Garden / Yard List 2024 (5 Viewers)

[halftwo]

Just on the doorstep - calm & clear here for a change. Tawny Owls calling and a

50 : Snipe

called! V strange.

 

[Farnboro John]

Our local Siskin flock (about twenty birds) paid the nearby trees a visit this morning and was duly spotted from the front door.

39. Siskin

Might have to start looking seriously (i.e. doing watches instead of occasionally glancing out of the window) soon...

John

 

[dantheman]

Just on the doorstep - calm & clear here for a change. Tawny Owls calling and a

50 : Snipe

called! V strange.

I had what I thought was a Snipe one year, but it turns out that Barn Owl has an alarm call that is almost indistinguishable. Which kind of call was it?

 

[halftwo]

Typical Snipe flight call

 

[dantheman]

Typical Snipe flight call

You mean the 'squelch' alarm?

Barn Owl has a rolling rrr alarm call which is v similar to the Snipe drumming irrc, that was what I was thinking of. I heard it with Tawny's in winter too, so I guess it was an interaction between the two.


I guess a Tawny Owl could quite easily flush a Snipe when patrolling about!

 

[halftwo]

The typical call you get from a flushed Snipe, or normal flight call.

 

[Warixenjalka]

It has been a little bit warmer now, so maybe that´s the reason for
#19. Common Gull - at least 5 fly over

 

[pete wragg]

72 - Long-tailed Tit, 6 feeding on fatballs

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Nice morning, blue skies and barely any wind. Lots of birds around, including three new species. I heard a (XVII) Jay when opening the window this morning. A bit later I saw a (XVIII) Shorttoed Treecreeper, and the first two (XIX) Greenfinches of the year. All commoners, but nice to have them ticked of for the 2024 garden in Zurich.

 

[halftwo]

Yesterday a Meadow Pipit,

This morning a Cormorant. There was a probable Great White Egret - but just too distant to be 100%

Which means: 52

 

[KenM]

Yesterday a Meadow Pipit,

This morning a Cormorant. There was a probable Great White Egret - but just too distant to be 100%

Which means: 52

Gr-r-r-r-r!

 

[Farnboro John]

Sat down for a list reconciliation today and found I'd missed adding two more birds to the 2024 garden list.

40. Canada Goose has occurred twice so far - four together and then a flock of 20.
41. Sparrowhawk male over yesterday, I was cued onto it by a tight and vocal flockette of Starlings.

Cheers

John

 

[halftwo]

Having the scope set up in the bedroom this morning was a boon. Even then, some of the waders were just too distant to id.
However: a Lesser black-backed Gull came right by, otherwise I would have dismissed it as they are very rare here in winter.
Not so the 3 Great black-backed Gulls that passed distance-ward - they are regular on the estuary year round.
A second Cormorant went by and 3 possible Redpolls, which I won't count, but the 2 Reed Buntings were identiable.
So, so far today, 5 new birds!

=55

Sorry, Ken!

 

[Steve Lister]

january 27th
50. Stock Dove - one over

#50 last year was a Chiffchaff on March 25th so almost two months better so far this time.

Despite 25 species in my morning watch today I could only list nine for the RSPB Garden Birdwatch - and a total of just 15 individuals.

 

[Andy Lakin]

Managed 3 year ticks today Pheasant, Mallard and Pink Footed Goose. Also 4 Roe Deer were the most together in a while. Had a total mystery the other night there was an almighty flutter of wings outside the bedroom window. I instantly went to look but it had gone. I was wondering if it was possibly a local.Tawny having a go at catching a mammal on my open bird feeding area. Other than.that I'm puzzled.

 

[pete wragg]

Two more today.
Grey Partridge, 8 in field across road
Turnstone, 1 on Humber

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

#53 Caspian Gull, a 1st win/2CY bird flew over yesterday afternoon. As with all my sightings of these I spend all the time watching and not photographing, as I want to make sure what I’ve got. I’ll try for a shot of the next one - typically a few each year.

The default large Gull here is LBBG by a long way, but Herring, YLG and Caspian occur in that order. GBBG is the rarest big Gull.

Last year was poor for Gulls, I’m pretty dependant on which fields around here are being used for Pigs. This winter there have been a lot more Gulls, but strangely no YLG yet for me.

This afternoon a #54 Red Kite drifted over, my first ever January record (only December is a blank). I spotted it from the living room, but by the time I got out of the front door it was behind the trees.

 

[Farnboro John]

Managed 3 year ticks today Pheasant, Mallard and Pink Footed Goose. Also 4 Roe Deer were the most together in a while. Had a total mystery the other night there was an almighty flutter of wings outside the bedroom window. I instantly went to look but it had gone. I was wondering if it was possibly a local.Tawny having a go at catching a mammal on my open bird feeding area. Other than.that I'm puzzled.

You shouldn't hear a Tawny Owl's wings I'd have thought? An almighty flutter smacks of Woodpigeon to me - maybe flushed out of its roost by something.

John

 

[halftwo]

Scoping the estuary earlier - lots of too-distant birds - ducks/geese/waders.
But a

56: Skylark

came by.

 

[Richard Prior]

Scoping the estuary earlier - lots of too-distant birds - ducks/geese/waders.
But a

56: Skylark

came by.

Sounds as if investing in a 60x eyepiece could cause your Garden List to greatly increase H!