Halftwo's Decameron (1 Viewer)

[halftwo]

Woodcock

Fog banks wedged above the sun
Rising through oozing wood,
Where ice drops spark;

Drip on autumn's rot.
Woodcock: ghost in rusts on bowed wings,
Glides through the gloom.

 

[halftwo]

Ten minutes in the garden, post-work: male Sparrowhawk above the lingering snow, drawing 'seeps' from thrushes and Blackbirds, then, first for the year...

48: Lapwing, which puts me one behind Mouldy.

 

[joannec]

Can I join the garden year listers H? So far I'm on 48, same as you for the year. (All time garden list is 90something)

2010 for me so far seen in or from the garden, including flyovers:

Cormorant
G Heron
Greylag Goose
Mallard
C Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
RL Partridge
Pheasant
Moorhen
BH Gull
Herring Gull
Common Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Ferel Pigeon
Collared Dove
Tawny Owl
Barn Owl
Green Woodpecker
GS Woodpecker
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Fieldfare
Blackbird
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
L T Tit
Nuthatch
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
C Crow
STarling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer

 

[halftwo]

One or two there I still need - and I don't count Feral pigeon, Joanne.
Would love to get Barn owl on my list.

H

 

[joannec]

One or two there I still need - and I don't count Feral pigeon, Joanne.
Would love to get Barn owl on my list.

H

OK, 47 then but I'll catch up.

 

[halftwo]

OK, 47 then but I'll catch up.

The Yellowhammers have deserted my patch (for now I hope), I have only seen one Mipit, one Grey & no Pied wagtails since the freeze (on patch - not yet on the garden list), ditto Goldcrest...plenty to get yet; the race is on!

(Red legs not on my garden list (though they do occur in v small numbers on my patch), Greys more likely, but less so lately.)

 

[Mouldy]

48: Lapwing, which puts me one behind Mouldy.

Hey ! this is becoming quite a contest, you have some cracking highlights on your garden list H, I totted up my garden life list and in 7 years here I have 76 species, highlights of flyover hen harrier (male, just last year), soaring osprey (twice), goshawks ( just about annual), peregrines (just about annual), marsh harriers (3) and hobby(1).
Among the passerines, 2 waxwings were my favourites, and this years lesser redpolls and reed buntings, bramblings, nuthatch and a single sighting of a treecreeper on my cherry tree stands out. Probably more but just thinking off the top of my head (not easy)

And my 49 this year does include the dreaded feral pigeon so that makes us level pegging, the only regulars I'm surprised I haven't yet got are wren, grey heron, and maybe goldcrest, roll on spring.

Race you to 50 !

cheers

Alan M

 

[SueO]

How exciting! Neck-in-neck. In spite of the fact that I am in a birder's paradise and ticking like mad, I do look forward to being home and spending a few years really getting to know my property and the birds that live there. I'd like to do what you do H.--keep a record of who comes at what time of the year and get to know everything I can about the birds that live there year round. Good luck to you all.
Sue

 

[joannec]

Just realised I have the Scandinavian coal tit as well as the British one so I'm on 48 too!

 

[halftwo]

Sue,

Still [email protected]@dy freezing here - though the birds seem to be getting frisky now, with the Long-tailed tits in pairs, Blue tits displaying, etc.

Just realised I have the Scandinavian coal tit as well as the British one so I'm on 48 too!

You'll have to explain that one, Joanne. Have I missed something?

H

 

[joannec]

You'll have to explain that one, Joanne. Have I missed something?

H

It's a different race and on the BOU list I believe. It is more grey, not so olivey on the mantle than the British one, has a bigger black bib, larger white cheeks and sometimes slightly rosy underparts and an autumn/winter visitor.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...tinental+coal+tit&hl=en&sa=G&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1

 

[halftwo]

Ah, the continental race - I know it (seen some in Greece - very different to ours). But - are we to count sub spp. on our lists? Maybe we should do addenda for those?

 

[halftwo]

Merlin!!!

Dawn: first up, a Buzzard, flying past in half-light and calling: augured well!
Anti-cyclonic conditions* have returned - clouds piling in from the east - clouds that have kept the temperature up to almost freezing - snow in patches still.

Soon after the daily Cormorant commute began (a baker's dozen already this morning) the female Kestrel started her hover-hunt by the lane. Song thrushes sang - drowning out the Robins.

The usual corvids showed - the pairs of Magpies and Crows waiting for the food I usually put out, Blackbirds and a Mistle thrush flying in - and a probable Redpoll skirted my observational limits.

But, just after seven, light now fair, there - across the sky at some speed - swerving on slim pointed wings, a Merlin! Straight through and gone.

Garden year tick no 49: Merlin.

Edit: the easterles are cyclonic - low to the south.

 

[halftwo]

Had a Mouldy-like moment in the garden today when the local female Sparrowhawk sat eyeing the feeders from the cherry tree for some minutes, while the Long-tailed tits sat nervously, deep in the Rambling Rector* until she swooped over the hedge and away.

