpleasant cold showery day like today, this morning's walk produced a cracking male Pied Flycatcher, a species I usually don't see here until August when the southbound birds stop off. I can see the trees it was in from the house, but despite desperate 'scoping I haven't managed to see it since getting back home. Still, early this morning I heard a Cuckoo, 23 days earlier than last year and 6 weeks earlier than the first one in 2017. A second addition to the Garden Year list was one I saw back on 21 April within 400m of the house, so about time it paid a visit, perched in the cherry tree (see photo). The House Martins are back on the village Post Office but haven't wandered up here yet, won't be long hopefully...

63 Common Cuckoo
64 Tree Pipit

 

[Jos Stratford]

Back in business after a jaunt out, and a cracking last day of April, update soon...

 

[Richard Prior]

Back in business after a jaunt out, and a cracking last day of April, update soon...

Well before you make us green with envy I’ll get my retaliation in first.

65 Pied Flycatcher

Not the smart male I saw up the road yesterday but a female, to see two in Spring up here is unusual but I’m not complaining!
A handsome male Common Redstart and a Firecrest added some extra colour on another rainy morning.

 

[halftwo]

Time to come clean, I started to worry about my heard- only Bonelli’s Warbler the next day when I heard and then saw one of the local Blue Tits doing the Bonelli’s- style trill but more extended. So on Thursday I checked a couple of sites where the Warbler breeds, the calls there confirmed I’d been a bit stringy!!Maybe I’ll get one in the post-breeding period.....
So today’s addition doesn’t advance my total:

61 Common Redstart

A female briefly in the plum tree this morning, haven’t heard any singing yet though.

Same here - I'll taking Yellow Wagtail off my list - as I have since heard one of the local House Sparrows doing an uncannily accurate rendition of one several times since!

As for Hobbies and Swifts - pah! 9 degrees today - no chance!

 

[Jos Stratford]

1 May.

In both the last couple of springs, a hollow has filled with water in the meadow for some reason, holding water right through to end of May/June ...and amazing it has been. However, even by its pretty superb standards, 1 May was good - not only a male Shoveler (third record for my land) and a couple of Teal, but also jam-packed with waders! An unbelievable 61 Wood Sandpipers (only seen these in two springs before), plus one Redshank, two Snipe, several Green Sandpipers and a bunch of Lapwings!

Also male Montagu's Harrier over, a couple of Great White Egrets, first Cuckoo, Whinchats, Common Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Pied Flycatcher back on territory!


80. Shoveler.
81. Wood Sandpiper
82. Common Redshank
83. Cuckoo.
84. Whinchat.
85. Common Whitethroat
86. Lesser Whitethroat
87. Pied Flycatcher

 

[halftwo]

Wow! Still need 4 of those for the year in UK.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Wood Sandpipers down to 15 today, but several Swallows about, new for the year.

88. Barn Swallow.

 

[birdmeister]

A few new birds today among a large flight (85+) of Yellow-rumped Warblers over the yard.

65. Indigo Bunting (f)
66. Baltimore Oriole (f)
67. Eastern Kingbird (f)

 

[KenM]

A few new birds today among a large flight (85+) of Yellow-rumped Warblers over the yard.

65. Indigo Bunting (f)
66. Baltimore Oriole (f)
67. Eastern Kingbird (f)

It won’t be long.....:-C

 

[Richard Prior]

It won’t be long.....:-C

We're all creeping up behind you Ken!
More snow on the ground this morning which had driven some birds down from the higher slopes, 3 Water Pipit, 20 White Wagtail, 5 Black Redstarts and a Wheatear at the sheep farm just 400metres away this morning. I was a bit miffed by the last species as in three years here we've yet to see one from the house/garden. However all was happily resolved at lunchtime when my wife looked over my shoulder and out of the window, saying "Turn round slowly, there's a Wheatear in the field." Ah, the joy of having a partner that isn't just interested, but can identify the birds too, ain't I the lucky one :t: Result!!

66 Wheatear

 

[Jos Stratford]

Wood Sandpipers back up to 39 today, pkus a Snipe.

Some new birds in too, plus Willow Tit which is usually on my feeders in winter, but wasn't this winrer:

89. Osprey
90. Hobby
91. Tree Pipit
92. Black Redstart, pair
93. Willow Tit.

Swallowtails, Green Hairstreaks, Speckled Woods, etc, too.

 

[jasperpatch]

34 Pine Warbler
35 Blue-headed Vireo
36 Purple Finch
37 Belted Kingfisher
38 Fox Sparrow
39 Song Sparrow
40 White-throated Sparrow
41 Red-shouldered Hawk
42 Black-throated Green Warbler
43 Great Blue Heron
44 Broad-winged Hawk
45 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
46 Hermit Thrush

Flood gates finally opened here, with a fair number of new arrivals over the weekend. Still more that I've seen nearby but not yet in the garden. Watch out here I come!

 

[wcb]

23 - goldfinch (these were a daily occurrence in our previous garden, just a mile away, but only the second sighting in almost a year since moving)
24 - mistle thrush.

Since posting this, we cannot move for goldfinches in the garden. The nyjer/niger seed feeder now has to be refilled at least three times a week, having been studiously ignored for almost a year.

24 - greenfinch
25 - common swift (heard one on 2 May, but not seen until Sunday)

 

[Richard Prior]

Keep it up Mike, this time of year it will get them nice and fit for breeding, we have just a pair still visiting. A near -miss for the Garden List this morning on the early dog walk, our canine guest flushed a Grasshopper Warbler from the side of the road just 100m from the house, perhaps I'll leave the garden maintenance for a few more days to develop that perfect Gropper habitat..............................

 

[edenwatcher]

Still limping along.
41. swallow
Single digit temperatures not offering much hope either.

Rob

 

[birdmeister]

I was hoping for more this morning after good migration last night, but light mist dampened the flight.

68. Bobolink (f)