Garden / Yard List 2025 (8 Viewers)

[Richard Prior]

Well I'll be jiggered, I wasn't expecting this one, at least not until late summer (earliest date 23 July!) but as the French population grows I suppose they might turn up earlier - but the sheep haven't been taken up to the mountain pastures yet!

75 Cinereous/Black/Monk Vulture (I prefer to call them Black but I've no idea what is the current name!)

Low over the forest 3kms to our west at first before circling higher and higher to glide towards the mountains to our east

 

[KenM]

About on time, not one, but two! no.63

 

[Jos Stratford]

Only three additions for the year today - significant arrival of Common Whitethroats, one early Thrush Nightingale and a rare overflight by two Black Terns.

Highlight of the day however was finding my Cranes are already with chicks - pair trailing two tiny little ones through the meadow.

104. Common Whitethroat
105. Thrush Nightingale
106. Black Tern

However, despite rain much of the day, decided to do a species count today - reached a respectable 76 species regardless of the weather, missing quite a few common ones, including Marsh Harrier and Buzzard, both of which breed.

List:

Bittern vv
Great White Egret vv
Grey Heron vv
Mute Swan vv
Whooper Swan vv
Mallard vv
Teal
Goldeneye
Goosander vv
White Stork vv
White-tailed Eagle vv
Hobby
Herring Gull vv
Black-headed Gull vv
Common Gull vv
Black Tern *
Crane vv
Water Rail
Spotted Crake
Lapwing vv
Wood Sandpiper vv
Green Sandpiper
Common Redshank vv
Common Snipe vv
Cuckoo vv
Grey-headed Woodpecker vv
White-backed Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker vv
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Wryneck vv
Wood Pigeon vv
Stock Dove
Feral Pigeon
House Martin vv
Swallow
Skylark vv
Meadow Pipit vv
Tree Pipit
White Wagtail vv
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Wood Warbler
Common Whitethroat * vv
Lesser Whitethroat vv
Blackcap
Sedge Warbler
Savi's Warbler
Pied Flycatcher
Robin
Thrush Nightingale *
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush
Fieldfare
Whinchat vv
Wren
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Starling vv
Magpie vv
Raven vv
Hooded Crow vv
Rook
Jay
Tree Sparrow vv
Hawfinch vv
Bullfinch
Greenfinch vv
Chaffinch
Linnet vv
Yellowhammer vv
Reed Bunting

(vv recorded from veranda, *new for the year)

 

[halftwo]

At last: Swift, 77.

 

[KenM]

At last: Swift, 77.

Certainly 5 of my locals arrived today!

 

[Frank van Drogen]

In the middle of a ten day stay at my parents place in the Netherlands. I don’t keep a garden list here, but almost regret it.

One of the fields next to the house is freshly cut, most evenings there are two hares dining there, sometimes still (or again?) present in the morning and then generally joined by some roe deer.

On Saturday evening an Oystercatcher first flew over, and returned 5 minutes later to feed on the field. Yesterday morning, there was a fly-over Spoonbill — presumably on its way from the brooding/roosting site to wherever it forages. Then last evening, while looking out of the attic window with my dad, discussing the original stream bed of a tamed river and the effects on the ground water level of the area, eight Greylag Geese flew over.

Any of these birds would be exceptional to see at our places in either Zurich or France

 

[Warixenjalka]

My total list of April was just a 26 species, of which 21 on first day.

2.5.

#37. Willow Warbler - heard only
#38. Common Tern
#39. Chiffchaff

4.5.

#40. Pied Flycatcher - male checking nest boxes

 

[gerald762]

Thanks to Merlin app, I heard Red necked nightjar last night, from my porch.

 

[KenM]

Thanks to Merlin app, I heard Red necked nightjar last night, from my porch.

Too many “night-jars” Gerald! 😊👍

 

[Andy Lakin]

Added Swift today at last and a close Hobby last week. Decent views but lost from view due to neighbouring houses. I had a Peregrine lingering over the house from my local patch but didn't count it (only 1 or 2 records per year).

 

[An Caislín Dearg]

A good start to the week with new birds on successive days. First off No.84, a House Martin, did a brief fly-by around the house. Not at all common around here with only a couple of previous sightings. I could hear No. 85, a Whitethroat, singing all day nearby but couldn't locate him. The following day I spotted two males fighting over what must be a particularly good Hawthorn bush in a nearby field. Missed out on some lost Greylags and a late Whooper that I spotted from my patch a little down the road and would have definitely seen from the house had I been there.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Yesterday morning a garden lifer!

Hedgehog 😁

 

[KenM]

Yesterday morning a garden lifer!

Hedgehog 😁

I’ve had just 3 in 42 years Wari! 😮👍

 

[Warixenjalka]

I’ve had just 3 in 42 years Wari! 😮👍

Pretty rare. It can happened here too. I hope I don't live this house so long... must be a better place to live... and there is... I just need the money...

 

[KenM]

Looking at same time (today) in 2021….I was 14 species ahead!
Praps less time spent in the crow’s nest, albeit not a lot less, presume just the luck of the draw on the days.
It amounts to 20%+ less….no small beer by anybody’s measure.
The lack of Winter seed eaters hasn’t helped, nor the dirth of less than annual visitors, I’ll have to hope that the god’s look favourably on moi for the coming year, if I’m to give some 😉a run for their money + a few shots from sunny Shropshire!

 

[Andy Lakin]

Yesterday morning a garden lifer!

Hedgehog 😁

I have got a large individual visiting sporadically, every time I see it and go to get some food for it it disappears. I'm presuming hedgehogs can shape shift it's not like they move that fast!

 

[Frank van Drogen]

I have got a large individual visiting sporadically, every time I see it and go to get some food for it it disappears. I'm presuming hedgehogs can shape shift it's not like they move that fast!

We had two hedgehogs fighting last year — I couldn’t believe the noise!

 

[Farnboro John]

We had two hedgehogs fighting last year — I couldn’t believe the noise!

Are you sure they were fighting?

John

 

[halftwo]

A much overdue Great black back finally hove into sight, and, while I was watching that, a falcon, I assumed at first to be a Hobby which didn't seem right - flight & wing, tail ratios all wrong, so assuming a RED-FOOTED FALCON - came past it & meandered closer, though still only a silhouette!
I'll let the jury decide on whether I should count it!
Also realised that I've missed off LBB Gull from the list, taking me to 79, or 80, if you will.

 

[KenM]

A much overdue Great black back finally hove into sight, and, while I was watching that, a falcon, I assumed at first to be a Hobby which didn't seem right - flight & wing, tail ratios all wrong, so assuming a RED-FOOTED FALCON - came past it & meandered closer, though still only a silhouette!
I'll let the jury decide on whether I should count it!
Also realised that I've missed off LBB Gull from the list, taking me to 79, or 80, if you will.

…..at least I got a picture of one I didn’t see! 🤣👍