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Garden / Yard List 2024 (2 Viewers)

Being c20% down on numbers for ‘21 and 10% down same time (now) for ’23, I’m thinking another 16 days of almost guaranteed nowt, it’s surely time to throw in the towel.😮
A few anomalies this year apart from a lower score, almost no Redwings!
It’s normally Kings X for the latter at this time (unheard of for me during my tenancy here), plus an absence of almost annual Tufted Duck, Raven and Lesser Spotted Woody to name a few.
However, I did have three UFO’s, all three seen singly and distant, in poor light/sillhouette…best forgotten (albeit size, shape and movement alien to my eyes).😩
Also poor returns on Goldcrest and Firecrest, circa 5 apiece, should’ve had more of the former at least.
Just the one superb all time grdn.tick albeit falling short on the visual, but making up for it with the wing vibration and calls…Nightjar!
Other single occurence species (just a shadow of their former selves) Hawfinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Reed/Grdn.Warbler and a probable fem/imm Common Redstart, the latter not claimed (had c5 in ‘22)😩
Other cameos to include a Black Kite (2nd occurence over abode),
Peregrine holding squawking parakeet just 2m away from window, with moi looking down on and seeing the horizontal grey barring to the chest, I felt I could’ve almost touched!😮
Tawny Owl attempting to take rat off of the peanut feeder, again just perhaps 3m away and bathed in the security light. Certainly jaw dropping (we were both eating dinner at the time, with my missus flagging it, just in time for me to look up and see it!😮
Although numerically down on the avian listing stakes, I ascended stratospheric heights with the Garden Lepidoptera…Marbled White, Silver-washed Fritillary, Purple Emperor,
Brown Hairstreak and unbelievably White Admiral!
That said, the moths were also outstanding with Garden Tiger (my 2nd ever) + Privet Hawk Moth and another 1st with Flame Carpet!
Overall a fantastic year, absolutely no complaints and hopefully none to follow this (somewhat shorter than Richard’s be ‘a comin’ monologue 🤣).
 

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Being c20% down on numbers for ‘21 and 10% down same time (now) for ’23, I’m thinking another 16 days of almost guaranteed nowt, it’s surely time to throw in the towel.
Isn't there a saying that the game isn't over until the fat lady sings? (I'm sure there's a firework called the fat lady) :unsure:

Nothing new in December so far. And the November total was just 20. In here it's a long way for example, Richard's daily average...

The Rook has still been visiting the yard a couple of times a week. Hopefully it will survive until spring.
 
Having moved back to Spain after 2 years in Sweden, the following is my garden list, for the last 5 weeks
Buzzard
Kestrel
Little owl
Magpie
Iberian magpie, flock of 50!
Grey heron
Grey wagtail
Swallow
Crag martin
Common waxbill, becoming quite common
House sparrow
Serin, flock of 50
Meadow pipit
Hoopoe
Crested lark

Robin
Partridge
Little egret
Spotless starling
Blackbird
raven
Stonechat
White stork
Zitting zisticola

Identified by Merlin app, not seen.
Theklas lark
Great Grey shrike
 
Friday evening we arrived at our place in France late enough to not think about birds. However, at some moment during the night, I heard the calls of a Tawny Owl. When I went quickly out side, I realized there were at least two based on the directions the sound came from.

Sunrise here is late (around 8:30), so I had ample time to prepare coffee and start a fire to warm up the house before first light. When I could see something outside I put my bins on a reasonable size oak across the road, and soon saw a Blue Tit as well as a Treecreeper. Less than a minute later, I saw a third bird fluttering in. Ironically, a Goldcrest. I have been trying to spot one in our garden in Zurich for a couple of weeks and here where I don’t need it for my year-list it is the third bird I see!

Weather was reasonable on Saturday, so I managed to spend quite a bit of time near our wooded area as well as around the ponds. No spectacular finds, but pleasant enough with a Grey Heron taking of when I arrived as well as flyover Great Cormorant, Mallards and a Great Egret. Of the five woodpeckers that I have seen here in the past, only Green and Great Spotted were around during the weekend though.

Sunday started somewhat eventful, with a seven hour power cut. Not a big deal in principle, but we brought our disabled son for here for Christmas holidays which made it is bit more complicated. It was stormy and rainy (hence, probably the power issues), and I thought it would keep birds away. But, when I eventually went out to the pond area, I was pleasantly surprised. The path leading down has a hedgerow on the left as well as on the right, and many birds had gone there, presumably for cover. I counted 19 Blackbirds, some Robins, Wrens and a variety of Tits (Great, Blue, Long Tailed, Marsh and a Crested!).

I sat down under cover at the ponds to avoid another shower, and noticed two Gold Crests in a tree nearby. I tried to make some photos, but they were rather active and hard to get properly in frame. Still, I did better than with the Firecrest that showed up a bit later, and a bit further away.

At the end of the morning, I saw a Red Kite. As frequently as I see them in Zurich, here they are almost a rarity — third observation! Not a year tick however, since I saw one on January first of this year. Actually, no year ticks at all, but still 33 species seen in two days without moving of our property. And, especially awesome to be back here after not being able to visit for three months!!
 
A very short notice planet unfriendly 48 hour trip to Yorkshire at the weekend saw me in the recovery position yesterday, but I still managed 25 species, the ground feeders particularly in need of help as you will see from the photo taken at dawn ( a bracing minus 5.5C this morning(y))
Happy Christmas to all you garden listers wherever you are!
 

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A very short notice planet unfriendly 48 hour trip to Yorkshire at the weekend saw me in the recovery position yesterday, but I still managed 25 species, the ground feeders particularly in need of help as you will see from the photo taken at dawn ( a bracing minus 5.5C this morning(y))
Happy Christmas to all you garden listers wherever you are!

Can’t see you in the overhead cable car Richard.🤣👍
 
A very short notice planet unfriendly 48 hour trip to Yorkshire at the weekend saw me in the recovery position yesterday, but I still managed 25 species, the ground feeders particularly in need of help as you will see from the photo taken at dawn ( a bracing minus 5.5C this morning(y))
Happy Christmas to all you garden listers wherever you are!

Same here — at least species count ;) . Twenty-five, if I consider the pre-daw activity of the Tawny Owl. No snow, but rather wet as well — hard to walk around without wellies.

Merry Christmas to you all 🎄!!
 
Started a concerted effort to make frequent yard checklists on eBird this year so was able to compile a list from that. Ended up with 62 species, though I've seen more in the past that didn't show up this year. Location is south central Wisconsin, USA

Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Northern House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
 
Looks like I've only recorded 41 species for the year, down from 61 the previous, and first year in this house. Unsurprising, as I spent far less time back there. But with a new baby here, I anticipate more time at home, sneaking into the yard whenever able.
189 for my 2-mile radius patch this year alone though, with a long-awaited pine siskin being the most recent addition last week, and a county lifer at that!
 
#72 American pipit (42 for 2024)
A common winter bird in found in open fields of pretty much any quality in my area. Heard calling while flying over. I've certainly heard it from the yard before, but it didn't register or I figured it was already on my yard list.
 

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