Scant reward for six hours of (mainly) hospital today: not just one, but two Woodcock flying over (one over the motorway, the other over near where I've seen them on patch, lately).

House sparrow in the new nest box - Hey! That's for the Tree sparrows. (I didn't think the hole big enough for the HS!) Maybe some tinkering in the entrance diameter department is in order.

* For those who are still wondering: it's a rose.

 

[SueO]

Had a Mouldy-like moment in the garden today when the local female Sparrowhawk sat eyeing the feeders from the cherry tree for some minutes, while the Long-tailed tits sat nervously, deep in the Rambling Rector* until she swooped over the hedge and away.

Scant reward for six hours of (mainly) hospital today: not just one, but two Woodcock flying over (one over the motorway, the other over near where I've seen them on patch, lately).

House sparrow in the new nest box - Hey! That's for the Tree sparrows. (I didn't think the hole big enough for the HS!) Maybe some tinkering in the entrance diameter department is in order.

* For those who are still wondering: it's a rose.

Very sorry to hear of the hospital visit H. Hope things are OK. More woodcocks! I just told Gene we have to visit the UK so I can see a Bullfinch, Woodcock and Puffin. He said sounds great. All we have is another 2 years? before we're home and can travel in a more sane manner.
Congrats on the Merlin.
Sue

 

[One Man and His Dog]

Dawn: first up, a Buzzard, flying past in half-light and calling: augured well!
Anti-cyclonic conditions* have returned - clouds piling in from the east - clouds that have kept the temperature up to almost freezing - snow in patches still.

Soon after the daily Cormorant commute began (a baker's dozen already this morning) the female Kestrel started her hover-hunt by the lane. Song thrushes sang - drowning out the Robins.

The usual corvids showed - the pairs of Magpies and Crows waiting for the food I usually put out, Blackbirds and a Mistle thrush flying in - and a probable Redpoll skirted my observational limits.

But, just after seven, light now fair, there - across the sky at some speed - swerving on slim pointed wings, a Merlin! Straight through and gone.

Garden year tick no 49: Merlin.

Edit: the easterles are cyclonic - low to the south.

Merlin! what a cracking garden tick halftwo :clap: the only birds of prey on my garden list are red kite,buzzard,sparrowhawk and kestrel. Hopefully i get to tick a few more this year, now that im having a garden tick off with mouldy!
cheers
steve

 

[halftwo]

Very sorry to hear of the hospital visit H. Hope things are OK. More woodcocks! I just told Gene we have to visit the UK so I can see a Bullfinch, Woodcock and Puffin. He said sounds great. All we have is another 2 years? before we're home and can travel in a more sane manner.
Congrats on the Merlin.
Sue

Hi Sue,

Mrs.H has been having kidney stone treatment been ongoing for weeks now. We hope that she should be clear now. Otherwise OK & we're daring to think of another holiday - will have to see.
Was reading an article on Panama while I waited - it sounds superb: don't be in a hurry to leave!

Merlin! what a cracking garden tick halftwo :clap: the only birds of prey on my garden list are red kite,buzzard,sparrowhawk and kestrel. Hopefully i get to tick a few more this year, now that im having a garden tick off with mouldy!
steve

I see Mouldy's got Goshawk on you, then Steve. It's about time a Peregrine made a show at yours and mine. (There was a raptor reaction which might have been a passing P but it kept out of sight.) Usualy see them most months. The Merlin was the second or third from here - one does winter in the area usually - but ranges widely and is very unpredictable.
Nothing else to add this morning - very murky out there - best bird a Treecreeper.

Cheers,

H

 

[halftwo]

Merlin At Full Tilt

Out on patch and nothing doing - one Pied wagtail noteworthy and Skylark singing.
One field full of Starlings and Fieldfares - 250 & 100+ respectively.

Then all get up to swirl around, plus thirty-odd Lapwings from further fields.

Suddenly a Merlin is streaking through in the distance in its characteristic zigzaggy way - heading towards my house and beyond. Gone in seconds - and, having a look at the map at home, I see it had covered over a kilometre while I watched - and I watched for no more than twenty seconds.

Now that's some speed!

Everything settled down and a Mistle thrush sang.

 

[One Man and His Dog]

peregrine

Hi halftwo

I had a peregrine whilst on my way to work last week, i was about 1/4 mile away from my place. All i could do was watch in horror as it headed straight for mine, kicking myself all day i was. Today i was 5 mins away from mine and the same thing happened only this time it was barnacle goose (which would of been a garden lifer) and a canada goose, i should get canada but kicking myself about the barnacle :-C

cheers
steve :t:

 

[Mouldy]

Hi halftwo

I had a peregrine whilst on my way to work last week, i was about 1/4 mile away from my place. All i could do was watch in horror as it headed straight for mine, kicking myself all day i was. Today i was 5 mins away from mine and the same thing happened only this time it was barnacle goose (which would of been a garden lifer) and a canada goose, i should get canada but kicking myself about the barnacle :-C

cheers
steve :t:

Oh boo hoo!, sob sob! :-O

(sorry for trivialising your thread H but couldn't resist)

Alan M