Garden / Yard List 2024 (3 Viewers)

[dantheman]

23. Redwing

Was a bit worried no berries left for Redwing, but still there ...

Mabe Burnthouse

15th Jan:

24. Greenfinch
25. Blackcap
26. Firecrest
27. Fieldfare

Plenty of ivy berries still - it was the holly that had essentially gone. Looking out the window am - 3 Greenfinch eating Hawthorn berries in the hedge behind the neighbours, and then a couple of birds flitting around in the treetops - a male and female Blackcap. Redwing and Song Thrush again, and a male Bullfinch.

Sorting out the recycling late afternoon and a Firecrest calling away in the conifer. A couple of Fieldfare flushed out of the ivy out back too.

Enjoying promotion to third division now.

 

[KenM]

341 days ahead of last year’s arrival date!..
3 Egyptian Geese Northbound before 9am…no.47.
Displaying Sprawk relatively close in, 5 RNP’s around the feeders with c9 Goldfinches…the “trilling” and “squawking” soon drove us out on to our sub 10k.
Circa 40+ Fieldfare on Chingford Plain certainly a build up, just a half dozen a week ago (none at home though 😩)
Whilst editing my day’s shots c4pm, watching the Redwings getting stuck into my Ivy berries another Brambling morphed into view!!
Hoping this cold snap lasts.🙏

 

[Paul Chapman]

An addition for me today:-

32​

Chaffinch

16-Jan-24​

The decline of Chaffinch of course is one of those massive ones without any particularly clear explanation. Personally, I suspect continued removal of marginal habitat - hedgerows, hedgerow trees, etc - is a significant part.

All the best

Paul

 

[dantheman]

Mabe Burnthouse

27. Fieldfare

16th Jan:

28. Jay

A couple of noisy birds in the fields behind the house while I was hanging the washing out

Spent an hour or so in the middle of the day birding in the attic. Wrapped up warm. I was kind of sorting stuff out, but it became more of a birding session. A couple of Ravens over early on was nice - cronking away. But then was the big surprise. Visibility was good and I could already see a few distant birds (gulls) over the sea. I had the scope nicely balanced on the open velux window and trained on the nearest bit of open sea (4 miles or so away) when I was surprised to see a flock of half a dozen dumpy black dots travelling fast through to the left - Common Scoter the obvious choice. A little later and some closer (inland) large white birds - 2 Mute Swans briefly through the trees in the other direction. Continuing to look at the sea and was rewarded eventually with 2 or 3 Gannets milling around. No plunge diving but the long wings with black ends were distinct enough. 3 distant Roe Deer and some equally distant Fieldfare landing in some small trees. Unable to id many of the small passerines occasionally passing through, along with some interesting wadery type things. Did manage to catch a brief view of Collared Dove over the village.

29. Raven
30. Common Scoter
31. Mute Swan
32. Gannet
33. Collared Dove

 

[aeshna5]

An addition for me today:-

32​

Chaffinch

16-Jan-24​

The decline of Chaffinch of course is one of those massive ones without any particularly clear explanation. Personally, I suspect continued removal of marginal habitat - hedgerows, hedgerow trees, etc - is a significant part.

All the best

Paul

Would have thought disease a big factor, though those you mention would add to it. Chaffinch has largely gone from my part of the suburbs with no obvious changes in habitat. Though Goldfinch remains the most widespread finch, numbers of these are much less than a couple of years back.

 

[RyanI]

16th Jan:

28. Jay

A couple of noisy birds in the fields behind the house while I was hanging the washing out

Spent an hour or so in the middle of the day birding in the attic. Wrapped up warm. I was kind of sorting stuff out, but it became more of a birding session. A couple of Ravens over early on was nice - cronking away. But then was the big surprise. Visibility was good and I could already see a few distant birds (gulls) over the sea. I had the scope nicely balanced on the open velux window and trained on the nearest bit of open sea (4 miles or so away) when I was surprised to see a flock of half a dozen dumpy black dots travelling fast through to the left - Common Scoter the obvious choice. A little later and some closer (inland) large white birds - 2 Mute Swans briefly through the trees in the other direction. Continuing to look at the sea and was rewarded eventually with 2 or 3 Gannets milling around. No plunge diving but the long wings with black ends were distinct enough. 3 distant Roe Deer and some equally distant Fieldfare landing in some small trees. Unable to id many of the small passerines occasionally passing through, along with some interesting wadery type things. Did manage to catch a brief view of Collared Dove over the village.

29. Raven
30. Common Scoter
31. Mute Swan
32. Gannet
33. Collared Dove

Finally catching up with my eBird entries for the year and in turn my garden list and thought I'd give Dan a challenge in the Cornish 3rd division. First full year in the house, no views of the sea this time but a pretty wild overgrown garden will hopefully pull in a few things.

1​	Woodpigeon	01-Jan​
2​	Collared Dove	01-Jan​
3​	Herring Gull	01-Jan​
4​	Magpie	01-Jan​
5​	Jackdaw	01-Jan​
6​	Rook	01-Jan​
7​	Blue Tit	01-Jan​
8​	Great Tit	01-Jan​
9​	Chiffchaff	01-Jan​
10​	Starling	01-Jan​
11​	Blackbird	01-Jan​
12​	Robin	01-Jan​
13​	Dunnock	01-Jan​
14​	House Sparrow	01-Jan​
15​	Goldfinch	01-Jan​
16​	Wren	03-Jan​
17​	Blackcap	04-Jan​
18​	Bullfinch	04-Jan​
19​	Chaffinch	05-Jan​
20​	Firecrest	05-Jan​
21​	Song Thrush	05-Jan​
22​	Redwing	06-Jan​
23​	Stock Dove	06-Jan​
24​	Buzzard	06-Jan​
25​	Long-tailed Tit	06-Jan​
26​	Pied Wagtail	06-Jan​
27​	Meadow Pipit	06-Jan​
28​	Greenfinch	06-Jan​
29​	Sparrowhawk	07-Jan​
30​	Goldcrest	08-Jan​
31​	Coal Tit	15-Jan​
32​	Golden Plover	16-Jan​
33​	Snipe	16-Jan​
34​	Black-headed Gull	16-Jan​
35​	Fieldfare	16-Jan​

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

A few #49 Redwingzzz over this morning, after quite a cold night. I’m surprised there were none yesterday, as there was an uptick in Song Thrush and Blackbird.

An adult #50 Grey Heron down river was viewable from the edge of the garden, but then got flushed and gave a nice flyby.



My neighbour told me he had a flyover Gooseander yesterday morning, presumably before I got up, as he leaves quite early. Up till now there have been no local birds, so I guess that has arrived with the cold. I will have to keep my eyes open for it.

 

[Richard Prior]

A few #49 Redwingzzz over this morning, after quite a cold night. I’m surprised there were none yesterday, as there was an uptick in Song Thrush and Blackbird.

An adult #50 Grey Heron down river was viewable from the edge of the garden, but then got flushed and gave a nice flyby.

View attachment 1554463

My neighbour told me he had a flyover Gooseander yesterday morning, presumably before I got up, as he leaves quite early. Up till now there have been no local birds, so I guess that has arrived with the cold. I will have to keep my eyes open for it.

Grrr, neighbours that see Goosander when we don’t BH, a nasty tendency in my view!
Dan’s attic seawatching gymnastics remind me of my Garden listing when I lived at Selsey Bill- in order to get (a restricted) view of the sea I had to balance the ‘scope on the highest step of the kids’ slide by the garden fence!
« None but the brave deserve the scoter » as John Dryden (nearly) said.

 

[Farnboro John]

Knew I'd struggle to keep up with this. A couple unrecorded as garden ticks, though from some days ago - random flyovers kind of:

32. Waxwing (this was as I returned from photographing the Farnham ones in decent light)
33. Cormorant - surrounded as we are by gravel pits, ponds, rivers etc this was only a matter of time, over on a presumed roosting flight.

Cheers

John

 

[dantheman]

Grrr, neighbours that see Goosander when we don’t BH, a nasty tendency in my view!
Dan’s attic seawatching gymnastics remind me of my Garden listing when I lived at Selsey Bill- in order to get (a restricted) view of the sea I had to balance the ‘scope on the highest step of the kids’ slide by the garden fence!
« None but the brave deserve the scoter » as John Dryden (nearly) said.

I pulled a muscle in my back whilst doing so, forgot to mention. Hopefully just a twinge which won't develop ...

 

[Paul Chapman]

I pulled a muscle in my back whilst doing so, forgot to mention. Hopefully just a twinge which won't develop ...

Get well soon.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Let's see if I manage to keep this up...

Just before Christmas I moved across Aberdeen to the much more pleasant (but much less coastal) west end. No garden to speak of, but plenty of windows!

1 pink-footed goose
2 Sparrowhawk
3 Black-headed gull
4 Common gull
5 Herring gull
6 Feral pigeon
7 Woodpigeon
8 Collared dove
9 Wren
10 Dunnock
11 Robin
12 Song thrush
13 Mistle thrush
14 Blackbird
15 Redwing
16 Fieldfare (including hundreds over today)
17 Blue tit
18 Great tit
19 Coal tit
20 Magpie
21 Jackdaw
22 Carrion crow
23 House sparrow
24 Chaffinch
25 Goldfinch
25 Bullfinch

Still plenty of time, and plenty of birds to go...

 

[Farnboro John]

Another new for the year as our local roaming tit flock drags a Nuthatch into the Buddleia!

34. Nuthatch

Very nice too.

John

 

[halftwo]

42: Little Egret

Took a while!

 

[01101001]

a Firecrest calling away in the conifer

How do you seperate the two on call: I'm interested just in case?

 

[dantheman]

How do you seperate the two on call: I'm interested just in case?

Louder and lower pitch than the higher pitch of Goldcrest - or maybe it just sounds louder. Going more towards Great Tit? In any case, I'm not hugely confident with calls, but seeing it always helps ;-)

 

[01101001]

Seeing it here would help my life list, certainly.

 

[Paul Chapman]

An addition today:-

33​

Redwing

17-Jan-24​

All the best

Paul

 

[dantheman]

Get well soon.

Thanks ;-) I seem to have got away with it. Silly twisting injuries are the norm though - I once was building a wall, loads of physical work, all good, at the end of the day in the car I reached over to the back seat for my bag, of course, pulled a muscle ... but not serious even then.

 

[dantheman]

16th Jan:

33. Collared Dove

Mabe Burnthouse

17th Jan:

34. Chiffchaff!
35. Linnet

I have now seen two nominate Chiffchaff this year. Happened to look out the living room window and saw a Chiffchaff in a tussock of grass next to the front path. It hopped around a bit and sat on a pallet - it thought it was a Wren perhaps. Close enough for a decent shot, but I failed. Didn't see it go. Two regular Chiffchaff this year - neither have been more than 2 feet off the ground.

Watching out the attic window in the day and then half an hour 4:30 - 5:00pm - saw a few Gannets again, and Linnet in flight briefly. Hoping for an owl at dusk perhaps.